New York City - Manhattan My Favorite Vendors Archive and Event Advice on What People Are Talking About, Columnist Ted Kruckel, Smart Event Planning and Selling Sponsorships in New York City - Manhattan by BizBash

In 2006, Meghan McGuinness became the director of the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation, a charity to benefit underprivileged children in New York. Every October she runs the annual Alfred E. Smith Dinner, which has a history of drawing political bigwigs, including Barack Obama and John McCain this year. Previously, McGuinness worked on a capital campaign for the bicentennial of the Archdiocese of New York. These days, on the side, McGuinness produces more than a dozen events for the Inner-City Scholarship Fund and Catholic Charities.

Advertising: “Idea Loft is a new company that I have been working with for the past year. They take care of many of our advertising and design projects. For this year’s Smith dinner we had a brilliant save-the-date that Daphne Baxter and her team worked on with us. The theme was 'Who said there’s no humor in politics?' It was a teaser that linked to an exclusive Web site for the dinner. This created an overwhelming response with our ticket sales and an exciting buzz for the event. The dinner sold out a month in advance. The team at Idea Loft is incredibly creative, diligent, and easy to work with.” MORE >>

Alfred E. Smith Dinner, Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation

11.06.08 12:16 PM

IAC Relies on Warren Z's Video Wall Expertise

Sabrina Kieffer
Photo: Courtesy of Sabrina Kieffer

Sabrina Kieffer came to IAC in July 2007 as the director of corporate events and travel. In addition to managing venue rentals for the company’s Frank Gehry-designed headquarters in Chelsea, she and her team of two event managers oversee 100 events annually, ranging from 10-person board meetings to large-scale product launches. Prior to joining IAC, a media conglomerate that owns Ask.com, Citysearch, Match.com, and CollegeHumor.com, Kieffer planned events in Los Angeles for Universal Studios, USC, and the Four Seasons in Westlake Village, California.

Audiovisual Production: "Warren Z Productions is our go-to audiovisual company. One of the unique things about our space is the 120-foot-long by 11-foot-tall video wall in the lobby, and Warren Z is extremely well-versed in video-wall technology. They produce custom content for the wall, and clients find them easy to work with."

Catering: “I recommend Taste Caterers. They have done a lot of product launches, cocktail receptions, and press conferences for us. Overall, the quality of food that Taste serves is excellent. They specialize in the most delicious bite-size hors d'oeuvres, like the crab cakes and mini Cuban sandwiches. They also create passed desserts that are to die for, including roasted pineapple goat-cheese croquettes with a rum dipping sauce.
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IAC

10.02.08 12:55 PM

Food Bank Gets Ice Sculptures From Okamoto

Nicholas Ferrando

Arizona-native Nicholas Ferrando joined the Food Bank for New York City in February and now oversees more than 20 events annually, including the Can-Do awards dinner and the Lunchbox Auction. Ferrando also manages third-party partnership events, such as Taste of Tennis and the upcoming Wine & Food Festival in New York.

Ice Sculpture Design: “Okamoto Studio does not do your typical swan, duck, or punch bowl. They can freeze just about anything, be it oranges or a real fish, tennis balls and a racket, or Crocs—all things they designed for us this year. Shintaro Okamoto will come back with renderings very quickly, and he does exquisite work every time, which is why we have used him for the last four years and will continue to do so."

Photography: “Donjé is a longstanding partner of ours. I started working with the husband-and-wife team, Scott and Nichole Allinson, in February, and they have done everything for us, from photographing our events from both a product and sponsorship perspective to working in the field to doing people shots, like the one of our C.E.O. in the newsletter.” MORE >>

Food Bank of New York

09.04.08 12:00 PM

BAM Sets the Stage With Fleurs Bella

Glenn Stiskal
Photo: Shevett Studios

Glenn Stiskal joined the Brooklyn Academy of Music in February, and now oversees 40 to 50 events per year as its director of special events. Before BAM, Stiskal planned opening-night parties for New York City Center and Second Stage Theater.

