For the third annual Innovators' Ball—sponsored by LG Electronics Canada for the first time and dubbed “Femme Fatale: An Evening of Intrigue”—the Ontario Science Centre drew inspiration from a new exhibit about the art of espionage to create a dinner and party that attracted a crowd of more than 1,200 people Thursday. “There’s an exhibit that opened April 9 called 'The Science of Spying.' Every year the Innovators’ Ball takes its theme from an exhibition,” said Matt Wiesenfeld, director of annual giving and a member of the event planning team.
“For the cocktail reception, we’re trying to take people back to the early days of spying,” Wiesenfeld said. “We’re creating a 20's- and 30's-era piano lounge with a singer and champagne.” Event management company Solutions With Impact created an all-white lounge with touches of green and purple—a nod to sponsor Telus—where models dressed as cigarette girls took photos of guests with LG Dare phones. “We’re working with some new sponsors this year so we’re letting them have fun with the event,” Wiesenfeld said.
Fifteen female waitstaff wearing short black wigs and short black and red dresses—the event’s Femme Fatales—served drinks to guests and handed out codes for a chance to unlock the Telus vault and win a phone at the after-party. Napkins imprinted with sayings like “Meet me at the bar” and “Are you ready for your mission?” topped the bar where servers offered drinks called the Telus Belvedere Kiwitini and the LG Belvedere Dare.
Staff from Tiffany & Company, dressed in the company's signature blue, sold $100 armbands for the chance to win a key-shaped diamond necklace. Three models wearing long gowns, pearls, and elbow-length gloves posed on pedestals placed behind oversize white frames while a piano player and jazz singer Cara Matthews entertained the crowd.
Seamus O’Reagan of CTV—dubbed Agent O’Reagan for the night—served as the dinner host and introduced a video he filmed to illustrate the highlights of “The Science of Spying” exhibition, which was open for guests to experience at the after-party. Organizers hung black draping, supplied by Micki's, to block out the natural light in the Great Hall, which Solutions dressed in black, silver, and red.
Celebrity chef Susur Lee returned to oversee the menu for a second year. Lee (of Madeline's and Lee) worked with Sequel Catering and students from the culinary centre at Humber College to prepare a meal of tuna sashimi with winter black truffle soya vinaigrette, salmon caviar, artichoke and puffball potato followed by Ontario Kerr Farms spring rack of lamb with smoked corn and leek tart accompanied by a roasted garlic rosemary glaze. An almond panna cotta with a pineapple raspberry ravioli topped with a passionfruit sauce was served for dessert.
Ben Mulroney of eTalk Daily and his wife, Jessica Brownstein, served as honourary co-chairs of the event, which raised $350,000 for the Science Centre. Sponsors included LG Electronics Canada, Telus, Tiffany & Co., Audi Canada, CTV, Air Canada, Camitz Sparkling Vodka, Cointreau, Cosabella, Glenmorangie, Hello, Hennessy, Moët & Chandon, Pepsi Bottling Group, Shops at Don Mills, Starbucks Coffee Canada, Steam Whistle, the Bay, The Kirkwood Group, Yellow Tail, and Yves Saint Laurent.
