Sports? Check. Booze? Check. Near-naked women? Check. It wasn't quite the Playboy or Maxim Super Bowl preparties, but the themes were the same. Event marketing firms Jed Weinstein Presents and MKTG Partners brought their second annual Box NYC event to the Hammerstein Ballroom; this year, some of the proceeds were donated to the Lance Armstrong Foundation. (Weinstein, the founder of the event, chose this year's beneficiary because his friend, foundation spokesman Charlie Mulea, is a testicular cancer survivor, and the nonprofit raises funds for a cancer that particularly afflicts the event's young male demographic.)After a four-course sit-down dinner from The Catering Company, a series of amateur boxing matches commenced in a ring set up in the center of the ballroom. On the building’s lower level, guests played Texas Hold 'em at 15 poker tables provided by Tumbling Dice Entertainment. (The matches upstairs were fed to plasma screens around the poker tables so guests could multitask.) Outside, MKTG situated a makeshift cigar lounge, outfitting it with heat lamps to keep guests warm in the frigid weather, but maintaining an upscale feel with leather couches and a wooden humidor. The setup of the event was designed to make it "easy for guests to wander freely and not feel obligated to stay at the table," Weinstein said. After five rounds of boxing, models dressed in Huit lingerie filled the ring for a fashion show before the final fight of the evening.
The Catering Company's Carolyn Buckley designed gold lacquered trays that drew from the event’s boxing theme, featuring circular medallions depicting different iconic boxers such as Muhammad Ali among abstract images. There were no chips and dip at this event, but instead lightly salted curly and crunchy plantain chips at the bar. Hors d’oeuvres included medium rare petit beef Wellington, and servers bringing duck spring rolls with sweet sun-dried cherry dipping sauce rounded the floor early on in the night. Tender chargrilled filet of beef with sautéed shiitake mushrooms, polenta with mascarpone, and sesame.phparagus was the hearty main course. A large plate of sweet miniature pastries, tarts, cookies, and chocolates was placed on the tables for the guys to eat between the shouting and whistling.
—Kai Alexis Smith
Photos: Gregory Partanio
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The Catering Company's Carolyn Buckley designed gold lacquered trays that drew from the event’s boxing theme, featuring circular medallions depicting different iconic boxers such as Muhammad Ali among abstract images. There were no chips and dip at this event, but instead lightly salted curly and crunchy plantain chips at the bar. Hors d’oeuvres included medium rare petit beef Wellington, and servers bringing duck spring rolls with sweet sun-dried cherry dipping sauce rounded the floor early on in the night. Tender chargrilled filet of beef with sautéed shiitake mushrooms, polenta with mascarpone, and sesame.phparagus was the hearty main course. A large plate of sweet miniature pastries, tarts, cookies, and chocolates was placed on the tables for the guys to eat between the shouting and whistling.
—Kai Alexis Smith
Photos: Gregory Partanio
Related Stories
Maxim Goes Glam Rock for Bowl Party
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Afros & Beefcake at Disco Ballet Benefit
Fashion Mag Uses Boxing Ring for Street Cred