Washington DC Event Coverage of Benefits, Galas, Public Promos, Launch Parties, Movie Premieres, Fashion Shows, Art Exhibits and Live Music in Washington DC by BizBash

FROM NEW YORK Clinique and Teen Vogue sought out their shared target audience this fall with a college tour that spanned 10 markets—including Los Angeles, New York, and Orlando—and gave young women the chance to emulate the brands' respective images by sitting for makeup styling and a professional photography session.

The nearly two-month event series required the creation of a mobile beauty studio, designed and produced by Mktg. But to get extra life out of the Fresh Faces initiative, the brands wanted a compelling online tie-in that would keep the event on participants' minds long after it ended. MORE >>

Clinique, Teen Vogue

NEWS

11.24.09 12:57 PM

Art Basel Preview: New Convention Center Layout, Giant Beach Structure for Audi

Art Basel's new Oceanfront exhibition area in Collins Park
Rendering: Courtesy of Creative Time

FROM MIAMI/SOUTH FLORIDA Art Basel Miami Beach, the international art fair that attracts more than 40,000 people annually, will kick off on December 2 with a V.I.P. Vernissage preview at the Miami Beach Convention Center, the headquarters of the four-day art fair. Within Art Basel will be 10 programs named for the type of art being showcased or the informational programming they provide ("Art Video," "Art Nova").

For the 2009 show, organizers have redesigned the layout of the convention center’s main exhibit floor and created a new 40,000-square-foot temporary exhibition structure on the sand at Collins Park. MORE >>

Art Basel Miami Beach, NetJets, AXA Art, USB, Cartier, Creative Time, Audi, ArandaLasch, Dacra Development, Gucci, Fendi, Cynthia Rowley, Miami magazine, Jeff Koons, Pucci

EVENT REPORT

11.23.09 9:00 AM

National Geographic Debuts Exhibit With Chinese Dragon, Tented Lounge

The opening gala for "Terra Cotta Warriors"
Photo: Mark Theissen/National Geographic

While President Obama traveled to China this week for his first state visit, the National Geographic Society threw a party to celebrate some special visitors to Washington—15 ancient, life-size terra cotta figures from the famed tomb of Qin Shihuangdi, part of the museum’s new exhibition "Terra Cotta Warriors: Guardians of China’s First Emperor." The 250 guests who attended the UPS and P.F. Chang’s-sponsored opening reception on Tuesday evening got the opportunity to tour the exhibit before it opened to the public on November 19. MORE >>

National Geographic Society

NEWS

11.20.09 11:28 AM

P.C.M.A. Honors Wardman Park, Fairmont at First Nighttime Annual Meeting

P.C.M.A.'s annual meeting
Photo: Charles A. Fazio

The Professional Convention Management Association's Capital Chapter hosted its annual meeting on Wednesday evening at the Hilton Washington and doled out six awards. Produced by co-chairs Christina Childs and Annette M. Suriani for the third year in a row, the event saw a major format change: Traditionally a lunch, the awards moved to the evening for the first time.

"We thought if ever there was a year to change things up, this was the year," said Childs, whose day job is senior meeting planner for the National Telecommuincations Cooperative Association. Added Suriani, who is the director of meetings for the Meetings Management Group, "We wanted to see if this event is better as an evening event. And apparently it is, as our numbers are up from 300 last year to 340 this year."
MORE >>

Professional Conventional Management Association

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

FROM NEW YORK 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 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

11.16.09 12:48 PM

MSNBC and Rodale Fete Jeff Corwin's New Book and Documentary at the Occidental

Jeff Corwin speaking at the launch party for 100 Heartbeats
Photo: Alison Klein for BizBash

MSNBC and Rodale co-hosted a cocktail party celebrating wildlife expert and Food Network host Jeff Corwin’s new documentary and book about the plight of endangered species. Held at the Occidental Restaurant Thursday night, the event drew in approximately 200 guests, including conservation activist Laura Turner Seydel, administration officials, and representatives from the Smithsonian, Discovery, and Planet Green.

