| NEWS 06.19.09 1:48 PM |
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White House Social Secretary Desirée Rogers on Conga Lines, Crashers, and Why She's Avoiding Sit-Down Dinners
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 | Actress Dana Delaney and White House social secretary Desirée Rogers
Photo: Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images |
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FROM NEW YORK
The Creative Coalition hosted its annual meeting inside the posh screening room of HBO's Sixth Avenue headquarters Thursday night, where 100 or so members and entertainment industry big wigs voted in new board members (actress Dana Delaney among them) and munched on mini crab cakes and chips and salsa. The real reason for the packed house? A Q&A with press-shy White House social secretary Desiree Rogers.
Moderated by Delaney, the 45-minute conversation touched upon what a typical day for Rogers is—"I have three morning meetings, first with the president in the West Wing, next with the special events teams and house staffers, and third with the first lady in the East Wing,"—and the many challenges the nation's leading event planner faces. "The job comes with lots of logistics," she explained, adding that she's already planned 150 events since inauguration. "I'm essentially working in a house that is someone's home. But it's also a museum, an office, there are tours. Lots of coordination goes on to make sure things end and begin when they need to."
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White House, Desirée Rogers, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama |
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| NEWS 05.11.09 4:22 PM |
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What the Press Said About the Correspondents' Dinner: Funnier Than Ever
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It just wouldn't be the White House Correspondents' Association dinner if nobody left a little incensed or without hurt feelings, and the media seems to think that comedian Wanda Sykes more than fulfilled her M.C. duty of inspiring some scandal. The reaction to her routine, Obama's one-liners, and the hordes of celebrities in attendance this year fill much of today's headlines.
- In attempt to preemptively squash any scandal, plenty of press took Sykes' partisan comments in stride, making a point to remember that the dinner has always been something of a roast. [Atlantic]
- Still, plenty of others didn't see the humor in Sykes routine—her jibes about Rush Limbaugh, in particular. [LA Weekly]
- Talk isn't limited to Sykes, though. President Obama received a lot of coverage for his comedic turn at the dinner. The New York Daily News went as far as to say that the president "brought down the house." [NYDN]
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White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, Barack Obama, Wanda Sykes, Michelle Obama, Desirée Rogers |
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| NEWS 04.15.09 2:49 PM |
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In the News: Bloomberg and Vanity Fair to Cohost, the Masters Suffers From Lack of Sponsors
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Vanity Fair and Bloomberg Team Up: The economy may have Vanity Fair and Bloomberg News down, but they’re not out. Instead of canceling their respective White House Correspondents’ Association dinner after-parties, the media brands will join forces for a cohosted party at the residence of French Ambassador Pierre Vimont. In the past several years, Bloomberg had hosted the most prominent after-party, while Vanity Fair was a more recent entry. The duo will now divvy up 300 invites, making it one of the more exclusive events after the May 9 dinner. [Politico]
Auto Show Attendees Get Nasty: Attendees at the New York International Auto Show are venting their frustrations with the economy, and they’re taking it out on some unexpected parties. Presenters, who aren’t even full-time employees of the carmakers, have been heckled on the show floor since it opened to the public last week. Largely contract representatives for bail-out recipients General Motors and Chrysler, the put-upon presenters have been accused of putting out bad product, waiting until the 11th hour to be eco-conscious, and in one case, even responsibility for the war in Iraq. [NYT]
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Vanity Fair, Bloomberg News, White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, White House Easter Egg Roll, Desirée Rogers, Barack Obama, Fergie, New York International Auto Show, General Motors, Chrysler, The Masters, Citigroup |
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| NEWS 03.13.09 11:55 AM |
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In The News: Obama Meets With Event Industry Leaders, Grammys Move Up a Week
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Event and Travel Officials Get Audience With President: A delegation led by the U.S. Travel Association met with President Barack Obama this week to discuss the travel and event industry's role in boosting the economy. At the meeting, attendees pushed for the need to welcome international visitors with the proposed Travel Promotion Act and addressed concerns about the recent decline in meetings and events. [U.S. Travel Association]
