When CTV gutted the third floor of its Queen Street headquarters as part of an ongoing renovation project, Francine Socket, the station's director of special events and merchandising, knew exactly what she wanted to do with the space. "About a month ago I came up here and looked at it and saw the potential, and we decided to incorporate it into a party space for tonight," Socket said prior to eTalk's party for the Toronto International Film Festival on Friday, which attracted more than 3,500 guests.
The space, once home to offices and work stations, was recently demolished, leaving Socket with an empty concrete shell. "We had many, many meetings about my vision for this space," she said. "I really wanted to see it as a nightclub atmosphere." Socket worked with Rob Dittmer of Three Events to create the feel of a dance club. Glass-topped tables, black leather sofas, and leopard print Dolce & Gabbana chairs from Contemporary Furniture Rentals filled the space. Socket also had two large black beds, topped in faux fur, custom made to provide additional seating. Crystal chandeliers hung from the ceiling above the beds and DJ Samantha Ronson spun tunes from a custom DJ box in the corner.
"After the festival this will become work space again," Socket said.
Downstairs, Socket dressed the second floor in black and white decor, including a large zebra print rug and black and white throw cushions on black sofas. Socket used bright lighting and softer music on the second level in an effort to create "different vibes in different areas of the building," she said. The eTalk set took over the street-level space on the ground floor; artist green rooms took over the fourth floor; and V.I.P. guests partied on the fifth floor.
The film festival party kicked off with a live one-hour broadcast from the red carpet—hosted by eTalk's Ben Mulroney and Tanya Kim—that included a performance by P. Diddy. "The challenges are as they always are when you're planning a party around a production," Socket said, noting there is only one freight dock for the 100 vendors involved in the event.
Adding to the challenge was the fact that the production crew built a runway in the parking lot—in preparation for Sunday's Dsquared2 fashion show. "It took over the parking lot and we couldn't get vehicles in [for deliveries]," Socket said, who also planned an after-party for the film Blindness on Saturday and worked with M.A.C. on the after-party for the runway show. (Socket is also hosting the Canadian Idol wrap party in the CTV building on Wednesday.)
"Basically, I created a spreadsheet that had all the details of each event; security, production, building maintenance, lighting, audiovisual, decor, publicity. Anytime there was a change, I would update the sheet and fire it off," she said, adding that process coupled with "many meetings" resulted in smooth planning for the multiple events. Socket also credited her vendors for making the process easier. "I'm fortunate to have vendors I can rely upon who understand and work within the challenges of the property."
