New York City - Manhattan Event Coverage of Benefits, Galas, Public Promos, Launch Parties, Movie Premieres, Fashion Shows, Art Exhibits and Live Music in New York City - Manhattan by BizBash

Reports this week indicated that retail sales are on the rebound and, in an almost deliberate show of proof, a trio of large consumer brands heralded new store openings with celebrity-filled crowds and live musical acts. Last week saw hundreds of guests descend on events for the Gap concept store and Banana Republic's new downtown flagship—both in SoHo—and a Tuesday-night blowout packed the new Times Square home of American Eagle Outfitters. MORE >>

Gap, Banana Republic, American Eagle Outfitters, Gap Inc., Nylon Magazine

EVENT REPORT

11.19.09 4:19 PM

Chicago Chefs Prepare Apple-Cider Bubbles, Whipped Salt Cod for Food & Wine Entertaining Showcase

Food & Wine's Entertaining Showcase
Photo: Rory Tischler/Food & Wine

FROM CHICAGO "I can smell truffles in the air," said one guest at Monday night's Food & Wine Entertaining Showcase. Held at the Museum of Contemporary Art, the event treated 600 guests to dishes from local chefs, who peppered their offerings with high-end ingredients that—apart from black truffles —included everything from whipped salt cod to apple-cider bubbles and pumpkin consommé.

Now in its 11th year, the tasting is "built around its talent," said Food & Wine's special projects producer, Devin Padgett, referring to the 20 local chefs who dished out sample-size entrées. Padgett said the first chefs he asked to participate were locals who have been highlighted in Food & Wine's annual "Best New Chefs" feature. On Monday, nine such chefs—including Boka's Giuseppe Tentori, Alinea's Grant Achatz, and Tru pastry chef Gale Gand—showed up to man tasting stations. MORE >>

Food & Wine Magazine

EVENT REPORT

11.19.09 12:06 PM

MoMA Gets Suitably Whimsical and Macabre for Tim Burton Tribute

Burton-esque hedging around MoMA's bar
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash

Now in its second year, the Museum of Modern Art hosted its annual film benefit Tuesday night. The gala raised $800,000 for MoMA's department of film, honored director Tim Burton, and kicked off an exhibition of his work with decor inspired by more than two decades worth of movies.

A crowd of 240—including event co-chairs Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, as well as Danny DeVito, Brooke Shields, and Gabourey Sidibe—joined the director for cocktails, a short presentation, and dinner, before the museum lobby opened for a less exclusive after-party. MORE >>

Museum of Modern Art, Museum of Modern Art Film Benefit, Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter

EVENT REPORT

11.18.09 11:59 AM

Nintendo Launches New Mario Game With Look Back at Franchise History

A Mario enthusiast posing in the mock Mushroom Kingdom
Photo: John Minchillo for BizBash

Mario has been a part of the gaming world since the pixelated plumber first tried to outwit a disgruntled gorilla in Donkey Kong, but he achieved cultural ubiquity with the 1985 release of Super Mario Bros. on the original Nintendo system. So to launch the newest version of the game for its Wii console, Nintendo invited the public into its Rockefeller Plaza flagship Saturday afternoon for free gaming, an early opportunity to buy the title, and a temporary museum of all things Mario.

One of several high-profile releases in 2009—the store had already hosted events for Sports Resort and Indiana Jones—Super Mario Bros.' synonymy with the Nintendo brand made the company choose to highlight the launch with a public stunt. As Nintendo of America product marketing manager Bill Trinen told us earlier this year, communal gameplay is a major factor in the company's decision to make a fuss. MORE >>

Nintendo, Super Mario Bros.

EVENT REPORT

11.18.09 8:00 AM

New Moon Premiere Beckons 10,000 People and 2 Live Wolves

The premiere for The Twilight Saga: New Moon in Westwood
Photo: Line 8 Photography

FROM LOS ANGELES Westwood, being a college town, is accustomed to groups of young people roaming about—but Monday night was no ordinary night in the village. The young people were out, for sure, but many weren't yet old enough to drive, and they were pressed behind barricades on closed streets for the premiere of Summit Entertainment's new installment of the Twilight series, New Moon.

Summit's Eric Kops oversaw the hotly anticipated event, tapping ELS for big-time tasks like crowd control and security, and Chad Hudson Events for roles including theater management and R.S.V.P.s, plus production of the after-party at the Hammer Museum. MORE >>

Summit Entertainment, Twilight, New Moon, Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner

EVENT REPORT

11.17.09 1:07 PM

Scripted Models Play Up Key Notes at Victoria's Secret Fragrance Preview

Models at the fragrance preview for Victoria's Secret Pink
Photo: Justin Jay/Courtesy of Victoria's Secret Beauty

A week shy of its annual fashion show, Victoria's Secret lured beauty editors to a preview of the new fragrance collection for its Pink brand with short, prop-heavy presentations and mountains of candy. But instead of the usual show and tell, the Thursday event at the New York office of Limited Brands relied on models, rather than brand representatives, to articulate and embody the concept behind the three scents, Hope Pink, Wish Pink, and Live Pink.

