Robin Hood Benefit 2021: See What It Takes to Produce New York's Largest Annual Benefit

NEW YORK—The Robin Hood Benefit is one of the country’s most prominent fundraisers, each year raising millions of dollars for New Yorkers struggling with poverty. And in 2021—following a year during which the foundation distributed $172 million in cash assistance, meals, housing and other urgent needs to fill a critical void during the COVID-19 pandemic—hosting a successful fundraiser was more important than ever. 

“When we started the process of planning and designing the benefit, so many people were asking, ‘Is New York City over?’” remembers longtime event designer David Stark of the inspiration for the benefit, which was appropriately themed NYC Forever. “I think I can confidently speak for the entire Robin Hood team when I say New York is the greatest city in the world—forever. It’s our hope that the benefit stands as a love letter to our city, and our goal was to make that clear upon arrival.”Guests entered the benefit through the “Turnstiles Gateway to Opportunity,” a tunnel of 10,000 MetroCards, each with a $33 value, which will be distributed to Robin Hood community partners—ultimately providing 120,000 rides to get New Yorkers back to work. “It has become a Robin Hood signature to create an installation in the entryway whose donated materiality illustrates the foundation’s work,” noted Stark.Photo: Courtesy of Robin Hood

The theme for the Oct. 20 benefit—which took place at the Javits Center and drew a who’s-who of New Yorkers from the entertainment, business and philanthropy fields—was immediately clear to attendees upon entering the event. As part of Robin Hood’s partnership with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and The Gray Foundation, guests entered through “Turnstiles Gateway to Opportunity,” a tunnel of 10,000 MetroCards, each with a $33 value, which will be distributed to Robin Hood community partners—ultimately providing 120,000 rides to get New Yorkers back to work.

“It has become a Robin Hood signature to create an installation in the entryway whose donated materiality illustrates the foundation’s work,” explained Stark, noting that for the 2019 benefit, “the foyer was lined with colorful, donated backpacks filled with school supplies that found their home on the backs of NYC students after the benefit.”

He continued, “When an installation makes the foundation’s work implicit in a visually dynamic way and has a life after the event, I know we are not just ‘decorating.’ Instead, we are creating meaning. That’s what we strive for.”

Beyond the MetroCard display, the theme continued with what Stark described as “a bit of a visual trick.” Large letters spelling out the word “forever” were actually made from candles that sat on scaffolding shelves—but attendees perceived them as upright because of their reflection in the mirrors above them, he explained. Meanwhile, a sign saying "NYC" was made from NeoFlex, an LED product that resembles neon; it was suspended from the ceiling in front of the “forever” candle display. “When you walked down the entry hallway, into the cocktail space, 'NYC FOREVER' read as one powerful statement,” said Stark. 

Overall, he added, there were 12,000 candles set up on the scaffolding. The event featured a concert by Jonas Brothers along with tributes and performances by the likes of Alicia Keys, Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney. To further underscore the event’s messaging, the benefit took place on the 20th anniversary of Robin Hood's historic Concert for New York City, which had raised $35 million for the survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.Photo: Courtesy of Robin Hood

The event was hosted by Saturday Night Live’s Cecily Strong and featured a concert by The Jonas Brothers along with tributes and performances by the likes of Alicia Keys, Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney. To further underscore the event’s messaging, particularly coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, the benefit took place on the 20th anniversary of the historic Concert for New York City—which had raised millions for Robin Hood’s relief fund for the survivors and victims’ families after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. 

In total, Robin Hood raised $77.5 million at this year's benefit, and 100% of funds raised will be invested in poverty-fighting programs across New York’s five boroughs, with a specific focus on creating access to food and shelter as well as targeted education programs and training and placing workers in high-growth job sectors.

Lindsay Carroll, Robin Hood’s managing director of events and production, attributes the event’s success, in part, to the sense of confidence and trust that guests had in the benefit’s safety measures before they even arrived. Proof of vaccination was required for every person on-site, and all attendees were asked to complete a health survey upon entry. Face masks were encouraged while not eating or drinking, and the team worked with a COVID-19 Health and Safety Operations team that included an infectious disease physician.

“And from there we were committed to entertain, inspire and celebrate the power of being back together again,” added Carroll. “Ultimately, our guests and donor base are fiercely generous and driven by the need to do whatever they can to support their fellow New Yorkers and this great city. The joy of giving was palpable that night. Our success was due to the Robin Hood community showing up in a big way."Benefit host Cecily Strong was joined on stage by her Saturday Night Live costar Bowen Yang to announce the final amount of money raised throughout the evening.Photo: Courtesy of Robin Hood

In addition to the health and safety measures, the event team noted a number of other changes from previous years—including a focus on striking the right tone in the messaging. “We had to ask ourselves, ‘What's the right tone and tenor the benefit needs following the effects of a global pandemic?’ It’s new territory for everyone,” explained Stark.

