Amidst all the excitement of the New York International Auto Show, one automaker's event had to do with more than just selling cars. Volvo Cars of North America presented its second annual Volvo for Life awards celebration at Times Squares Studios. The awards culminate a national search for everyday heroes—people who, according to the invite, "make the world a better place with the courage to act, the conscience to care and the character to do what is right."
FBI Productions' Jennifer Brunetti worked with Volvo's sales, marketing and PR departments to produce the event, which attracted 600 guests (up from 500 last year). While the event grows, Brunetti and the Volvo folks are also attempting to keep many elements the same: They plan to continue hosting the event at Times Square Studios and keep it on the same day—the Wednesday before Easter—each year. "It creates anticipation," Brunetti says, adding that the venue "is the perfect venue to feature the heroes—to be shown larger than life in Times Square." (As the presentations were taking place indoors, the winners' photos were being shown on the giant video marquees outside.)
That's not to imply that the event will simply repeat itself every year, of course. "It's a really fine line between something that people can anticipate and something that gets expected and kind of rote," Brunetti says. "What makes this special is having the musical acts. And the heroes alone are so amazing that people will always look forward to seeing who these top three are going to be."
A celebrity host—Jim Belushi, who returned after hosting last year—and an all-star judging panel with Hank Aaron, Maya Lin, Paul Newman, Sally Ride and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, introduced the three winners in the upstairs presentation room. (Each received a $50,000 donation to the charity of their choice, while one grand prize winner will also receive a new Volvo vehicle every three years for life.) The setting was chic and modern, with mod, '60s-style white molded chairs and leather couches, and stainless steel tables dotted with white lilies and white votive candles.
Given Volvo's Scandinavian roots, its choice of caterer, Ulrika's, seemed appropriate, and the fare included traditional Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce and potato cakes with Swedish caviar as well as chicken and mango on crispy flatbread and smoked ham and arugula wraps.
Once the presentations were over, guests moved downstairs to hear musical acts Joss Stone and Toots and the Maytals perform.
—Erika Rasmusson Janes
FBI Productions' Jennifer Brunetti worked with Volvo's sales, marketing and PR departments to produce the event, which attracted 600 guests (up from 500 last year). While the event grows, Brunetti and the Volvo folks are also attempting to keep many elements the same: They plan to continue hosting the event at Times Square Studios and keep it on the same day—the Wednesday before Easter—each year. "It creates anticipation," Brunetti says, adding that the venue "is the perfect venue to feature the heroes—to be shown larger than life in Times Square." (As the presentations were taking place indoors, the winners' photos were being shown on the giant video marquees outside.)
That's not to imply that the event will simply repeat itself every year, of course. "It's a really fine line between something that people can anticipate and something that gets expected and kind of rote," Brunetti says. "What makes this special is having the musical acts. And the heroes alone are so amazing that people will always look forward to seeing who these top three are going to be."
A celebrity host—Jim Belushi, who returned after hosting last year—and an all-star judging panel with Hank Aaron, Maya Lin, Paul Newman, Sally Ride and Caroline Kennedy Schlossberg, introduced the three winners in the upstairs presentation room. (Each received a $50,000 donation to the charity of their choice, while one grand prize winner will also receive a new Volvo vehicle every three years for life.) The setting was chic and modern, with mod, '60s-style white molded chairs and leather couches, and stainless steel tables dotted with white lilies and white votive candles.
Given Volvo's Scandinavian roots, its choice of caterer, Ulrika's, seemed appropriate, and the fare included traditional Swedish meatballs with lingonberry sauce and potato cakes with Swedish caviar as well as chicken and mango on crispy flatbread and smoked ham and arugula wraps.
Once the presentations were over, guests moved downstairs to hear musical acts Joss Stone and Toots and the Maytals perform.
—Erika Rasmusson Janes
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Volvo for Life signage suspended from the ceiling filled Times Square Studios' ground floor studio at the carmaker's event during the Auto Show.
Award winners and honorees posed for pictures.
The setting was chic and modern, with mod, '60s-style white molded chairs.
Singer Joss Stone performed for the audience.
