For its inaugural To Oscar with Love fund-raising event, Leave Out Violence (or LOVE) teamed up with Debra Goldblatt to create a swag lounge—presented by Tastemakers for the first time at a charity function—designed to make guests feel like celebrities. “I’ve always wanted to come up with a different way to raise money and not have it be a silent auction, and swag is what the stars do, and so I wanted that here. It’s more modern,” said Kacey Siskind, an event planner and volunteer member of the organizing committee.
For a $75 ticket, guests gained access to the lounge—furnished by Andrew Richard Designs and managed by Goldblatt, founder of Tastemakers and president of Rock-it Promotions. “It’s a neat idea to do this in lieu of a silent auction,” said Goldblatt, who noted that gift lounges are unfamiliar to a lot of people. “People don’t really understand the whole swag concept … we can’t offer it to everybody during events like the Toronto International Film Festival.”
The lounge featured several tables covered in products like eyewear from Kensie and Mac & Jack, fashions from Joe Fresh, Rainforest Crisp Crackers, lip gloss from Cargo Cosmetics, and a selection of books from McClelland & Stewart and Wiley Publishing. “The idea of taking the Tastemakers lounge concept to the gala fund-raiser level has been in the works for a long time,” said Leesa Butler, vice president of operations for Tastemakers. “We know the power of reaching the right people with the right products, and we think our lounge will be an exciting addition to any gala event. Plus, we’re helping to raise money for LOVE and are proud to be a part of something so special.”
Siskind and her team chose to dress the Eglinton Grand in hot pink and black rather than Oscar gold for the event. Pink lighting washed over the dining room, and arrangements of hot pink roses topped tables. Two models dressed as Oscar statues flanked either side of the staircase leading up to the cocktail reception, where the 240 guests watched three screens broadcasting images of the stars arriving on the red carpet.
"The Oscars celebrate stars on the big screen, and the youth we work with—we consider them to be everyday stars,” said Danny Anckle, executive director of LOVE, a nonprofit organization that works to prevent youth violence. “I suppose the primary goal is to raise funds for our organization and to raise awareness of what we're doing. Hopefully, we'll be able to attract guests who wouldn't otherwise have heard about us.”
Comedian and actress Carla Collins hosted the event and conducted a live auction, which included six round-trip flights to Chicago on Porter Airlines. (The company also handed out coupons offering a 15 percent discount on tickets to the windy city.) Additional event sponsors included Telus, MacroBlu, Bullseye Marketing Solutions, Marlin Digital Imaging, and Kernels.
