| EVENT REPORT 09.14.09 4:32 PM |
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TIFF Parties: Celebrity Photos, Irish Whiskey Showcased During Opening Weekend
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 | Olivia Wilde on the red carpet at the Windsor Arms Hotel
Photo: Jag Gundu/Getty Images |
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Film studios, retailers, beverage sponsors, and charities were among those hosting celebrity-studded parties during the Toronto International Film Festival's opening weekend. At the Windsor Arms Hotel, president George Friedmann partnered with the charity Artists for Peace and Justice to host a fund-raiser for children in Haiti that doubled as the hotel's 10th anniversary party on Friday night. The event, attended by more than 400 guests, included a red carpet managed by NKPR and created by New York artist Peter Tunney, who invited celebrity guests to dip their feet in red paint before walking on a mural that read "Peace and Justice." Guests then received foot treatments at a series of spa stations set up outside the hotel.
On Saturday evening Hello! Canada hosted a party for 600 guests at the Birks store on Bloor. "Hello! launched in the fall, so we've always tried to celebrate the world of celebrity during TIFF," said Tracy Finkelstein, the publication's group director of business development and promotions. This year, the magazine filled the jewelry store with images taken by celebrity photographer George Pimentel for a "Hello! Hollywood" party, sponsored by Dove Chocolate. "It's a non-traditional party environment," Finkelstein said of the space, noting that Birks staff remained on hand and guests had the opportunity to try on jewelry and shop during the event.
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RELATED TOPICS
Toronto International Film Festival, Artists for Peace and Justice, Hello! Canada, Dove Chocolate, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Canadian Film Centre |
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| EVENT REPORT 06.02.09 9:27 AM |
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Smashed Cars, Hot Tub Add to Wild Vibe at Power Ball
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The "Decadence" theme at last year’s tenth anniversary Power Ball translated into a white decor scheme and burlesque dancers. This time around, "Power Ball 11: It's One Louder" (named for a line in This Is Spinal Tap) went in a decidedly different direction: smashed cars, an outhouse/video booth, and guests helping themselves to a whole roasted pig. "We're juxtaposing low-fi, tripped-out decor with things like oysters and champagne," said Sarah Bywater, head of development at the Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, the site of the festivities.
Although the budget was tighter this year, Bywater said corporate support for the ball remained strong. Hugo Boss returned as the party’s lead sponsor, and a record 32 in-kind suppliers filled the gallery with displays over three days of setup. Landscape Ontario, for example, provided deciduous trees and plants to furnish the indoor space, and Castor Design brought in a Winnebago and the pig-roasting materials to help make the gallery’s south patio more than just a smoking destination.
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RELATED TOPICS
Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery, Hugo Boss, Dundee Real Estate Asset Management, DundeeWealth Inc., Rogers, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, TD Securities, National Bank Financial, Hello! Canada, Now Magazine, The National Post, 103.9 PROUD-FM |
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| NEWS 09.02.08 4:10 PM |
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Boy George, Sir Richard Branson Among Those Hosting Parties During TIFF
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Plans to entertain the more than 500 special guests and celebrities scheduled to hit town for the 33rd annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF)—which starts Thursday and runs until September 13—are sure to create a buzzing party scene in Toronto, with everyone from Boy George to Paris Hilton getting in on the action this year. "We do a lot of focused entertaining for the directors and talent that come to the festival. Virtually every programmer will be entertaining," says TIFF director and C.E.O. Piers Handling, who personally plans to host two large dinners for 60 to 70 filmmakers.
"The rest of the party scene is basically our sponsors who are leveraging their sponsorship—Holt’s, the big CTV bash on Friday—there is a whole series of events like that. Then the distribution industry, Canadian and U.S., will get into the scene in a major way and do parties post- film," he said.
The TIFF party scene kicks off Thursday with a cocktail reception at the Rosewater Supper Club prior to the presentation of the Canadian film Passchendaele at Roy Thomson Hall. The screening will be followed by the official TIFF opening night gala at the Liberty Grand. (Barbara Hershenhorn of Party Barbara Co. is planning the event for more than 3,000 guests.) Alliance Atlantis also will host a Passchendaele party at the Drake Hotel following Thursday's screening, and Ultra Supper Club presents a performance by Boy George.
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RELATED TOPICS
Toronto International Film Festival, eTalk, Holt Renfrew, CTV, ET Canada, In Style Magazine, Alliance Atlantis, DSquared2, Flare Magazine, Hello! Canada, Canadian Film Centre |
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| MY FAVORITE VENDORS 03.14.08 1:55 PM |
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Flare Favours the Drake, ROM
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 | Flare's Tracy Finkelstein
Photo: Courtesy of Flare Magazine |
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As the group director of business development and promotions for Flare magazine and Hello! Canada, Tracy Finkelstein—together with her team of three—is responsible for producing between 15 to 20 events a year, including red-carpet galas, cocktail parties, consumer shopping events, and client receptions. Finkelstein is currently finalizing plans for a private party (being cohosted by Fido and featuring a performance by the Juno-nominated band Dragonette) for 400 at the Drake Hotel to celebrate fashion, music, and technology during Toronto Fashion Week.
Catering: "We have two unbelievable caterers we rely on. For smaller, more intimate cocktail receptions, we work with the Salt & Pepper Catering Company. Stefanie Tortorella, the owner, really understands our guests and always delivers innovative menus—not to mention her cupcakes are addictive. After every event the company caters [for us], I am bombarded with emails from guests wondering how they can get their hands on the white fluffy cupcakes.
"For our larger galas, I have repeatedly gone back to Dee Gibson at Catering With Style. Dee has such a distinct style that I instantly know when I am attending one of her catered events. Her food is delicious. But it's her careful attention to detail that impresses me most. Flare has relied on Dee for many years, and it's been a wonderful collaborative effort in pulling off grand events like our Canada Style Gala and Flare's 25th anniversary party."
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RELATED TOPICS
Flare Magazine, Hello! Canada, Dragonette, Fido, Ikea, Oscars, Toronto International Film Festival, MuchMusic Video Awards, Cannes, Sundance, Juno Awards |
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