At the Elton John AIDS Foundation Oscars after-party, a dessert display included espresso milkshakes topped with mini doughnuts threaded through straws.
People magazine and the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s official Screen Actors Guild Awards gala got a 1920s Hollywood theme. Decorating the party space were images from commercial artist of the period Batiste Madelna, as well as portraits from glamour photographer George Hurell.
MobileCause began in 2006 as a text-to-give system, with billing handled by cell phone carriers. In June 2012, the company added mobile pledging, which allows users to send a text message to make a donation and then click through on their phones to pay with a credit card. Donors can also add a message, which is displayed on the “donation thermometer” in real time at the event. Donors instantly receive a text message response that thanks them for the donation and provides a link to click through to input credit card information. The mobile site also provides a “remember me” option, which allows the organization to save the donor's information and use it for future communication. For those who opt not to pay at the event, MobileCause provides call center staff who contact each donor a few days later to fulfill the payment over the phone. Pricing ranges from $1,000 to $2,000 for consulting services, plus a transaction fee of 50 cents and between 5 percent and 7.25 percent per donation.
BidPal offers two options for mobile bidding at an event. The original system, which the company has offered since 2009, is run on a closed Wi-Fi network and attendees log in using their smartphone or an iPod Touch provided by BidPal. Last year the company also began offering a cellular–based system due to the increase in smartphone usage and improvement in cellular signals within venues. Later this year BidPal will offer a hybrid solution that provides both cellular and Wi-Fi access at one event. BidPal can be used for general donations as well as bidding on auction items, with instant “outbid” alerts, and pledges can be displayed on a leaderboard. Users can check out directly on their mobile device. Planners can also use BidPal’s event management functions, including single-ticket and table sales, donor thank-yous, and post-event reports that provide data such as which items had the most interest and when most bidding took place. Pricing is based on a combination of a booking fee and an event fee.
Bidding for Good launched in 2003 and has managed more than 16,000 fund-raising auctions through its online platform and has added a mobile system so users can bid from their smartphones or tablets. Hosts can share a link to their auction before the event begins so users can input credit card information and browse items ahead of time. The system sends instant alerts to users who are outbid, and the programmable leaderboard can be used at the event to thank sponsors and highlight featured items. In the next month the company will add real-time data that will update as bids are made. Hosts can also opt to keep their auctions open after an event or open them to a broader audience on the Bidding for Good Web site, where users worldwide can shop for items by category. Bidding for Good charges $595 for a one-year subscription, plus a performance fee tied to the amount of online transactions.
Razoo started in 2007 as a social network for giving and added commerce features in 2010. The majority of Razoo’s activity is cause-based fund-raising campaigns that may not be tied to a specific event, but it does offer a mobile-optimized site so event guests can donate directly from their smartphones. To easily point guests to the site, it can be shared as a QR code that takes users directly to the donation page. In the coming months, Razoo is developing a native app that will expedite the donation process and post instant updates to a leaderboard. Razoo's existing iPhone app allows organizers to track and solicit donations and send thank-you messages. For fund-raising before and after an event, organizations can embed the Razoo widget on their Web site or on a Facebook page. Razoo charges 4.9 percent of each donation.
On October 3, Allium at the Four Seasons Chicago hosted a "Go Pink" fund-raiser for the Lynn Sage Foundation. In keeping with the signature shade of breast cancer awareness, all snacks and drinks had a rosy hue. Even the deviled eggs, made with beets, turned pink.
On September 17 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the New York City Opera staged the United States premiere of the opera Anna Nicole. At the after-party, Great Performances decorated the dessert table to look like a boudoir. The menu was written on mirrors in red lipstick, jewelry boxes and glass jars overflowed with candy, and Lucite displays held cones of pink cotton candy.
Attendees can power up anywhere thanks to the convenient Jolt Phone Charger-To-Go from Scarborough & Tweed ($12 to $18, plus set up and customization).
A whiskey-based cocktail was served from wheelbarrows.
The event splashed its hashtag on every available surface, including floors, lanyards, and the building's elevator.
Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews performed with his band Orleans Avenue at the ball. The evening also featured husband-and-wife DJs DJ M.O.S. and DJ Kiss, who spun an array of music for the crowd.
In the Best Picture nominee, Boston Globe reporters try to provide proof of a cover-up of sexual abuse within the Roman Catholic Church. At The Newsroom Season 2 premiere party at Paramount in Los Angeles in July 2013, newsprint wallpaper covered a 480-foot-long, 8-foot-high perimeter wall.
Official Golden Globes champagne sponsor Moët & Chandon returned with its Toast for a Cause initiative on the red carpet, inviting celebrities in the arrivals line to raise Moët & Chandon Impérial minis. For each toast, the brand will donate $1,000 to the celebrity’s charity of choice in his or her name. New to the program this year, Moët & Chandon will also donate another $1,000 to fund next year’s Moët Moment Film Festival, which supports young filmmakers and artists.
Moët provided a popular champagne vending machine. Guests picked up tokens to drop into the machine; they could either take their bottles for later or have a staff member pop them open on the spot.
The centerpiece of the Fox party space was a bar strewn with lush, trailing foliage.
This year's Governors Ball drew inspiration from cinematic history, with 3,000 photos from the academy’s archives used as decor. Cheryl Cecchetto and Sequoia Productions designed and produced the event, which was held at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland on February 22.
