With all sorts of so-called “influentials” floating around town for the duration of the Tribeca Film Festival, plenty of brands wanted to get on these cinephiles’ radars, and offering a place to take a load off or have a drink remains one way to capture people’s attention. Lounges and parties sponsored either by a single brand or by a conglomeration of them popped up during the fest, and a handful of old faithfuls came back to Tribeca to court eyeballs and awareness.Target surrounded guests with bold, brand-inspired decor, while companies such as Cadillac opted to host gatherings in several Manhattan clubs, favoring a more subdued brand presence (aside from one big car in front of each event). ASCAP returned for the third year with its music lounge, a showcase of artists over the course of four days, and the lounge of the now-defunct Premiere magazine was reinvented this year by Livestyle Entertainment as the Film Lounge, where multiple brands collectively hosted parties and press conferences both day and night.
—Mimi O’Connor
Images: Courtesy of Susan Montagna (Target room shots), Sara J. Weiss, the Film Lounge (the Film Lounge party), Scott Gries/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival (ASCAP Music Lounge Yerba Buena), Brad Barket/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival (ASCAP Donovan), BizBash (all others)
—Mimi O’Connor
Images: Courtesy of Susan Montagna (Target room shots), Sara J. Weiss, the Film Lounge (the Film Lounge party), Scott Gries/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival (ASCAP Music Lounge Yerba Buena), Brad Barket/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival (ASCAP Donovan), BizBash (all others)
Target hired David Stark to design the inaugural Target-Tribeca Filmmaker Lounge.
Photo: Courtesy of Susan Montagna
Target hired David Stark to design the inaugural Target-Tribeca Filmmaker Lounge, which hosted receptions and press meet-and-greets at its central Laight Street location.
“Old World manor house meets ultraglam movie-theater lobby” is how Stark described the look of the Target space.
Black-and-white publicity shots of screen legends hung on one wall; Stark's team inscribed each photo with a faux personal message to Target. (Paul Newman: “I buy all my dishes at Target and I love them.”)
Rather than put down roots in one spot, Cadillac opted to set up the Tribeca/Cadillac Lounge in several venues. The company hosted after-parties for films such as Chavez, Live!, and The Air I Breathe at the Maritime Hotel, Underbar at the W Hotel in Union Square, and Tenjune, respectively. Outside Tenjune on April 29, the automaker displayed a Cadillac XLR.
Inside Tenjune, branding was minimal, with Cadillac mints and coasters placed on tables. Involved with the festival for five years, Cadillac upped its level of partnership in 2007 by sponsoring the festival’s audience award, which it renamed the Cadillac Award.
Livestyle Entertainment produced the Film Lounge (rebranded from its previous incarnation as the Premiere Film and Music Lounge) at nightclub PM. Multiple brands including Stella Artois, Evian, MySpace, Red Bull, 944 magazine, and Bodog TV signed on as sponsors. Banners, gobos, product placement, and plasma screens integrated the brands into the space.
The Film Lounge hosted press junkets and press conferences by day and after-parties for films including 2 Days in Paris, You Kill Me, and Purple Violets by night.
The Tribeca/ASCAP Music Lounge hosted performances from musicians including Donovan, Martha Wainwright, Jon Auer, and Yerba Buena(pictured). The lounge was open during the afternoon from May 1 to May 4, capitalizing on the downtime festivalgoers had before heading to evening screenings.
This year marked the second time the Tribeca/ASCAP lounge set up shop at the Canal Room, each day offering 200 to 500 credentialed filmmakers and select badge-holders the chance to relax on black leather sofas with a drink from sponsors Anheuser Busch, Jameson, and Aquafina. The music organization stages the lounge at Tribeca and other festivals to connect its members with filmmakers.
