Each year, the Primo Center for Women and Children hosts a gala that takes on some variation of a "Red Hot" theme. This year's fund-raiser, dubbed "Red Note Jazz Club," paid tribute to Cuban mambo star Cachao on Saturday night on the Harris Theater rooftop in Millennium Park.
For the past seven years, the center has partnered with Event Architects on the gala, and the production company's annual task involves something old and something new: "[Co-master of ceremonies] Diane Primo wants us to bring the event to a different, and very unique, venue each year," said Event Architects partner Fergus Rooney. "But we have to keep it red to stay with the [fund-raiser's] brand." This year, along with the traditional challenge of creating a new spin on the standard theme, Rooney and his team had to work around the current financial and political climate.
The event's budget depends on each year's audience participation, and according to Rooney, the upcoming election has affected attendance at local nonprofit events. In a city full of Obama enthusiasts, philanthropists are so busy cheering (and chairing) for their candidate that it's hard to get them to focus on supporting much else this year. So although roughly 170 guests purchased tickets to last year's gala, only 130 attended this year.
"We had to scale back on the amenities in a way that didn't detract from the event's quality," Rooney said. "But we were still going to give people excellent entertainment, food, and decor." At Millennium Park, scaling back meant fewer flowers than in previous years, as well as less expensive linens, limited video production, and no red carpet. Instead, the theme played out in live entertainment from Cachao's Mambo All Stars and a menu of Latin-style fare such as mojito lobster rolls with mango slaw, seafood paella, and grilled skirt steak with chimichurri sauce.