Flowers: “Bella Meyer and her team at Fleurs Bella have a flair for drama and passion like no other in their decor and arrangements. It would be difficult to write the genius that is Bella. They are our exclusive florist and have worked on the Paul Simon spring gala, for which they crafted organic centerpieces tied into the African theme. Bella took inspiration from the dry deserts and lush jungles to make the individual tables reflect the continent. On another ocassion, she conjured up a prom for grownups, making corsages for 1,000 guests—and she only has a staff of 10. Bella is our most invaluable asset.”

Music: "DJ Idlemind creates the perfect atmospheric background music for our gala dinners. This year, he DJed the spring gala that celebrated Paul Simon's 'Under African Skies.' He played a compilation of music from 'The Rhythm of the Saints' and 'Graceland,' with some Latin and African influences. He found just the right mood and vibe—without spinning any Paul Simon. He also always manages to avoid crossing into pop territory." MORE >>

Brooklyn Academy of Music

07.31.08 11:54 AM

Cooper-Hewitt Depends on Bowman Dahl

Barbara Roan

Barbara Roan joined the Smithsonian's Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum as special events manager in December 2007. Roan previously spent two years at Gen Art as the event coordinator and art program manager. At the Cooper-Hewitt she organizes several large annual events, including the National Design Awards Gala.

Flowers: “Brian Bowman and Dan Dahl (previously of Gotham Gardens) are behind Bowman Dahl and are a severely creative duo. Regardless of the theme or atmosphere, I can depend on them to produce unusual arrangements, not generic square vases with banana leaves. The flowers are always fresh. If you call up and say, ‘I want this many white roses’ and a quick turnaround, they’ll do their utmost with what they have available that day; their off the cuff interpretations often wow me.”

Caterer: "Restaurant Associates has a super-professional staff and consistently covers all the bases at our biggest events. The director of catering, Ezra Nanes—who also works with the Guggenheim—makes every event chic, whether it’s casual or black tie. For our summer cocktail events, the skewered grilled shrimp with heirloom tomato gazpacho vinaigrette and braised beef short rib sandwiches with Korean BBQ sauce are delicious." MORE >>

Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, National Design Gala

07.03.08 11:47 AM

Alvin Ailey Trusts Match Catering

Quay Whitlock
Photo: Lesley Gholston

Five years ago, Quay Whitlock went from planning literary events at The New York Times to producing events for the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, where she is now the director of special events and development initiatives. Whitlock works on an array of projects, including the organization's annual opening night gala, the spring benefit at the Apollo Theater, and donor-related dinners.

Caterer: "Match Catering & Event Styles makes the most delicious mini ice-cream-cone treats that guests always scoop up the minute their feet leave the dance floor. At our spring gala, which Match has been catering for several years, the company creates simple yet significant touches that continue to reinvent the party. They will team up with the other vendors to envision the event’s color scheme or what plants will blend best with the tablecloths and lighting design. The staff—Michele Pokowicz and Joan Steinberg—are such professionals and make my job easier. I trust them immensely.”

Flowers: “For our many intimate events throughout the year—during December we might produce three donor dinners a week—I use Flowers of the World. They consistently come up with beautiful arrangements that are unique while being sensitive to the fact that we are a nonprofit. A gorgeous orchid display, for instance, we can reuse for the next event. Whether there are deep purple orchids in black square vases or low and lush looks on tables, their florals make a lasting impression." MORE >>

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater

06.12.08 7:20 PM

Saks Selects Sonnier & Castle, David Stark

Marguerita LaCorte Deluca
Photo: Courtesy of Saks Fifth Avenue

In 1968, when the New York flagship store of Saks Fifth Avenue had yet to install an escalator service, Marguerita LaCorte Deluca was entering her first postcollege job as an assistant to the director of publicity. Today, Deluca is the senior director of special events and special projects, planning more than two dozen parties every year, including Key to the Cure, Brushes With Greatness, the annual holiday window unveiling, and Tuesday night’s 1,000-guest Charity: Water soiree, which Saks hosted, helping to raise more than $100,000.

