On Thursday, Out magazine brought back its annual Out 100 event after forgoing the popular award ceremony last year in a nod to the struggling economy. However, this year's gathering took on a new format, looking to give attendees more opportunities to mingle, while incorporating key sponsors and highlighting the 100 honorees in a way that matched the editorial feature.
"[Last year] given the economic climate of not only our business—the entertainment, media, and publishing world—but also the national climate of what was happening, it felt really inappropriate to throw this big splashy party," said Josh Rosenzweig, Here Media's senior vice president of integrated marketing and public relations. "As things began to turn around fiscally in the second quarter of this year and it seemed like things were looking up, we felt it was time to revisit the Out 100 celebration and reinstate this annual event. We did scale the party down from what it has been in the past, which was a 2,000-plus party, to 700 people, focusing primarily on the honorees and their guests, and integrating sponsors."
Moving from 2008's venue Gotham Hall to the more intimate IAC Building, the organizers hired Shiraz Events to realize their vision, using the site's 120-foot-long video wall, costume changes for the waitstaff, and a detailed backdrop for the red carpet area.
The thematic look of the Out 100 editorial content was based around three moments in New York history, imagery used for the wall's video content and echoed in the clothing worn by the bartenders and caterwaiters. Each hour, the video would switch to a new motif and staff would change outfits. For instance, bow ties, white shirts, and Venetian-style masks matched the monochromatic pattern in the beginning of the evening, designed to highlight the magazine's ode to Truman Capote's infamous Black and White Ball. In contrast, the end of the evening saw staff in glittering T-shirts as a nod to the Studio 54-inspired section. The effect was intentionally subtle, keeping the focus on the honorees in attendance, including City Council speaker Christine Quinn, photographer Patrick McMullan, designer Prabal Gurung, and Dan Choi, the former lieutenant discharged from the U.S. Army under the "don't ask, don't tell" policy.
"It was really about the honorees. In the past it's been this huge party, which has been separated into a V.I.P. area and the general audience. This year we wanted everybody to feel like a V.I.P. There was no roped-off area for anybody," said Rosenzweig. To help further distinguish those chosen for the 2010 list, honorees received and wore white boutonnieres.
For their part, sponsors helped add to the intimate atmosphere of the event. In addition to having three of its vehicles on site, Buick displayed images formatted with augmented reality, allowing guests to use their phones to access product information about its Enclave, Lacrosse, and Regal models. Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company, which produces the American Spirit brand of cigarettes, created a smoking lounge on the venue's patio, furnishing it with comfy seating and branded elements.
