(Clockwise from upper left) Jes Gordon, Michael Miner, Hillary Harris, Billy Butchkavitz.
Adrienne Levey is the senior development officer for events at AIDS Project Los Angeles. Among the big events she works on is APLA’s annual Academy Awards viewing party at the Abbey.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
To have thinner thighs, and simultaneously help save the planet.
What is your top goal for 2007?
To continue to raise much-needed funding for those living with HIV/AIDS here in the Los Angeles area while at the same time constantly trying to reduce costs, and, of course, given that we live in a city filled with exciting fund-raising events on a daily basis, to make APLA’s events buzz-worthy and fun for those who pay to attend.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
I am looking forward to participating in the planning of APLA’s 25th anniversary events at the end of 2007 and beginning of 2008.
What do you expect your biggest challenge to be in 2007?
Because domestic HIV/AIDS is no longer the celebrity cause du jour, it is a constant struggle to try to get our message out and receive the press coverage and attention that helps any nonprofit organization. So I would say my biggest challenge is to continue to find ways to overcome donor fatigue and apathy. I would love for
APLA to be able to find our version of Bono to be our spokesperson (unless, of course, Bono has the time to help us) to help us get our message out in a high-profile way.
Jes Gordon owns event production and design firm Jes Gordon Proper Fun, which added a Los Angeles office to its operation in 2006; Gordon relocated from New York to Venice.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
Aside from the regular eating well and being healthy, I would love to obtain a sense of balance between my professional and personal life.
What is your top job-related goal for 2007?
To become better at delegating and defining my staff’s specific tasks. And in 2007 I hope to continue to grow my knowledge of the events world here in L.A. and hopefully overseas as well. This knowledge will help me remain inspired professionally and will also enable me to bring something unique to my clients every time.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
I am always looking ahead, so I would say that I am most looking forward to 2008, 2009, 2010...
What do you expect your biggest challenge to be in 2007?
To pay my staff what they really deserve.
What do you think the event industry’s biggest challenge will be in 2007?
To keep proving our validity in the business world as real businesses and not as fluff, and to be paid for our services as a real business should.
Tomiko Iwata is vice president of special events for Fox Broadcasting Company, charged with finding creative event ideas to promote shows like American Idol.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
To be as focused on what is happening in the world as I am in creating events.
What is your top job-related goal for 2007?
To throw great events while being environmentally conscious.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
Learning about life from my five-year-old daughter.
What do you expect your biggest challenge to be in 2007?
Coming up with innovative ways for clients and sponsors to integrate their product into our events.
What do you think will be the event industry’s biggest challenge in 2007?
To lead by example.
Chris Benarroch owns Benarroch Productions, which works primarily on movie premieres and special screenings for many of the Hollywood studios; 2006 highlights included Marie Antoinette and Rocky Balboa.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
To live in the moment and focus on the big picture.
What is your top goal for 2007?
To reach out to a diverse group of corporate clients—our goal is to bring the same level of glamour and excitement of our film premieres to corporate events.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
Continued success.
What do you expect your biggest challenge to be in 2007?
Our business has more than doubled in each of the past seven years, and 2006 proved to be an exceptional year for us in terms of the quantity and quality of our work. I look forward to the challenges of growth while continuing to produce extraordinary events for our clients across the country.
What do you think the event industry’s biggest challenge will be in 2007?
The challenge will be to expand the focus on innovative branding and marketing in addition to building strategic partnerships to mitigate event costs.
Hillary Harris is the director of Warner Brothers Studios Special Events, which worked on large events like the CW network launch in 2006 and is increasing its focus on bringing outside corporate events to the studio’s facilities.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
Work to live, instead of live to work.
What is your top goal for 2007?
Increase Warner Brothers Special Events’ sales in the corporate and social markets.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
Oceans Thirteen and more of George Clooney!
What do you expect your biggest challenge to be in 2007?
Getting the word out to potential clients that Warner Brothers Studios is not just a venue; my department is a full-service event production team that produces amazing events off-site for clients.
What do you think will be the event industry’s biggest challenge in 2007?
