On the night of Survivor's season finale, the attendees of the annual Knowledge Strategies Summer Bash pulled themselves away from the goings-on of Richard, Rudy and the crew for a pretty happening company party. But while they left their TV sets at home, the consulting firm's employees and guests couldn't escape a Survivor-esque question: Could they withstand four hours of a company party, stranded aboard the tri-level party boat Mystique?
Everyone, of course, headed straight to the bar for super-strong drinks, courtesy of in-house bartenders on the Mystique (which is booked through Metropolitan Yacht). Thankfully, instead of Survivor-style rats, the party offered an aptly nautical raw bar with oysters and shrimp on the first level, and quesadillas, hummus and a very popular sushi bar on the second level. Unfortunately, the food--all courtesy of Elaine's Catering, a firm run by the mother of Kstrat's CEO, Cynthia Hollen--ran out way too early, by 8:45.
Surprisingly, the talk of the night was not about the Pagong tribe but Kstrat's new "Omnitailing" concept, touted as "the future of retailing." Company representatives were on hand to discuss the concept and run a contest to win a $100 restaurant gift certificate.
As the night wore on and the drinks kicked in, everyone headed upstairs to the open-air deck to dance to selections from DJ Michael Anthony (from the Ultimate In Entertainment) including "The Thong Song" and "Big Pimpin'." Rubber duckies emblazoned with Kstrat's URL and balloons in the company's colors-orange, teal and black-added to the festive mood. The third level turned out to be the most stable one, as we discovered after staggering downstairs to the (very small) bathroom. The last hour of the party started to drag, but the breathtaking views of Manhattan provided sufficient entertainment.
The mixed crowd of employees, clients and significant others didn't win $1 million for surviving, but they enjoyed themselves until the ship docked at 11:30 PM. And it was much better than eating rats.
--Cheryl Maday
Photos by Cheryl Maday for BiZBash
Everyone, of course, headed straight to the bar for super-strong drinks, courtesy of in-house bartenders on the Mystique (which is booked through Metropolitan Yacht). Thankfully, instead of Survivor-style rats, the party offered an aptly nautical raw bar with oysters and shrimp on the first level, and quesadillas, hummus and a very popular sushi bar on the second level. Unfortunately, the food--all courtesy of Elaine's Catering, a firm run by the mother of Kstrat's CEO, Cynthia Hollen--ran out way too early, by 8:45.
Surprisingly, the talk of the night was not about the Pagong tribe but Kstrat's new "Omnitailing" concept, touted as "the future of retailing." Company representatives were on hand to discuss the concept and run a contest to win a $100 restaurant gift certificate.
As the night wore on and the drinks kicked in, everyone headed upstairs to the open-air deck to dance to selections from DJ Michael Anthony (from the Ultimate In Entertainment) including "The Thong Song" and "Big Pimpin'." Rubber duckies emblazoned with Kstrat's URL and balloons in the company's colors-orange, teal and black-added to the festive mood. The third level turned out to be the most stable one, as we discovered after staggering downstairs to the (very small) bathroom. The last hour of the party started to drag, but the breathtaking views of Manhattan provided sufficient entertainment.
The mixed crowd of employees, clients and significant others didn't win $1 million for surviving, but they enjoyed themselves until the ship docked at 11:30 PM. And it was much better than eating rats.
--Cheryl Maday
Photos by Cheryl Maday for BiZBash
Guests tried out Kstrat's "Omnitailing" concept on Palm Pilots and received rubber duckies from Minicucci & Williams.
A raw bar with oysters and shrimp from Elaine's Catering fed guests at Kstrat's summer cruise aboard Mystique, a cruise ship booked through Metropolitan Yacht Charters.
Teal, orange and black balloons from Balloons to Go floated throughout the boat as guests danced and mingled.
DJ Michael Anthony of The Ultimate in Entertainment kept Kstrat employees dancing.
