The June 8 MTV Movie Awards brought a host of celebrities and journos into town, and marketers took advantage in typical swag-distribution fashion. At least two events took over private mansions in the hills to ply guests with products and booze—and one was notably more successful at controlling the crowd it drew.
The two-day-long House of Hype, hosted by 944 magazine, invited a mostly male crowd to a breathtaking home in Beverly Hills off Benedict Canyon over two days. After guests handed off their cars at a valet station at a lower elevation, they headed to the house in van shuttles. The narrow roads, hairpin turns, and an understaffed Premiere Parking Services crew—coupled with a huge turnout—contributed to wait times close to an hour to retrieve those cars from valets on the way out. And uniformed police aggressively monitored the process, barking orders at staff and guests alike. A vice president from event producer Event Eleven stepped in to park some cars in light of the dire situation.
Still, the home offered a lot in addition to its nosebleed views. In the daytime, marketers gave away automotive, fashion, gaming, health, sports, and tech-related goodies. There was a gaming room from Vivendi Universal filled with plasma screens, the Abe Froman Deejay School was on hand to give lessons, and Full Tilt Poker and Zino Platinum Cigars hosted a poker area. Pizza Rustica catered. And at night, the venue turned into a club with Steve Aoki and Benji and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte serving as DJs. Garage PR handled press.
Meanwhile, in nearby West Hollywood, Kari Feinstein PR put on the StyleLounge event in a glass-covered house with lots of swag—and a more effective system for transporting guests. As at the House of Hype, StyleLounge guests were required to hand off their cars to valets—in this case from California Parking Services (a very courteous bunch, we might add)—before ascending the hill to the home in air-conditioned sedans from sponsor Audi. But this transition was much smoother and more comfortable and we didn’t witness any unreasonable waiting.
The three-story home was filled with food and products, and celebs like Anne Heche and Avril Lavigne picked up items from Jade Jeans, Alexander Wang, La Rok, Triumvir, and Sojourn Handbags. We adored the paper goods from San Francisco-based Hello Lucky, which specializes in social event invitations but does some cool corporate work too. Guests brushed up on their bluffing tactics with PokerRoom.com’s Jim Davenport, who hosted poker clinics throughout the day, before playing a celebrity poker tournament on June 1. Food from Ruth’s Chris kept everyone satiated, and cocktails made with Modern Spirits Vodka and iced coffee from Seattle’s Best kept everyone cool on the hot early June day.
Posted 06.12.06
The two-day-long House of Hype, hosted by 944 magazine, invited a mostly male crowd to a breathtaking home in Beverly Hills off Benedict Canyon over two days. After guests handed off their cars at a valet station at a lower elevation, they headed to the house in van shuttles. The narrow roads, hairpin turns, and an understaffed Premiere Parking Services crew—coupled with a huge turnout—contributed to wait times close to an hour to retrieve those cars from valets on the way out. And uniformed police aggressively monitored the process, barking orders at staff and guests alike. A vice president from event producer Event Eleven stepped in to park some cars in light of the dire situation.
Still, the home offered a lot in addition to its nosebleed views. In the daytime, marketers gave away automotive, fashion, gaming, health, sports, and tech-related goodies. There was a gaming room from Vivendi Universal filled with plasma screens, the Abe Froman Deejay School was on hand to give lessons, and Full Tilt Poker and Zino Platinum Cigars hosted a poker area. Pizza Rustica catered. And at night, the venue turned into a club with Steve Aoki and Benji and Joel Madden of Good Charlotte serving as DJs. Garage PR handled press.
Meanwhile, in nearby West Hollywood, Kari Feinstein PR put on the StyleLounge event in a glass-covered house with lots of swag—and a more effective system for transporting guests. As at the House of Hype, StyleLounge guests were required to hand off their cars to valets—in this case from California Parking Services (a very courteous bunch, we might add)—before ascending the hill to the home in air-conditioned sedans from sponsor Audi. But this transition was much smoother and more comfortable and we didn’t witness any unreasonable waiting.
The three-story home was filled with food and products, and celebs like Anne Heche and Avril Lavigne picked up items from Jade Jeans, Alexander Wang, La Rok, Triumvir, and Sojourn Handbags. We adored the paper goods from San Francisco-based Hello Lucky, which specializes in social event invitations but does some cool corporate work too. Guests brushed up on their bluffing tactics with PokerRoom.com’s Jim Davenport, who hosted poker clinics throughout the day, before playing a celebrity poker tournament on June 1. Food from Ruth’s Chris kept everyone satiated, and cocktails made with Modern Spirits Vodka and iced coffee from Seattle’s Best kept everyone cool on the hot early June day.
Posted 06.12.06