Using a creative approach to producing fresh and unique events in an industry where costs are rising and budgets are shrinking.
Mark Yumkas is president of Angel City Designs, which works on big events like the Recording Academy’s massive Grammy blowout at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
To spend more time with family and friends.
What is your top goal for 2007?
2006 was an incredible year for us. In the current creative competitive marketplace, our clients challenged us to raise the bar on originality and creativity. We far exceeded their expectations as well as ours, and for 2007, we will continue to raise that bar.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
Our business landscape has changed. Our business was initially based on designing and producing events throughout the entertainment industry. The days of numerous large production-related movie premieres are history. We recognized this trend and have been proactive in developing new lines of non-entertainment-industry business opportunities, not only out of the city of L.A. but around the country and around the world. These projects are challenging and invigorating for the entire staff. Additionally, there have been many new technological advances in terms of staging techniques, lighting, projection, audio, etc. We are devoting a lot of time and effort to exploring these new technologies and figuring out new ways to cost effectively and appropriately incorporate them into the development of our programs.
What do you expect your biggest challenge to be in 2007?
Clients are holding the lines on budget, so not only do we need to provide new and fresh ideas, but we also have to drive value for the dollar spent. We’ve been successful in challenging our clients to spend their marketing dollars on live events. True, the cost per impression is typically higher for live events than for traditional advertising and marketing, but we’re able to consistently and quantitatively demonstrate that brand-integrated live events are a very effective tool in targeting a specific message to a specific audience and must be included in an overall marketing strategy.
What do you think the event industry’s biggest challenge will be in 2007?
The biggest challenge to the entire hospitality industry relates to the current state of world affairs; specifically, there are security-threat issues both on a national and local level. We now spend a lot of time and budget allocation on developing and executing security and event contingency strategies.
Mary Micucci is the founder and owner of the catering-turned-full-service-event-production company Along Came Mary. The 30-year-old firm works on huge events for the entertainment industry and beyond.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
First, to continue my 30-year streak of doing business without any disasters. Second, to see another AAA celebrity smile when they have a spoonful of my chocolate brownie pudding (but I won’t tell you who). Third, to continue our company tradition of community service. And last, to make sure my staff knows how much I love and appreciate them on a daily basis.
What is your top goal for 2007?
ACM has been enjoying such wonderful growth over the last years. We are really focused on bringing in new national business. In a nutshell: sell, sell, sell.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
We’re all looking forward to a great year in Los Angeles. More business is coming to our town. But we’re also looking forward to an amazing year of television, music, and film across the entertainment industry. There will be lots of reasons for the industry to celebrate with big, magical, inspiring events we produce.
What do you expect your biggest challenge to be in 2007?
Our biggest immediate challenge? The Grammy celebration for 6,000 guests at the L.A. Convention Center. That’s one of our biggest and most exciting events of the year. But in general, it’s all about our growth. I want our amazing creativity and imagination to remain just as detailed and wonderful as it has always been as we grow.
What do you think the event industry’s biggest challenge will be in 2007?
Every industry has to deal with the economy, and so do we in the special event industry. With the war in Iraq continuing, I think we could well see some more belt-tightening across our business.
Michael Miner is vice president of sales and marketing for Classic Party Rentals, which dominates the rental market in the region with several recent big acquisitions in California and beyond.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
I am going to learn to program the Tivo. It is really embarrassing to always have to ask for help.
What is your top goal for 2007?
To focus diligently on making all of our team members feel even more appreciated. Our people work very hard, and they deserve to always be reminded of the value they bring to our clients and our company.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
It is the passing of time that makes being alive special. Every day is something to look forward to, if you look to find the greatness in people. I am excited about the continued rising level of professionalism in our industry, and the opportunity our company will have to help our clients create memories that last a lifetime.
What do you expect your biggest challenge to be in 2007?
As our company continues to grow, it is vital that we continue to share best practices across our entire network to so we can continually improve the quality of our products and services to our clients.
What do you think the event industry’s biggest challenge will be in 2007?
Clients are going to continue to increase the demand for highly specific products and services for their events. The industry will become even more oriented toward event-theme-specific products.
