More than 500 people—and their dogs—attended the Humane Society of Greater Miami’s Pawpurrazzi fund-raiser on Friday night at Jungle Island. The fourth annual party, which raises money for the organization’s Adopt-A-Pet program, experienced an increase in attendance as well as revenue from tickets sales, despite guests buying lower-priced tickets.
“We have more people coming in at the $10,000 category than the $20,000, one and that’s just a reflection of the economy,” said event chairman Pat Wallace in regard to the number of prime location tables purchased. Overall, the event raised more than $500,000 with a 5 percent increase in ticket revenue and 25 percent increase in auction sales.
Wallace changed the format for the fund-raiser last year from a cocktail party to a fully produced event with a sit-down dinner, doggie and owner parade, and activities for the dogs in attendance. Jungle Island set up the cocktail reception on the terrace of its Treetop Ballroom with glowing bars sponsored by Barcardi, sushi and Mediterranean food stations, and highboys throughout. For the dogs, Purina One sponsored a canine buffet that served various flavors of dog food and treats, and caricaturists drew portraits of pets and their owners.
Andy Warhol’s Pop Art inspired the design of the ballroom by Karla Conceptual Event Experiences. Solid yellow, purple, and blue linens covered the tables, accented with alternating white and lime green chrysanthemum centerpieces. Four projection screens around the perimeter of the room showcased video footage of the humane society’s work in South Florida throughout the night.
During dinner, 27 donors—selected from those who donated more than $5,000—walked the 60-foot U-shaped runway with their dogs as part of the "Great Pets Who Walk in Front of Great People" parade. Since the Humane Society requests that no cats be brought to the event, to avoid conflicts with the dogs, organizers reached out to the University of Miami’s Department of Theater Arts to perform a piece from the musical Cats to recognize the other four-legged beneficiaries of the society’s work.
Jungle Island prepared an extensive dessert buffet of cookies, do-it-yourself sundaes, cupcakes with dog-themed fondant toppers, and other sweets to wrap up the night.
