Thanks to a foyer draped in red curtains, guests at the American Heart Association's Broward Heart Ball at the Westin Beach Resort & Spa, Fort Lauderdale, had no idea where they would enter the party, but planner Tamara Cohen of TC Event Design made sure they already had several clues telling them it would be an evening filled with "Mad Men, 1960s-era fabulousness."
Arriving at the hotel for the May 5 event, the 500 guests saw a 1960s-movie-style marquee announcing the evening's entertainment: Diana Ross and master impressionist Frank Caliendo. Making their way upstairs, they saw a 30-foot water wall and a 16-foot step-and-repeat bearing 100,000 red roses with sponsors' names woven into it. From there, they "checked in" at a vintage airline counter staffed by costumed attendants who handed them a special pack of sleep mask, nuts, and luggage tags.
At the cocktail hour, guests could order hors d'oeuvres from a food-o-matic cafeteria-style vending machine. But they were ensconced in a space surrounded by red curtains that kept them from seeing where they would actually enter the ballroom. Instead, after a rendition of the national anthem by electronic violinists, the curtains were lifted for the big reveal.
Once inside, guests found a room that continued the 1960s theme. Catering from the hotel included era-specific items such as gold foil-wrapped baked potatoes to beef Wellington. They were served on a slow-moving conveyer belt on loan from Disney that also displayed live-auction items.
The conveyor belt hung from the ceiling, part of a design concept that had few thing attached to the floor, Cohen said. Giant lampshades that were part of the centerpieces also hung from the ceiling.
Ross performed a set during the evening, with Caliendo serving as M.C. He also performed during the 125-person after-party, which featured a Playboy-style lounge with flair bartenders and vintage bunnies. Guests were offered Hugh Hefner-style jackets to wear.