Christina Sion is vice president of event services for the California Science Center, working on events like the museum’s annual Discovery Ball fund-raiser.
What are your job-related New Year’s resolutions?
To really look at each event and project with a fresh perspective and try to challenge ourselves to introduce something innovative every time. When we are extremely busy, it’s always tempting to take the easier route of familiarity, but it takes a real commitment to consistently push ourselves to think beyond what is comfortable and try something new.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
We are excited to introduce the trend of lounge-style cocktail receptions to our clients who plan to host events in 2007 at the California Science Center. Replacing standard cocktail tables with comfortable and inviting furniture groupings and unique bars will add a level of cool sophistication to corporate and nonprofit as well as social events. We are also looking forward to hosting some fun events in conjunction with a fantastic temporary exhibition called “Star Wars: The Science of Imagination,” which will be available February through April 2007 at the Science Center. There’s nothing like a few Wookies and Storm Troopers to add life to a party.
What do you expect your biggest job-related challenge to be in 2007?
In the past we have enjoyed a somewhat seasonal business, with our peak seasons being the fall for conference business, holiday parties at the end of the year, and then more social events, fund-raisers, and proms in the spring. Summertime and even the early part of the year used to be our catch-up time, when we would regroup, get organized, and work on many postponed projects. Our facility rental program at the Science Center is clearly developing into a busy year-round business with little to no downtime between events. Our greatest challenge we will face in 2007 is to offer and sustain exceptional customer service to our clients while finding time to take care of projects.
Billy Butchkavitz is the owner and top designer of Billy Butchkavitz Design, which creates eye-popping decor—often inspired by Butchkavitz’s travels to East Asia—for events like HBO’s annual Emmy party at the Pacific Design Center.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
Take time to enjoy life.
What is your top goal for 2007?
Be patient.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
Adventures!
What do you expect your biggest challenge to be in 2007?
Construction at the Pacific Design Center.
What do you think will be the event industry's biggest challenge in 2007?
Staying grounded and not falling prey to the hype.
—Alesandra Dubin
Photo: Gabor Ekecs (Butchkavitz)
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
To have thinner thighs, and simultaneously help save the planet.
What is your top goal for 2007?
To continue to raise much-needed funding for those living with HIV/AIDS here in the Los Angeles area while at the same time constantly trying to reduce costs, and, of course, given that we live in a city filled with exciting fund-raising events on a daily basis, to make APLA’s events buzz-worthy and fun for those who pay to attend.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
I am looking forward to participating in the planning of APLA’s 25th anniversary events at the end of 2007 and beginning of 2008.
What do you expect your biggest challenge to be in 2007?
Because domestic HIV/AIDS is no longer the celebrity cause du jour, it is a constant struggle to try to get our message out and receive the press coverage and attention that helps any nonprofit organization. So I would say my biggest challenge is to continue to find ways to overcome donor fatigue and apathy. I would love for
APLA to be able to find our version of Bono to be our spokesperson (unless, of course, Bono has the time to help us) to help us get our message out in a high-profile way.
Jes Gordon owns event production and design firm Jes Gordon Proper Fun, which added a Los Angeles office to its operation in 2006; Gordon relocated from New York to Venice.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
Aside from the regular eating well and being healthy, I would love to obtain a sense of balance between my professional and personal life.
What is your top job-related goal for 2007?
To become better at delegating and defining my staff’s specific tasks. And in 2007 I hope to continue to grow my knowledge of the events world here in L.A. and hopefully overseas as well. This knowledge will help me remain inspired professionally and will also enable me to bring something unique to my clients every time.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
I am always looking ahead, so I would say that I am most looking forward to 2008, 2009, 2010...
What do you expect your biggest challenge to be in 2007?
To pay my staff what they really deserve.
What do you think the event industry’s biggest challenge will be in 2007?
To keep proving our validity in the business world as real businesses and not as fluff, and to be paid for our services as a real business should.
Tomiko Iwata is vice president of special events for Fox Broadcasting Company, charged with finding creative event ideas to promote shows like American Idol.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
To be as focused on what is happening in the world as I am in creating events.
