On the first official day of summer, Mercedes-Benz celebrated the opening of its Manhattan dealership in a big way, hosting some 1,000 guests at two separate parties—a V.I.P. reception and ribbon-cutting at its shiny new West Side venue, followed by a tailgate party and concert across the street at De Witt Clinton Park. And true to the luxury German auto brand's style, Tuesday night was a grand affair, with cuisine created by a James Beard Award-winning chef, a list of attendees that included government officials and big-name musical talent, and a concert complete with Champagne and chandeliers. There were even pins—a pair of miniature flags, one bearing the brand's logo and the other the Stars and Stripes—to replace the standard entrance wristband.
Charged with producing and designing the posh event was Van Wyck & Van Wyck, a firm that has worked with Mercedes-Benz for the better part of a decade, handling Fashion Week lounges, auto show parties, launches, and other functions. Kari Bien of the firm's recently launched brand experience division headed the management of the project, which not only included creating a stylish setting, but also employing a decor scheme that would complement the architecture. Beyond flaunting its latest car models and the overall look of the 330,000-square-foot venue, the carmaker wanted to showcase the technology integrated into the flagship to Mercedes dealers and loyal customers.
To keep the venue's architecture at the forefront of the event's aesthetic, the production team worked with a mainly white palette for the furniture, using touches of blue to match the hue of the logo signs and the two-story LED feature wall. This left key design elements such as the new reception and sales desks and the customer lounges largely untouched, and provided plenty of space for guests to examine the cars on display, which included a 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K special roadster.
Just as clean in look were the four food stations spread throughout the main space. From tables draped in plain white cloths, Union Square Events served fare it conceived in collaboration with the Modern's executive chef, Gabriel Kreuther, who won the James Beard Foundation's award for best chef in New York City in 2009.
Across 11th Avenue, the scene was a little more lush, but no less grand. Aiming to create an outdoor picnic and upscale tailgate party, the organizers added black-and-white-striped cabana tents to house the food tables, displayed cars beneath floodlights and midnight-blue-colored flags, scattered potted ferns and topiary trees throughout the grounds, and served flutes of Champagne out of the back of luxury SUVs. The central space was a 13,000-square-foot tent, where the stage for the musical performance was set up. In this area, sea-grass carpets formed the floor, foliage-covered chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and seating comprised padded bleachers and cushy white sofas.
Once the surprise musical guest—Matchbox 20—took the stage, the festivities got lively as guests hit the dance floor, fueled by plenty of Champagne and desserts.
![E20906sa](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/06/e20906sa.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Two floors of the shiny new dealership served as the site for the event's cocktail reception and ribbon-cutting ceremony. The 330,000-square-foot flagship spot, which received gold certification for Leadership Energy and Environmental Design from the U.S. Green Building Council, is on 11th Avenue and has more than 400 parking spaces. As a large number of guests arrived in their cars (many of them Mercedes-Benz vehicles, naturally), the German automaker provided a small army of valets.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_0303.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![After walking a blue carpet, guests filled the ground-floor space, investigating the cars on display and new reception and sales desks and customer lounges. The venue is designed to reflect Mercedes-Benz's 'autohaus' standards for style and technology use, and the event was partially a showcase of this for the owners of authorized dealerships.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_0243.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Mercedes-Benz allowed attendees to examine all the cars on display, which many did throughout the evening.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_0119.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Among the many guests angling to sit (and be photographed) inside the 1937 Mercedes-Benz 540K special roadster were rapper Nick Cannon (pictured, left) and Run D.M.C.'s Rev. Run, Joseph Simmons.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906117079779ed031_the_gala_ope.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Van Wyck & Van Wyck spread several bars throughout the vast space, each with a different design. In one area, stools stood in front of a bar with a surface made of angled mirrors, and in another, the predominant design element was blue-, black-, and silver-colored horizontal stripes.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_0095.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Four stations placed in different areas of the venue supplied the reception's menu of small plates.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_0001.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![The menu was a collaboration between the Modern's executive chef, Gabriel Kreuther (pictured, second from left), and catering company Union Square Events. Mercedes-Benz U.S.A. has a partnership with the James Beard Foundation, so it was natural for the brand to bring in a chef who has won an award from the culinary nonprofit.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_0207.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Dishes served at the tasting stations included Black Angus beef tenderloin with Marcona almonds, a picholine olive crust, spring vegetables, and savory jus (pictured), a sweet-pea risotto with morel mushrooms, and chorizo-crusted cod with a cocoa bean puree and sherry vinegar jus.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_0014.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Waiters also passed a selection of canapés, including a chilled minted spring pea soup with tapioca pearls served as a shot (pictured), miniature panini with sun-dried tomatoes, arugula, and pine nuts, and citrus-cured salmon tartlets with a yogurt emulsion.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_9961.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![To complement the venue and allow the architecture and cars on display to be the focus of the evening, Van Wyck & Van Wyck chose a largely white palette for the furnishings added to the space. In a few areas, blue Chesterfield sofas matched the hue of the site's signage and LED picture wall.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_0156.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![In addition to tables, chairs, and sofas, the organizers brought in communal cocktail tables and stools to give guests more seating options.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_0150.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Before the ribbon-cutting, Mercedes-Benz executives, including Daimler AG chairman and head of Mercedes-Benz Cars Dr. Dieter Zetsche (pictured, left), took to a small stage erected by the main entrance to speak about the new dealership and other important news for the brand.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_0418.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![City Council Speaker Christine Quinn attended the event on behalf of the city, presenting a proclamation that Tuesday, June 21, 2011, was Mercedes-Benz day in New York. Quinn also explained she was 'pinch-hitting' for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was absent due to the death of his mother.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_0492.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Quinn was also on hand to cut the ribbon, accompanied by Zetsche (pictured, right) and Mercedes-Benz president Ernst Lieb (pictured, left).](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906117079779ed080_the_gala_ope.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Following the brief ribbon-cutting ceremony, the host opened up the event at De Witt Clinton Park and invited guests to head across the street to the festivities. Van Wyck & Van Wyck placed four of the brand's vehicles on the field to create a tailgate-style setting.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_0697.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Tasting stations from Union Square Events sat beneath elegant black-and-white-striped cabana tents opposite the vehicle display. Triple ball- and cone-shaped topiaries and giant ferns dotted around these booths added to the decor.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_0716.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Inside the cabanas, guests found an array of savory and sweet dishes, all served on white china. The menu included chilled gazpacho, vanilla macarons with a raspberry and almond mousseline, Maine lobster sliders on scallion miso buns, and sugar cones with homemade ice creams and sorbets.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_0726.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![The brand's take on a tailgate party involved waiters serving Champagne out of the backs of Mercedes-Benz GL Class SUVs.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_0752.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![The main space for the post-reception party was held under a 13,000-square-foot tent with a clear top. An 864-square-foot glossy white dance floor sat in front of the stage, which stood at the eastern edge of the park.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_0655.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![The production crew hung foliage-covered chandeliers from the ceiling of the tent and set up white lounges and padded bleachers with blue and white throw pillows for seating.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_0652.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![Matchbox 20 was the surprise performance for the party in the park, opening with the song 'How Far We've Come.'](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_0871.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
![The stage for the performance was strategically placed so that guests could see the new dealership's illuminated 'Mercedes-Benz' sign behind the band as they performed.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2011/11/e20906img_1007.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)