Grammys Plan Move: The Recording Academy announced yesterday that next year's Grammy awards will happen a week earlier than usual, falling on January 31. The 2010 broadcast will air on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. To accommodate the move, the eligibility window for the awards has moved up an entire month, making any record released after August 31 of this year ineligible for nomination until the 2011 awards. [LAT]
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Barack Obama, Desirée Rogers, White House, New York Fashion Week, U.S. Travel Association, Grammys, Recording Academy |
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| NEWS 03.04.09 12:23 PM |
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In the News: Euro Tech Conference Wilts in Economy, New Ads Appeal to Sympathy for Corporate Events
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Event Groups Kick Off Defense Campaigns: The U.S. Travel Industries Association is furthering its quest to gain government and public sympathies after recent attacks on destination meetings, incentive events, and corporate-sponsored activities with an ad campaign dubbed "Meetings Mean Business" that launches online and in several newspapers today. Similarly, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority placed an ad in The Wall Street Journal that aimed to clear up the perception that serious business isn't getting done at the city's corporate events. The authority also hopes to win back business with a $1 million campaign to woo C.E.O.s instead of its normal target, event and meeting planners. [Ad Age]
American Society of Newspaper Editors Cancels Convention: Times are particularly tough for newspapers these days, and none of their editors seem keen to meet up and talk about it (or they can't afford to). The American Society of Newspaper Editors canceled its annual convention last week, saying editors are better off in their respective newsrooms during the turbulent times. But just because April's trip to Chicago is off doesn't mean the convention is kaput forever. The group plans to go ahead with the 2010 iteration in Washington. [Reuters]
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U.S. Travel Industries Association, Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, American Society of Newspaper Editors, Desirée Rogers, CeBIT, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Prevent Cancer Foundation |
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| NEWS 02.12.09 1:16 PM |
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In The News: T-Mobile Gets Free Guerrilla Marketing, Vanity Fair Stages Oscar Return
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Here's a quick look at some of the bigger stories grabbing our attention this week:
T-Mobile Inspires Public Disco: A recent British commercial for cellular provider T-Mobile that featured 400 actors dancing in London's Liverpool Street station inspired more than 13,000 fans of the ad to do the same thing. They planned the event, dubbed Liverpool Street Station Silent Dance, on Facebook for last Friday and stormed the station at 7 p.m. Police had to close that station for more than 90 minutes, but there were few arrests for what a police spokesperson called "a peaceful and fun event." Organizers are already discussing another outing. [Telegraph]
Vanity Fair Returns to Oscars: One year away from the Academy Awards was enough for Vanity Fair. The magazine will return to Los Angeles for a week of pre-Oscar events and its hot-ticket post-awards party this month. Among the events on tap are an opening party for the BMW Art Car installation and a silent auction sponsored by Christian Dior. As for the big party, it’s moving to the much smaller Sunset Tower hotel, making invites that much harder to come by. [WWD]
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T-Mobile, Vanity Fair, Oscars, Academy Awards, BMW, Christian Dior, Desirée Rogers, Fashion Week, Halston, Live Nation, Ticketmaster |
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| NEWS 01.14.09 12:08 PM |
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Obama's Social Secretary Readies for "Inclusive" White House
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The February issue of Vogue features an interview with incoming White House social secretary Desirée Rogers, and the Chicago businesswoman seems to have a good idea of how the Obama years will play out—socially speaking.
William Norwich reports that Rogers has already met with previous social secretaries from the Kennedy, Clinton, and second Bush administrations, and mentions she'll be looking to the Kennedy years, in particular, for inspiration. "Yes, we are about change and about finding a new way," Rogers told Norwich, "but 'new' doesn't mean that we walk away from history."
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Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Desirée Rogers, White House |
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