What is your top job-related goal for 2007?
To throw great events while being environmentally conscious.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
Learning about life from my five-year-old daughter.
What do you expect your biggest challenge to be in 2007?
Coming up with innovative ways for clients and sponsors to integrate their product into our events.
What do you think will be the event industry’s biggest challenge in 2007?
To lead by example.
Chris Benarroch owns Benarroch Productions, which works primarily on movie premieres and special screenings for many of the Hollywood studios; 2006 highlights included Marie Antoinette and Rocky Balboa.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
To live in the moment and focus on the big picture.
What is your top goal for 2007?
To reach out to a diverse group of corporate clients—our goal is to bring the same level of glamour and excitement of our film premieres to corporate events.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
Continued success.
What do you expect your biggest challenge to be in 2007?
Our business has more than doubled in each of the past seven years, and 2006 proved to be an exceptional year for us in terms of the quantity and quality of our work. I look forward to the challenges of growth while continuing to produce extraordinary events for our clients across the country.
What do you think the event industry’s biggest challenge will be in 2007?
The challenge will be to expand the focus on innovative branding and marketing in addition to building strategic partnerships to mitigate event costs.
Hillary Harris is the director of Warner Brothers Studios Special Events, which worked on large events like the CW network launch in 2006 and is increasing its focus on bringing outside corporate events to the studio’s facilities.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
Work to live, instead of live to work.
What is your top goal for 2007?
Increase Warner Brothers Special Events’ sales in the corporate and social markets.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
Oceans Thirteen and more of George Clooney!
What do you expect your biggest challenge to be in 2007?
Getting the word out to potential clients that Warner Brothers Studios is not just a venue; my department is a full-service event production team that produces amazing events off-site for clients.
What do you think will be the event industry’s biggest challenge in 2007?
Using a creative approach to producing fresh and unique events in an industry where costs are rising and budgets are shrinking.
Mark Yumkas is president of Angel City Designs, which works on big events like the Recording Academy’s massive Grammy blowout at the Los Angeles Convention Center.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
To spend more time with family and friends.
What is your top goal for 2007?
2006 was an incredible year for us. In the current creative competitive marketplace, our clients challenged us to raise the bar on originality and creativity. We far exceeded their expectations as well as ours, and for 2007, we will continue to raise that bar.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
Our business landscape has changed. Our business was initially based on designing and producing events throughout the entertainment industry. The days of numerous large production-related movie premieres are history. We recognized this trend and have been proactive in developing new lines of non-entertainment-industry business opportunities, not only out of the city of L.A. but around the country and around the world. These projects are challenging and invigorating for the entire staff. Additionally, there have been many new technological advances in terms of staging techniques, lighting, projection, audio, etc. We are devoting a lot of time and effort to exploring these new technologies and figuring out new ways to cost effectively and appropriately incorporate them into the development of our programs.
What do you expect your biggest challenge to be in 2007?
Clients are holding the lines on budget, so not only do we need to provide new and fresh ideas, but we also have to drive value for the dollar spent. We’ve been successful in challenging our clients to spend their marketing dollars on live events. True, the cost per impression is typically higher for live events than for traditional advertising and marketing, but we’re able to consistently and quantitatively demonstrate that brand-integrated live events are a very effective tool in targeting a specific message to a specific audience and must be included in an overall marketing strategy.
What do you think the event industry’s biggest challenge will be in 2007?
The biggest challenge to the entire hospitality industry relates to the current state of world affairs; specifically, there are security-threat issues both on a national and local level. We now spend a lot of time and budget allocation on developing and executing security and event contingency strategies.
Mary Micucci is the founder and owner of the catering-turned-full-service-event-production company Along Came Mary. The 30-year-old firm works on huge events for the entertainment industry and beyond.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
First, to continue my 30-year streak of doing business without any disasters. Second, to see another AAA celebrity smile when they have a spoonful of my chocolate brownie pudding (but I won’t tell you who). Third, to continue our company tradition of community service. And last, to make sure my staff knows how much I love and appreciate them on a daily basis.
