New York City - Manhattan Event Report is a news archive for Event Planners on recent past Benefit Galas, Public Promos, Launch Parties, Movie Premieres, Fashion Shows and New Releases by BizBash

In a bid to make a provocative statement for the debut of its new line of body-shaping underwear and hosiery, Sculptz turned to Alberto Vargas' iconic paintings of pinup girls for inspiration and produced a playful format for its launch Tuesday night. In place of a typical catwalk production, the Philadelphia-headquartered company wanted to show that its products are suitable for all shapes and can be worn every day, and so opted to build a series of seasonal vignettes and showcase its wares on live models of different sizes.

Looking to get an edge over Spanx, its main competitor in the shapewear category, the preview party hosted by Sculptz president and C.E.O. Jean Vernor and celebrity stylist Robert Verdi drew more than 100 editors and retail buyers to the 21st floor of the Glasshouses at the Chelsea Arts Tower. MORE >>

Sculptz

11.05.09 3:34 PM

Continental Marks New Partnership and Aircraft With Dramatic Kabuki Drop

Continental Airlines' newest 757
Photo: Courtesy of Joanna Wilson Photography

It isn't every day that an airline switches alliances—the coalitions of different companies that broaden flight services—so when Continental made its long-planned switch to the Star Alliance, it did do so in dramatic fashion. With C.E.O.s from each of the 24 other Star Alliance airlines in town last Tuesday morning, Continental launched its new partnership by unveiling a new 757 with a dramatic kabuki drop in its Newark Airport hanger and a party for 1,200 later that day at the Rose Center for Earth and Space.

"It's very exciting for us to join the Star Alliance," said Continental manager of promotions and sponsorships Felicia Daniels. "It gives us more access to other destinations." MORE >>

Continental Airlines, Star Alliance

11.04.09 12:30 PM

Health Initiative Rethinks Halloween With Woodland Scenery, Interactive Performances

The garden scene at Green Halloween NYC's launch party
Photo: Roy Reid/Rfive Design

Looking to tackle childhood obesity and diabetes by promoting a healthier Halloween, three groups banded together this year to create Green Halloween NYC. To kick off the initiative and emphasize costumes over candy, the partnership produced three separate events on Friday and Saturday as well as a float for the Village Halloween Parade. The group involved Corey Colwell-Lipson and Lynn Colwell's Washington State-based Green Halloween organization, New York's nonprofit Action Arts League and its executive director Jim Glaser (also the founder of arts collective Kostume Kult), and the Dr. Mehmet Oz-founded HealthCorps.

To get an early start to the weekend, the hosts introduced the campaign with a party for 300 supporters on Friday night at Openhouse Gallery. Designed to conjure "nature's revenge," the intention of the launch was to build an environment that would bring to light the underlying mission of changing how Halloween is perceived by children—to make the secular celebration less about collecting sugary treats and more about inspiring creativity through interactive games and performances. Vincent Reverdy of Connected Productions designed and produced the affair. MORE >>

Green Halloween, Action Arts League, HealthCorps

11.04.09 12:18 PM

Library Lions Takes a Page From Venue With Paper Decor

Recycled paper and living vines at Library Lions
Photo: BizBash

A crowd of 500, including Billy Crudup, Leighton Meester, and Barbara Walters, arrived at the New York Public Library's annual Library Lions benefit on Monday night. When it was time for dinner, guests made their way into the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, where the recycled materials and living plants came together in the paper-inspired decor.

Under the direction of New York Public Library events coordinator Emily Neidhardt and its event team, designer David E. Monn reinvented the venue for the seventh year in a row. "I always try to find a route of some integrity to base every event on, and this year I kept thinking of the paper in all of the books," said Monn. "When we sat down in the very begining [of planning], we wanted to be very careful about the tone and the message that was sent through the decor. It's always been beautiful, glamourous, and elegent, but I wanted it to maintain those elements without looking out of step with the times." MORE >>

New York Public Library, Library Lions

10.30.09 2:23 PM

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen Launch New J.C. Penney Collection With Mobile Store

Branded balloons at the Olsenboye truck
Photo: John Minchillo for BizBash

After Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen announced a new J.C. Penney-exclusive clothing line, called Olsenboye, on Monday morning, they spent the better part of the week bating customers and seeding product in a branded truck that covered much of the city.

"Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen were extremely involved in crafting the overall marketing plan for Olsenboye," said J.C. Penney brand marketing and publicity director Merianne Roth. "They had so many great ideas, and we narrowed down to ones that we thought resonated best with the consumer and served our purpose of communicating the brand clearly and in a fun way." MORE >>

J.C. Penney, Olsenboye, Mary Kate Olsen, Ashley Olsen

10.30.09 12:42 PM

Microsoft Introduces Windows 7 With Cute Kid, Product Vignettes

TV commercial star Kylie introduced Microsoft C.E.O. Steve Ballmer at the Windows 7 launch.
Photo: Richard Koek

Given Microsoft's enormous customer base—a January 2009 report put the technology giant's market share at 88 percent—when it launches a product, there's always a certain amount of buzz surrounding it. But rather than replicate the elaborate marketing stunt it produced for the debut of the Windows Vista operating system, Microsoft took a simpler approach to the press event introducing Windows 7. Inside Skylight Thursday, October 22, some 340 journalists, software testers, and executives from hardware manufacturing partners gathered for a six-hour launch that combined art gallery-style exhibits with live demonstrations and product vignettes.

"We wanted to create an event that represented the product and be mindful of the current state of the economy and the broad consumer mindset. So we set a tone that was simple, approachable, and authentic while demonstrating the excitement we all feel for Windows 7," said Windows group marketing manager Ed Chase, who led the planning of the project. To pull it off, Chase collaborated with Pinnacle Exhibits and a crew of other local and West Coast companies. MORE >>

Microsoft, Windows, Dell, Samsung

10.29.09 11:54 AM

Central Park Conservancy Casts Halloween Ball in Eerie Light

The Halloween Ball's spooky lighting
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash

Swapping tuxedos and designer gowns for elaborate costumes covered in glittering cobwebs, plumes of feathers, and flashing lights, 600 guests descended on Rumsey Playfield for the Central Park Conservancy's Halloween Ball Tuesday night. The nonprofit's yearly fund-raiser, a typically kitschy affair, once again eschewed formal floral arrangements and fancy furniture for spooky props and atmospheric lighting. The event raised more than $800,000.

Returning as the event's designer for his third consecutive year, Frank Alexander Salaris of Frank Alexander NYC worked with the conservancy's director of special events, Melissa Kinsella, to set the scene inside two large tented spaces. MORE >>

Central Park Conservancy

10.28.09 12:52 PM

Shriver's Women's Conference Adds Second Day of Programming—Plus a Step-and-Repeat—for 25,000 in Attendance

Helen Devore Waukazoo on the podium with Maria Shriver at the Minerva Awards
Photo: Gold/Wong

FROM LOS ANGELES It might be said that 2009 is a year that created a particular need for inspiration and community support—especially in a state like California, where budget shortfalls and the unemployment rate have become notorious. Either in spite of or because of that climate, California's first lady, Maria Shriver, and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Women's Conference once again drew masses of women from all over the state to join a packed roster of about 70 high-level speakers and participants at the Long Beach Convention Center.

This year, the program ballooned from a single day to two full days—to accommodate the increasing number of would-be attendees. (Each year, full-day passes to the conference sell out in record time. Tickets this year sold out in less than two hours, beating last year's record of three.) The first day's program, a Day of Transformation, served as somewhat more informal programming, with two 1,500-attendee sessions and six 400-person breakout sessions. "We were getting so much feedback from people who wanted to participate and have access," said executive producer Alexandra Gleysteen. "It's a way to get more hands-on information—how to get a new job, start a nonprofit—all in a spiritual context and a serene environment. It's on a different scale, more intimate, than the main program." MORE >>

The Women's Conference, Maria Shriver, Arnold Schwarzenegger

10.28.09 11:25 AM

Old Navy Brings Pop-Up Pumpkin Patch to the Meatpacking District

A pumpkin skyline
Photo: Jessica Torossian for BizBash

For families not looking to load up the station wagon and head to the country for their Halloween pumpkins this year, Old Navy opened a pop-up pumpkin patch in the meatpacking district last Friday and Saturday. An estimated 4,000 parents and children dropped by the playful urban farm to pick and decorate their complimentary gourds.

"Fall is the time when people start thinking about family and coming together for the holidays, so we wanted to do something fun and exciting for New York families that brought the feel of a country fair to the city," said Old Navy public relations manager Nicole Stier, who ran the initiative with Old Navy senior director of media and public relations Kimberly Gonzales. MORE >>

Old Navy, Halloween

10.26.09 4:19 PM

Volkswagen Party Launches Car and Its iPhone App Counterpart

The 2010 GTI
Photo:John Minchillo for BizBash

More than 100 members of the gaming and automotive press made their way to the mouth of the Holland Tunnel last Wednesday, where Volkswagen launched both a tangible and video game version of its latest GTI model at the Classic Car Club. To cater to the tech savvy crowd, Volkswagen brought in G4TV's Olivia Munn to host, built several gaming stations, and filled the room with suggestions to guests to post comments about the party to Twitter.

As of the morning after the party, the 2010 GTI became the first vehicle launch on Apple's app store—with a role in a free version of the popular Firemint Real Racing game—so the mobile application was woven into the fabric of the party almost as much as the car itself. MORE >>

Volkswagen, Apple, Twitter

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