New technology can be confounding even to the mechanically inclined, and nobody relishes a learning curve. To that end, BlackBerry launched its new Bold device in Los Angeles with a party intended to acquaint guests with the new product, rather than just send them home to decipher the manual without guidance. The party—a fete for 300 guests, including Eve, Eva Longoria Parker, Nicky Hilton, and Hayden Panettiere—came two days after a similar launch in New York, which summoned a more business-oriented crowd of high-level executives, the device's target demographic.
Although the New York launch was "a bit more architectural," and L.A.'s was "more chic and sophisticated," according to Harrison & Shriftman creative director Ryan Jordan, who produced the events with Sarah Bennison and Rosalynn Medaglia of Research In Motion, BlackBerry's parent company, both launches were "about spreading word of mouth through the power demographic," Jordan said. "It's an event, but we want the people to experience the brand new device there, leave with exclusive content, and create those connections with the brand. It's not just a party these days."
Experiencing the device meant that guests could download music and exclusive content (like Madonna wallpaper), shoot video, and have their monograms etched right onto their new Bolds on site. The "Celebrity Geek Squad"—models dressed like nerds and stationed throughout the party—pointed out key features of the phone. Although it's not uncommon in L.A. for party guests to peer into their phones all night, at last night's fete, it was highly appropriate—and appreciated by the host.
Brooklyn-based singer Santogold took to the stage around 10 p.m. for an unannounced 30-minute set that surprised the intimate but enthusiastic crowd. "No one knew she was performing, it was a surprise to everyone," Jordan said, "We were trying to create mystery and intrigue, keeping it very secret and intimate."
The look of the party, which took over a completely gutted and built-out derelict office space that had never been used for an event, was utterly masculine. Black mirrors, leather, and Plexiglass surfaces mimicked the look of the device, and wall decor included lacy-looking illuminated panels and blue neon tubes. (Jordan, who has worked recently on other events in similar vacant spaces, was pleased to have the opportunity to do a guy-friendly look. "I've worked with so much pink and white lately with Kira [Plastinina] and BlackBerry [pink Pearl]. With this, I was like, oh my god, black. I was really excited.") Organizers chose the venue in part because of its 3G compatibility.
As for that omnipresent factor—the dismal state of the economy—it didn't apparently affect BlackBerry's plans too much. "We are always extremely budget conscious," Jordan said, carefully and diplomatically. "At the moment, we're making sure we're extremly mindful of our clients' budgets and the economy."
