Logging On for a Cause

The American Cancer Society merged tradition with technology at its California Spirit garden party on Sunday, which allowed guests to purchase tickets and bid on auction items online for the first time in the event’s 23-year history. The nonprofit’s director of special events, Adriana Sandoval, admitted that the launch of the event-specific site four months prior to the fund-raiser did not yield the “greatest response” in terms of ticket sales, but the debut of the organization’s auction Web site—silent and live auctions have long been standard Spirit features for years—was more successful, allowing the organization to tap into a wider pool of potential bidders who did not have to attend the event in order to participate.

Guests could still bid on online auction items at the event, which was held on the sprawling grounds of a private Brentwood estate. Organizers displayed auction items on rows of tables set on the property’s tennis court, while participating restaurants set up serving stations throughout its sprawling lawns. This year, Wolfgang Puck gathered 12 of the city’s top restaurants (down from last year’s 22)—including first-timers Beacon, Jiraffe, Red 7, and Puck’s own Cut—to provide guests with their best culinary offerings. In keeping with the evening's “Bringing the Beach to Brentwood” theme, attendees dined at tables topped with a thin scattering of sand, as well as centerpieces made with seashells holding succulent arrangements.