The team was also working on a compressed timeline, noted Spike Brant, the CEO of Nimblist who has been handling technical production for the benefit since 2006. “Though planning discussions began in May, the rise of the Delta variant led to a go-no-go dance while time marched on,” Brant said. “In addition to health and safety concerns, could we get enough crew and equipment expressed by all of our vendors? Everyone pushed hard, and in the end, the industry's resilience and dedication to Robin Hood's mission solidified into a successfully executed event.”

Recent renovations to the Javits Center, the benefit’s longtime host venue, also forced the team to think outside the box. “The Javits Center unveiled a brand-new building this year, and our footprint straddled both the new and old buildings this time around,” said Stark. “Thus, we had to figure out how to utilize the new spaces to best effect. The hard work paid off, and the flow worked just beautifully. The new spaces are terrific.”

Brant added that breaking in the new hall also meant designing and working within a smaller footprint—and in some ways, that was a good thing. “By reducing the size of the dining space, we were able to create four hero screens that tied into a more dramatic and transparent transition from the cocktail/performance space to and from dining,” he explained.As guests transitioned from the cocktail area to dinner and back again for the finale concert, they were entertained by dancers and musicians choreographed by Sarah O’Gleby. (Click here to read more about O'Gleby.)Photo: Courtesy of Robin Hood

Stark offered some tips for keeping an annual benefit fresh from year to year. “Eliminate ‘we always do it this way’ from the mindset and your vocabulary. Change is good,” he suggested, adding that keeping the nonprofit's mission and work front and center is crucial. “We ask ourselves how the mission of the organization can come alive in everything we do—not just on stage, but in the decor, in the entertainment, in the graphics, in surprises.”

And focus on feelings, Stark added. “Experiential design is not about decorating in the context of a benefit—of course, it does do that in practice, but it’s a vehicle to convey feeling, message, goals, thanks to our donors and so much more,” he said. “This can be very, very powerful. An organization’s goals and missions evolve and change as the world changes. Listen to the heartbeat of that, and apply it to the event.”

Another large part of the benefit's annual success, according to Brant? The massive team of vendors who come together to pull this off every year. “It was a team effort. Part of the night's messaging was ‘Back Together Again,’ and Nimblist is extraordinarily grateful to once again work with so many industry professionals on an event that supports so many New Yorkers in need,” he said.

Stark agreed. “This project is the personification of T.E.A.M. (Together Everyone Accomplishes More),” he said. “There are literally hundreds of talented, committed, passionate people involved. … None of this happens without everyone’s contributions.”

Check out the full list of vendors below, and keep scrolling for more photos from the star-studded benefit.

VENDORS:
Catering: Union Square Events (for guests); DEGA Catering (for crew)
Choreography: Sarah O’Gleby
Creative, Decor & Design: David Stark Design & Production
Draping: Drape Kings
Event Management: Event Associates Inc.
Graphics: Riverside Graphics
Hotels: Stay Pineapple; Ink 48
Lighting: 4Wall Entertainment Lighting
Mobile Check-in & Pledging: Checkin Tech LLC; Yurgosky
Production (Event, Show & Technical): Nimblist
Production Staffing: Theatrical Resources; Pentwater Productions; Tait Production
Rentals: Productions on Point; Dimitri Carpet; United Rentals; Party Rental Ltd.; Pete’s Big TVs; Road Radios/Road Wifi;  United Sites
Rigging: United Staging & Rigging; Synoptic
Scenic: Atomic Design
Security, Health & Safety: Elite Investigations Ltd.; Phoenix Security Strategies; CLEAR
Sound: Clair Brothers Audio Systems
Staging: All Access
Staffing: CORE Staffing
Talent Management: Michael T. Fiur Productions
Venue: Javits Center
Video: Control Freak; Verona; All Mobile Video
Video Content: Work-Order“I think I can confidently speak for the entire Robin Hood team when I say New York is the greatest city in the world—forever," said Stark. "It’s our hope that the benefit stands as a love letter to our city."Photo: Courtesy of Robin HoodPaul McCartney was awarded Robin Hood’s prestigious Silver Archer Award for his two-decade-long partnership with the organization. A tribute to the Beatles star included a performance of "Let It Be" by Alicia Keys.Photo: Courtesy of Robin HoodThe Jonas Brothers ended the night by performing their biggest hits.Photo: Courtesy of Robin HoodDuring the benefit, the Empire State Building was lit in Robin Hood's signature green color.Photo: Courtesy of Robin HoodThe large-scale benefit requires a long list of vendors to pull it off, said Stark. “There are literally hundreds of talented, committed, passionate people involved, so it’s impossible to name them all—from the house union teams that are always so proud of what we collectively build to Atomic Design, who supports the creative vision; Michael Fiur who helps with talent logistics and the live show; and Sarah O’Gleby, who creates immersive entertainment to aid our transitions from cocktails to dinner and then back again for the concert. Work-Order and Cottage 8 Films joined the team for the first time this year to help with the show graphics and videos, while Union Square Events served delicious fare, Drape Kings draped for miles, Dimitri Carpets carpeted for miles, and Event Associates [handled] ticketing and seating the thousands of guests. None of this happens without everyone’s contributions.”Photo: Courtesy of Robin Hood