Catering: “When we want food that is more than just great, that it is also detail-oriented and inspiring, we use Sonnier & Castle. Russ Sonnier and Cornelius Gallagher are so meticulous, and the end result is consistently delicious. Guests always appreciate how much Sonnier thinks outside the box, be it French, Italian, or tapas.”

Flowers: “Doro’s Annex immediately comes to mind. Sung Jung is extremely creative, and their flowers are absolutely beautiful—[and they] have stayed that way over the many years we’ve worked together. At the Four Seasons, we hosted an event for Victoria Beckham, and Sung’s presentation was stunning, so much so that Victoria was quite taken back. She loves purple, so the candles and purple floral arrangements were just the perfect touch.” MORE >>

Saks Fifth Avenue, Key to the Cure, Brushes With Greatness, Charity: Water, Mount Sinai Hospital, Blumarine

05.29.08 1:35 PM

Acria Creates Event Buzz With Deborah Hughes

Scott Drevnig
Photo: Russell L. Weiss

Scott Drevnig stepped into his position as director of art and event marketing at AIDS Community Research Initiative of America in 2006. Prior to joining Acria, he worked in media marketing for HBO and was the director of sales and marketing for Preston Bailey. Drevnig now produces roughly 10 annual events, including a Vanity Fair-sponsored benefit in the Hamptons and the big annual “Unframed” fund-raiser hosted by Domino magazine.

PR: “When we need to publicize one of our events to the fashion, art, and media people, Deborah Hughes is amazing and very connected. She’s an industry veteran who does PR for Donna Karan. Deborah is very quick and efficient, and has a wonderful supporter base. She brings great press on board, which is such a gift to us, since we need to raise money and awareness.”
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AIDS Community Research Initiative of America, HBO, Vanity Fair, Domino Magazine

05.16.08 9:30 AM

Travel & Leisure Likes IAC Space, Creative Edge

Penelope Bonaldi
Photo: David Prutting/Patrick McMullan Photography

Australia-born Penelope Bonaldi has been the special events director at Travel & Leisure since 2007, overseeing 40 events per year, including the magazine's annual World’s Best awards. Prior to joining T&L, she worked for Hamptons Cottages and Gardens magazine as project director.

Venue: “It is the most amazing experience preparing for an event at Frank Gehry’s IAC Building. For the design awards in February, the process was seamless and everyone was so sophisticated and smart. The word 'yes' just came out of every sentence. Even though we have to pick new venues all the time, I would just move in there if I could. I’m also trying to be more strategic with venues that won’t necessitate big build-outs; it starts to look obscene at this time of year to spend a lot. IAC has the biggest video wall in the world, so instead of doing creative displays or installations, I get to work in the video world and every guest was blown away.... Lighting is also fantastic; you don’t need an enormous amount of lighting installations. There is a full working kitchen, beautiful 180-degree windows, and a ground-level loading dock; it’s streamlined right through to the reception area.” MORE >>

Travel & Leisure magazine, World's Best Awards

05.01.08 11:21 AM

Clinton Global Initiative Favors Aisling Flowers, Five Currents

Mary Morrison

Mary Morrison joined the Clinton Global Initiative at its inception in 2005 as director of membership. Her current responsibilities as director of operations—working on several large events per year, including the three-day annual meeting in New York—have taken her to Hong Kong to plan for the first C.G.I. International affair this December.

Flowers: “Aisling Flowers has been our florist from Day One. Tess Casey works well with us; she’s made a commitment to the organization because [C.G.I.] is helping to change the lives of people around the world. Aisling takes every opportunity to make more out of less money. Tess is very conscious with our budget, always pushing the envelope while aiming to be eco-friendly. She understands that the people we’re catering to are diplomats and that the events need to be elegant with a socially conscious message. Her work consistently has lasting values: She has created vases filled with apples that were later donated to City Harvest, and her vases and materials are sustainable—sometimes hand-picked from Africa.” MORE >>

Clinton Global Initiative

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