EVENT REPORT 02.05.07 12:00 AM Maxim Checks Guests Into Luxury Hotel
The men’s mag looked to 1960’s St. Tropez to inspire its Super Bowl bash.
The responsibility of planning one of the biggest parties of Super Bowl weekend is not lost on Karen Feller, Maxim’s associate director of creative services. “You tell people you work at Maxim and the first thing they say is, ‘Oh, my God, you have the Super Bowl party,’” she said. “Each year we try to outdo what we’ve done before.”
This year, Feller and Tracy Kessler, executive producer at TK New York, came up with the concept of a luxury hotel on the French Riviera with an elite, high-energy, and exclusive mood. On Friday night, Maxim remade the Sagamore as “Hotel de Maxim,” a celebration of 1960’s-era St. Tropez glamour.
As in past years, Feller and Kessler worked with a long list of sponsors. “Maxim really has become experienced in learning how to integrate sponsors naturally into an event so consumers don’t feel bombarded by [them],” Kessler said. “It’s a huge part of the planning. … What a sponsor is doing on-site will be in keeping with the brand.” The planners took the approach one step further this year by doing away with individual vignettes dedicated to specific brands, opting instead to weave marketing messages into the decor and talent.
Evidence of a luxury resort abounded at the bash, from the Cadillac chocolates presented to arriving guests (a nod to treats found on hotel pillows) to Hotel de Maxim-logoed cabanas, bathrobes, lounge furniture, and towels out by the pool. Guests could try their luck at two Borgata casinos, and for added 60’s flair, models dressed as Brigitte Bardot during her St. Tropez days circulated throughout the crowd. The party’s other leading lady was Fergie, who performed two songs in a surprise appearance.
Keeping with the St. Tropez theme, Maxim served French-inspired food such as crepes, white chocolate fondue (a crowd favorite), and deviled eggs with caviar from the Sagamore and Social Miami. As an alternative to traditional gift bags, Maxim gave out scratch-off tickets, which could be redeemed for such prizes as Sirius radios, Borgata packages, Blu-ray DVD players, and tickets to events.
While there was word of heavy crowds outside, Keller reported that those who were supposed to get in had little trouble doing so. Three separate entrances at the front door helped manage crowd flow, as did 12 uniformed police officers at the front and back of the venue. “If you were credentialed and followed the procedure we set up, it was really very smooth,” she said.
When all was said and done (at about 2 AM), as many as 1,700 revelers had passed through Hotel de Maxim's doors.
—Mimi O’Connor
Posted 02.05.07
Photos: Theo Wargo/Wireimage.com (Hotel de Maxim staff, pool, rug, cabana, Absolut fountain), Kevin Mazur/Wireimage.com (DJ)
Center548
Center548, a 35,000-square-foot venue in the Chelsea gallery district, maintains the history of the site with its position as a flexible exhibition venue and functions as a hybrid space for social, corporate, and fashion events. The three open 9,500-square-foot floors and beautiful roof deck (drive-in is available on all floors, including the roof), with views of Chelsea and the Hudson River, provide a level of flexibility for trade shows, corporate events, art exhibitions, photo shoots, and fashion shows.
Center 548's renovations: We will be opening up July 15th after major face-lift that will include extensive white boxing of the venue with brand new electrical that will include 400 amps per floor, 100 amp direct tie in per floor. More >>
Events in Motion
With offices in Los Angeles and New York, Events in Motion is a full-service event planning and catering company offering the in-depth expertise needed to create the perfect event. They offer a wide range of services, from catering to cutting-edge design ideas. More >>
Emil Norsic & Son Inc.
Emil Norsic & Son provides a full range of basic, custom, and luxury portable restrooms, as well as garbage containers and cleanup crews. They have something for every type of event, meeting, or celebration from Montauk to Manhattan. More >>