What is your top goal for 2007?
ACM has been enjoying such wonderful growth over the last years. We are really focused on bringing in new national business. In a nutshell: sell, sell, sell.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
We’re all looking forward to a great year in Los Angeles. More business is coming to our town. But we’re also looking forward to an amazing year of television, music, and film across the entertainment industry. There will be lots of reasons for the industry to celebrate with big, magical, inspiring events we produce.
What do you expect your biggest challenge to be in 2007?
Our biggest immediate challenge? The Grammy celebration for 6,000 guests at the L.A. Convention Center. That’s one of our biggest and most exciting events of the year. But in general, it’s all about our growth. I want our amazing creativity and imagination to remain just as detailed and wonderful as it has always been as we grow.
What do you think the event industry’s biggest challenge will be in 2007?
Every industry has to deal with the economy, and so do we in the special event industry. With the war in Iraq continuing, I think we could well see some more belt-tightening across our business.
Michael Miner is vice president of sales and marketing for Classic Party Rentals, which dominates the rental market in the region with several recent big acquisitions in California and beyond.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
I am going to learn to program the Tivo. It is really embarrassing to always have to ask for help.
What is your top goal for 2007?
To focus diligently on making all of our team members feel even more appreciated. Our people work very hard, and they deserve to always be reminded of the value they bring to our clients and our company.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
It is the passing of time that makes being alive special. Every day is something to look forward to, if you look to find the greatness in people. I am excited about the continued rising level of professionalism in our industry, and the opportunity our company will have to help our clients create memories that last a lifetime.
What do you expect your biggest challenge to be in 2007?
As our company continues to grow, it is vital that we continue to share best practices across our entire network to so we can continually improve the quality of our products and services to our clients.
What do you think the event industry’s biggest challenge will be in 2007?
Clients are going to continue to increase the demand for highly specific products and services for their events. The industry will become even more oriented toward event-theme-specific products.
Christina Sion is vice president of event services for the California Science Center, working on events like the museum’s annual Discovery Ball fund-raiser.
What are your job-related New Year’s resolutions?
To really look at each event and project with a fresh perspective and try to challenge ourselves to introduce something innovative every time. When we are extremely busy, it’s always tempting to take the easier route of familiarity, but it takes a real commitment to consistently push ourselves to think beyond what is comfortable and try something new.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
We are excited to introduce the trend of lounge-style cocktail receptions to our clients who plan to host events in 2007 at the California Science Center. Replacing standard cocktail tables with comfortable and inviting furniture groupings and unique bars will add a level of cool sophistication to corporate and nonprofit as well as social events. We are also looking forward to hosting some fun events in conjunction with a fantastic temporary exhibition called “Star Wars: The Science of Imagination,” which will be available February through April 2007 at the Science Center. There’s nothing like a few Wookies and Storm Troopers to add life to a party.
What do you expect your biggest job-related challenge to be in 2007?
In the past we have enjoyed a somewhat seasonal business, with our peak seasons being the fall for conference business, holiday parties at the end of the year, and then more social events, fund-raisers, and proms in the spring. Summertime and even the early part of the year used to be our catch-up time, when we would regroup, get organized, and work on many postponed projects. Our facility rental program at the Science Center is clearly developing into a busy year-round business with little to no downtime between events. Our greatest challenge we will face in 2007 is to offer and sustain exceptional customer service to our clients while finding time to take care of projects.
Billy Butchkavitz is the owner and top designer of Billy Butchkavitz Design, which creates eye-popping decor—often inspired by Butchkavitz’s travels to East Asia—for events like HBO’s annual Emmy party at the Pacific Design Center.
What are your New Year’s resolutions?
Take time to enjoy life.
What is your top goal for 2007?
Be patient.
What are you looking forward to in 2007?
Adventures!
What do you expect your biggest challenge to be in 2007?
Construction at the Pacific Design Center.
What do you think will be the event industry's biggest challenge in 2007?
Staying grounded and not falling prey to the hype.
—Alesandra Dubin
Photo: Gabor Ekecs (Butchkavitz)
