To unveil its newly redesigned issue, Toronto Life invited 350 guests—magazine staff and partners as well as politicians, athletes, artists, and business leaders—to a cocktail party with an "I Love Toronto" theme at Andrew Richard Designs on July 8. Karen Cleveland, marketing and communications manager with St. Joseph Media, worked with Candice Chan and Alison Slight of Candice&Alison Luxury Event Management to plan the event.
Cleveland described the planning process as a collaborative effort, with editorial staff even helping to write the copy for the invitations—created by Carte Blanche Design—which read, "Toronto Life is 43 years old. Instead of blowing 80 grand on a sports car or running off with a hot young thing, we've decided to face mid-life the right way: with a new look and a big party."
For the decor, Candice&Alison used red, black, and white (the colours of Toronto Life) to dress the all-white loft space. "We were really just inspired by the magazine itself," Slight said. A Toronto Life logo decorated the wall in the stairway, multiple flat-screen TVs broadcast a reel featuring highlights from the new issue, and servers passed custom Toronto cookies (created by the Designer Cookie) with the magazine's logo, the Yonge Street sign, the CN Tower, and a T.T.C. streetcar.
L-Eat Catering served food inspired by the multicultural nature of the city. "We wanted to draw from the food the city is known for, so it's a very diverse menu," Cleveland said. Hors d'oeuvres included lobster corn dogs, chili-and-lime-marinated shrimp served on a corn cake with avocado salsa and flat-leaf parsley, mini savoury beef tenderloin cupcakes, and duck confit and brie spring rolls with sour cherry compote.
Toronto Life's wine writer, David Lawrason, selected 18 wines from vineyards on Niagara-on-the-Lake. Servers poured the wines at four bars, categorized by sparkling and aromatic, whites, light reds, and full bodied reds. Guests could also sip beer from Duggan's Brewery, as well as SmartWater, and VitaminWater.
St. Joseph Media president Douglas Knight and Toronto Life editor Sarah Fulford addressed the crowd prior to a surprise acoustic performance by Jason Collett of Broken Social Scene. Guests received a copy of Toronto Life’s August issue, which has a “Best of the City” theme and hits newsstands on Thursday.
