Given the blizzards New Yorkers have suffered through this winter, it seemed only appropriate that the party Maxim magazine threw to celebrate January cover girl Michelle Branch was called "Sno." Maxim special events producer Dan Parente and event company Events in Motion gave Marquee, a not-yet-opened-to-the-public bar and lounge in Chelsea, a subtle, upscale ski chalet feel, complete with birch trees dressed in white lights. The not-so-subtle touch was dressing go-go dancers in white unitards, white earmuffs and fuzzy white abominable snowman-esque snow boots. And in a wintry variation on the go-go cage, one dancer grooved in a Lucite box with confetti snow swirling around her.
Even more appropriate was the event's unique invite, created in-house by Maxim's creative design team: a white ski cap with a devil's tail snaking out of the bottom of the Maxim logo. And instead of a price, the tag on the hat carried the event info and served as an admission ticket. "It's our guests' first impression, so we try to send out more than just a card," Parente said.
Fingerprint Communications helped draw up a guest list of 700, which included Ja Rule, Maxwell, Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas and Branch. All walked the white carpet—it's a snow theme, remember—and had photo ops with Maxim's so-called "Hometown Hotties" (a.k.a.: models).
—Erika Rasmusson Janes
Read more about the new venue Marquee...
Even more appropriate was the event's unique invite, created in-house by Maxim's creative design team: a white ski cap with a devil's tail snaking out of the bottom of the Maxim logo. And instead of a price, the tag on the hat carried the event info and served as an admission ticket. "It's our guests' first impression, so we try to send out more than just a card," Parente said.
Fingerprint Communications helped draw up a guest list of 700, which included Ja Rule, Maxwell, Matchbox Twenty's Rob Thomas and Branch. All walked the white carpet—it's a snow theme, remember—and had photo ops with Maxim's so-called "Hometown Hotties" (a.k.a.: models).
—Erika Rasmusson Janes
Read more about the new venue Marquee...