For its annual night-before-the-Emmys party, Entertainment Weekly sticks with the formula that’s worked: a big, celeb-packed event at the hotspot du jour, with heavy branding throughout the space. This year, the venue was Republic Restaurant & Lounge (recent picks have been the Cabana Club and White Lotus) and the sponsors included usual suspects Revlon and LG. EW director of special events Sheila Kelly and event marketing manager Jennifer Feeney oversaw the event, and brought in Sequoia Productions to produce it for the fourth year running.
At the entrance to Revlon’s “Star Style” lounge, reps for the cosmetics brand handed out tubes of ColorStay formula lipstick, and inside, blowup photos of Hollywood starlets decked the walls and an ice cream bar that featured five flavors served in sugar cones and topped with a dark chocolate medallion with the Revlon logo. Nearby, LG’s “Everybody Loves Chocolate” lounge had a warm chocolate hue with seating in shades of brown to promote the electronics brand’s new phone, called Chocolate. Sponsor Beaulieu Vineyard provided the wine, and Diageo provided the spirits.
In the main area (the venue’s versatile hangarlike patio space), Sequoia created a smart-looking lounge setup with modern white seating and tables—topped with copious issues of the magazine and votive candles with the EW logo. Towering white flower arrangements from LA Premier, featuring hydrangeas and lilies, topped the bars. And near the door, Extra conducted interviews with celebrities in a small lounge area near a mini version of the 50-foot-long step-and-repeat wall behind the red carpet, where EW execs could have photographs taken with celebrities and guests.
DJs Samantha Ronson and Homicide manned the turntables (Ronson would turn up again the next night, at TV Guide’s party after the Emmys) while guests danced the night away—and traffic snarled in the surrounding neighborhood since the party closed a stretch of Melrose Place.
—Alesandra Dubin
Posted 08.29.06
Photos: Nadine Froger Photography
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