For the 36th annual FiFi awards on Tuesday night, the Fragrance Foundation repeated last year's successful concept by holding a short award presentation first and following it with dinner in a mingle-friendly, lounge-style area, and added a few new twists.
Some 1,000 guests poured into the Seventh Regiment Armory, a spacious setting that allowed the event’s producer, Dalzell Productions, to keep the award ceremony and the subsequent dinner in one contiguous space. Wrapping around a third of the space, ceiling-high Venetian curtains sectioned off the simple set and seating area for the 40-minute award show. Following the presentation, the curtains revealed the rest of the space—a lavish arrangement of lounges in an area designed as a playful take on a perfume factory. Images of pipes, bottles, flowers, and cogs decorated the walls of the Armory, much of which was designed to work with the interior of the venue rather than cover over it.
“Last year we decided to shake things up and went from sitting at tables of 10 to lounges. It was very well received, so we repeated it with some changes,” explained the Fragrance Foundation's president, Rochelle Bloom, who worked with the production team to plan the event.One of the most notable changes was the addition of five large lounge areas for sponsors. which surrounded 30 smaller spaces bought by guests. “We sold all five of them within the first week of offering them out,” Bloom said, adding that each purchaser—fragrance companies such as Symrise and Givaudan—had internal committees work with Dalzell to decorate their space. All stayed within the event’s overall perfume factory theme but added their own splash of personality.
Symrise Inc., for instance, set small centerpieces of red roses on white rectangular bars enclosed by several red vinyl bar stools. The firm also accentuated white leather sofas—a staple of every lounge—with red pillows. Across the way from Symrise, International Flavors & Fragrances played up its name with a display of large lollipops in a stone-filled vase and blown-up poster shots of perfume bottles. Givaudan certainly had one of the sweetest ideas, placing a five-tier chocolate fountain surrounded by containers of strawberries and marshmallows in its lounge.
Bookended by two extensive bars, the overall lounge area was set on a grid, and Design One Corporation and Chris Jones Design defined each section with orange, green, red, or yellow lighting, and towering stands were lit to match the assigned color. Guests were given seating tickets that corresponded with a section color and letter of their lounge.
Much to Bloom’s delight, guests took advantage of the unencumbered design and roamed from lounge to lounge schmoozing. “People were not relegated to a bunch of round tables where you have to sit next to the same people for the entire night. Everyone visits everyone else’s lounge, so it’s a really party.”
Notable names such as Ernest Borgnine, Zac Posen, and Vera Wang attended; Wang was honored with a Hall of Fame award. Among the night's winners were Marc Jacobs's Daisy for best women's luxe fragrance, Origins Organics for best bath and body line, and Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle's TV advertising campaign.
Some 1,000 guests poured into the Seventh Regiment Armory, a spacious setting that allowed the event’s producer, Dalzell Productions, to keep the award ceremony and the subsequent dinner in one contiguous space. Wrapping around a third of the space, ceiling-high Venetian curtains sectioned off the simple set and seating area for the 40-minute award show. Following the presentation, the curtains revealed the rest of the space—a lavish arrangement of lounges in an area designed as a playful take on a perfume factory. Images of pipes, bottles, flowers, and cogs decorated the walls of the Armory, much of which was designed to work with the interior of the venue rather than cover over it.
“Last year we decided to shake things up and went from sitting at tables of 10 to lounges. It was very well received, so we repeated it with some changes,” explained the Fragrance Foundation's president, Rochelle Bloom, who worked with the production team to plan the event.One of the most notable changes was the addition of five large lounge areas for sponsors. which surrounded 30 smaller spaces bought by guests. “We sold all five of them within the first week of offering them out,” Bloom said, adding that each purchaser—fragrance companies such as Symrise and Givaudan—had internal committees work with Dalzell to decorate their space. All stayed within the event’s overall perfume factory theme but added their own splash of personality.
Symrise Inc., for instance, set small centerpieces of red roses on white rectangular bars enclosed by several red vinyl bar stools. The firm also accentuated white leather sofas—a staple of every lounge—with red pillows. Across the way from Symrise, International Flavors & Fragrances played up its name with a display of large lollipops in a stone-filled vase and blown-up poster shots of perfume bottles. Givaudan certainly had one of the sweetest ideas, placing a five-tier chocolate fountain surrounded by containers of strawberries and marshmallows in its lounge.
Bookended by two extensive bars, the overall lounge area was set on a grid, and Design One Corporation and Chris Jones Design defined each section with orange, green, red, or yellow lighting, and towering stands were lit to match the assigned color. Guests were given seating tickets that corresponded with a section color and letter of their lounge.
Much to Bloom’s delight, guests took advantage of the unencumbered design and roamed from lounge to lounge schmoozing. “People were not relegated to a bunch of round tables where you have to sit next to the same people for the entire night. Everyone visits everyone else’s lounge, so it’s a really party.”
Notable names such as Ernest Borgnine, Zac Posen, and Vera Wang attended; Wang was honored with a Hall of Fame award. Among the night's winners were Marc Jacobs's Daisy for best women's luxe fragrance, Origins Organics for best bath and body line, and Chanel's Coco Mademoiselle's TV advertising campaign.
The setting at the FiFi Awards
Photo: Joe Fornabaio for BizBash
For the presentation—which honored Vera Wang with a Hall of Fame award—the production crew used a long curtain as a backdrop and a divider.
Photo: Joe Fornabaio for BizBash
Each lounge area was color-coded with lighting.
Photo: Joe Fornabaio for BizBash
The walls of the Armory highlighted the perfume factory motif, a choice Dalzell Production made so the design wouldn't fight with the overall look of the venue.
Photo: Joe Fornabaio for BizBash
Larger lounges, like the one from International Flavors & Fragrances, had more specific decor.
Photo: Joe Fornabaio for BizBash
Caterer Great Performances placed serving stations of appetizers throughout the lounge.
Photo: Joe Fornabaio for BizBash
Rather than a live musical performer, the foundation brought in a DJ for the event.
Photo: Joe Fornabaio for BizBash
