The V Foundation for Cancer Research and Staples Center Foundation joined forces to host the X Games 16 kickoff party for close to 400 guests on July 28 in the main lobby of the Nokia Theatre at L.A. Live, marking a new venue for the benefit. Guests at the fourth-annual charity event had access to meet-and-greets with X Games athletes and celebrities, plus private viewing of the BMX freestyle vert practice taking place inside the Nokia Theatre.
ESPN marketing manager Lisa Hoyle oversaw athlete wrangling and the V.I.P. viewing of the practice and assisted with the silent auction and gift bag items. Staples Center Foundation director Jennifer Lynch directed ticket sales and sponsorship outreach and partnered on the auction and gift bag, plus other components of the event.
Guests had an opportunity to bid on silent auction items like a 12-person suite and two parking passes to WWE Summerslam, two tickets to the 53rd annual Grammy awards and after-party, and signed sports equipment and memorabilia from Kobe Bryant, Andre Agassi, Steve Young, and Joe Montana. Music came from DJ Jeremiah Red from KROQ. Athletes in attendance included Brian Deegan, Rune Glifberg, Tanner Foust, Ashley Fiolek, and Mike Mason.
"The V.I.P. viewing of the practice was an important element; folks enjoy being able to see something not open to the general public. So when we realized that there was no practice happening in Staples Center on the night before the games would start, we knew we needed to switch venues to the Nokia Theatre as it was having the vert practice," Lynch said. Although last year's event incorporated the Staples Center City View Terrace, organizers kept this year's party indoors. "Having some of the event outside up on the terrace was lovely, but by 8:30 it gets really dark up there, so while it may not be as romantic, ultimately the theater worked better for other elements, most significantly our silent auction," Lynch said .
Sponsors included American Express, the Wasserman Foundation, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and State Street Bank & Trust Company. Net profits benefited the Staples Center Foundation, which supports the local community around Staples, and the V Foundation for Cancer Research, which has raised more than $95 million to fund cancer research grants nationwide. "We make sure we over-deliver on the event so everyone who attends really feels like they have gotten their money’s worth but is also proud of the charitable contribution involved," Lynch said. "We have had a number of folks tell us this event is their favorite part of the X Games experience, and over the years it has raised nearly $175,000 for the two charities involved. So really, everyone wins."