Starting at 9 a.m., the presentation was broken into four one-and-a-half-hour sessions and hosted about 80 editors—roughly 20 per time slot—from publications such as Vogue, Marie Claire, Vanity Fair, and Seventeen. To produce the event and build an appropriate setting in a space typically used as a conference room, Victoria's Secret Beauty director of public relations Allison Greenberg brought in Patrick Martinez of City Iris. MORE >>

Victoria's Secret, Limited Brands

EVENT REPORT

11.16.09 2:30 PM

Ad Age Looks to Boost Conference Interaction With Beer Tasting, Lounge Seating

Beer tasting at Advertising Age and Creativity's Idea Conference
Photo: Gary He

Looking to distinguish itself from formulaic and sometimes stale industry conferences, Thursday's Idea Conference from Advertising Age and sister publication Creativity introduced some unusual ways to engage attendees. With an overriding theme of reinvention, the trade magazines invited a diverse crew of speakers—from ING Direct U.S.A. chairman and president Arkadi Kuhlmann to the popular and often outspoken Momofuku owner and chef David Chang—and kept the format of the eight-hour event relatively loose, offering its 300 or so guests a variety of seating areas and plenty of opportunities to mingle.

Held at Terminal 5, the fourth annual Idea Conference was overseen by Advertising Age conference manager Lauren Minardo, who focused her efforts on incorporating interactive elements that wouldn't detract from the program or the speakers themselves. To that end, Minardo took advantage of the concert venue's layout and created lounges that had a full view of the stage, eschewed a banquet-style set up for the meals, and added booths where speakers could linger and chat about their ideas. The conference even broke up its afternoon schedule with an informal beer tasting hosted by Dogfish Head brewery at 4 p.m. MORE >>

Advertising Age, Creativity Magazine, Crain Communication, CBS Interactive

EVENT REPORT

11.12.09 12:05 PM

More Photos From Louis Vuitton's Garden-Style Launch: Life-Sized Trees, Mounds of Mums

Louis Vuitton's forest tableau for its launch at Saks Fifth Avenue
Photo: Courtesy of Louis Vuitton North America

The outdoorsy aesthetic at Tuesday night's launch for Louis Vuitton's 2010 cruise collection and concept boutique inside Saks Fifth Avenue put a new spin on in-store events. In a decor-heavy show of foliage and goods—courtesy of David Beahm—the French fashion house gave guests more to gawk at than just racks of clothing. As a follow-up to our story, here are more images from the cocktail party. MORE >>

Louis Vuitton, Saks Fifth Avenue, Partners in Health

EVENT REPORT

11.12.09 8:00 AM

A Forest of Flora Marks Launch of Louis Vuitton's Saks Boutique

The garden setting for Louis Vuitton's launch at Saks Fifth Avenue
Photo: Jeff Thomas/ImageCapture

Like its three-part homage to Stephen Sprouse in January, Louis Vuitton's event Tuesday night was anything but subdued. The two-hour launch that heralded the French fashion house's 2010 cruise collection and its first women's concept store in North America planted guests amid a living garden of trees, foliage, and flowers on the third floor of Saks Fifth Avenue.

Hosted by Maggie Gyllenhaal, Louis Vuitton North America president and C.E.O. Daniel Lalonde, and Saks Fifth Avenue chairman and C.E.O. Stephen Sadove, the night entertained a bevy of well-heeled models, editors, and celebrities, including tennis champ Serena Williams, Vogue publisher Tom Florio, and Vanity Fair executive fashion editor Alexis Bryan Morgan. MORE >>

Louis Vuitton, Saks Fifth Avenue, Partners in Health

EVENT REPORT

11.11.09 8:00 AM

Verizon and Motorola Release Droid Phone With Yeah Yeah Yeahs Show

The branded stage at Friday's concert
Photo: WireImage

With the release of its new Droid phone last Friday, Verizon officially kicked off the largest marketing campaign in its history. It celebrated the launch in New York with a private Yeah Yeah Yeahs concert at the Angel Orensanz Foundation for the Arts on the Lower East Side. Most of the 650 guests scored their tickets when buying the phone earlier that day or encountering one of Verizon's many street teams that canvased the city all last week.

The cellular carrier is hoping the new Motorola phone will finally give its brand a rival to Apple's iPhone, so it tapped Momentum Worldwide to cover the distinctive venue—a former synagogue—with Droid branding. Momentum put stationed Droid sampling stations near the entrance and in the V.I.P. balcony, and worked with lighting designer Jonathan Goldstein and BML Blackbird to maintain the look of the campaign on stage during the Yeah Yeah Yeahs' performance. MORE >>

Verizon, Motorola, Droid, Yeah Yeah Yeahs

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