Although the ratings for the Billboard Music Awards slipped this year, ABC still won the night for its broadcast of the award show from Las Vegas. Among the parties surrounding the show in town was a Friday-night event hosted by Billboard and Magnum ice cream at Body English nightclub at the Hard Rock. Executive director for branded entertainment Karen Ostling oversaw the event, tapping Jason Wanderer's Precision Event Group to produce it.
About 300 guests turned out for cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, and—the centerpiece of the night—an intimate set by Natasha Bedingfield.
Savory bites included warm risotto spheres dusted with Parmesan cheese, seared polenta and goat cheese beneath fig and red onion compote, and fresh prawns atop rice cracker topped with traditional cocktail sauce. Desserts—but of course—came from Magnum, which supplied its classic, almond, caramel, and mint varieties.
Bedingfield performed a 45-minute set. DJ Kiss spun for the crowd.