At the January 27 opening night party for last weekend's Interior Design Show, 5,000 architects, designers and other guests got a first look at the show's content. The party took place on the Metro Toronto Convention Centre floor, where the evening's entertainment and culinary offerings were mixed in among the show's exhibitor booths.
Guests wandered among the already set-up design exhibitions, which were supplemented for the evening by a range of party stations. Twenty Toronto restaurants—including popular outposts like Magic Oven and Rodney's Oyster House—served food from stations on the floor, while several bar areas were presented by beverage sponsors such as Skyy Vodka, Campari and Aperol, with bars themselves branded for the party's sponsors, The Globe and Mail and kitchenware companies Scavolini and Dekla.
"It was really many parties all in one," said show co-founder and director Shauna Levy. "Guests bounced around between each of them as they moved across the show floor."
Those mini parties ranged from a a V.I.P. media lounge sponsored by Veuve Clicqout—serving Champagne, naturally—to the Audi Lounge in the center of the show floor, where the automaker showcased the 2011 Audi A7. Elsewhere, an Italian-inspired cafe area sponsored by Scavolini included espresso from local coffeehouse ZaZa and Italian music. "It really felt like you were at the Milan fair, not the Toronto fair," Levy said.
At several points throughout the evening, guests gathered in front of a main stage for events that ranged from a live set by DJ Jojo Flores to an auction of 20 Vitra Panton chairs, each designed by a different show participant, with proceeds benefiting Casey House.