Corwin’s documentary, Future Earth: 100 Heartbeats, will be screened in New York prior to its November 22 airdate as part of NBC Universal’s Green Week, but Corwin chose to hold the launch party for both the book, 100 Heartbeats, and the documentary in Washington, because of his friendship with Occidental assistant manager Lawrence von Weigel, and the city's central role the environmental movement. MORE >>

MSNBC, Rodale, Jeff Corwin, Food Network, NBC Universal, Discovery, Planet Green, World Wildlife Fund, Defenders of Wildlife, Kendall Jackson, Yealands Estates, Smithsonian Institute

EVENT REPORT

11.10.09 5:07 PM

Dark and Moody Accents, Animal-Inspired Decor Appear on Tabletops at Diffa's Dining by Design

A table designed by Mario Pinto with Scott Heuvelhorst Interiors
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash

FROM CHICAGO "This looks like a serial killer's home. There should be conspiracy theories written on the wall," said one guest at Thursday night's Cocktails by Design event, which served as a kickoff for a three-day Dining by Design benefit hosted by Design Industries Foundations Fighting AIDS. The event filled the eighth floor of the Merchandise Mart with 42 dining environments decorated by design-industry professionals ranging from painters to architects to fashion designer Maria Pinto. With so many creative professionals behind the tables, the environments ranged from a wooden box tacked with newspaper clippings and bathed in an eerie blue light—which inspired the serial-killer comment—to a cozy gazebo setting filled with fairy lights and plush Ralph Lauren pillows.

Though there were tables that defied categorization, some dining environments illustrated popular design trends; one theme was "dark and sexy atmospheres, which we're seeing everywhere this year," said Diffa's director of special events, Peggy Bellar. At an installation from Interior Investments by Gensler, black moving blankets hung behind a table surrounded with dark leather chairs; a chandelier made of painted black cardboard crowned the scene. Hermes glasses in deep purple hues spruced up place settings at a table that Herman Miller by Richard Bliss and Solomon Cordwell Bunez designed; and lacy black napkins dotted the table that Maria Pinto decorated with Scott A. Heuvelhorst Interiors. Artist Francine Turk's design also created a dark, moody ambience with black chalkboard walls, charcoal sketches of crows, and framed paintings of gold Gothic crosses. MORE >>

Diffa, Diffa Dining by Design

EVENT REPORT

11.10.09 2:50 PM

More Photos From Fight Night/Knock Out Abuse: Stogies, Laser Shows, and a VW Bus Bar

Hippie greeters at Knock Out Abuse's gala
Photo: Tony Brown/Imijination Photography for BizBash

Fight for Children celebrated the 20th anniversary of its marquee event, Fight Night, with a bevy of boys on Thursday, while across town, Knock Out Abuse held its female-friendly gala on the same night. Per tradition, the two groups met up for a late-night dance party, joining two of the most production-heavy annual benefits in town. As a follow-up to our story, here are a few more images from both events and the after-party. MORE >>

Fight for Children, Fight for Children Fight Night, Knock Out Abuse Against Women

EVENT REPORT

11.09.09 2:52 PM

Fight Night/Knock Out Abuse: Joan Jett for Men, Shirtless Hippies for Women

Three boxing matches took place during Fight Night.
Photo: Tony Brown/Imijination Photography for BizBash

Fight for Children’s annual Fight Night has boys' night out down to a science: Guests expect cigars, professional boxing, hostesses in slinky dresses, and 16-ounce New York strip steaks. Thursday’s event at the Hilton Washington continued the tradition to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Fight Night, which raised $2.2 million for nonprofits that provide education and healthcare services to low-income children in D.C.

While a mostly male crowd of 1,500 smoked cigars in the Hilton’s International Ballroom, the girls had their own fun at the female-only Knock Out Abuse gala, held simultaneously at the Ritz-Carlton. The benefit for victims of domestic violence drew 650 guests for a ’60s-themed dinner produced by André Wells. The two galas unite each year for a late-night after-party, which earned them a joint No. 1 ranking on BizBash’s 2009 list of Washington’s top benefits. MORE >>

Fight for Children, Fight for Children Fight Night, Knock Out Abuse

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