More Pictures of the Set-up

Too busy to write a full post today, so here are more pictures of the set-up:

I'll post more pictures of the party tomorrow!

The Set-up: A Celebrations Transformation

It's only one day before the big Celebration! I was very torn in choosing a space for the event--in these economical times I didn't want to give a party that was too slick, so it was essential to find the right venue. I love the Armory because it's a raw, empty space that sort of reminds me of a high school gym.

It's been an interesting challenge transforming this space. For each new venue, there are specific elements I always focus on:
• The walls--how do I cover them?
• The ceiling--what am I going to hang from there?
• The floor--depending on the space, sometimes I think, "How am I going to deal with this?"
• The entrance
• The actual decor itself

It's always good to have as much time as possible for setting up. This being New York city, we only have about 48 hours to set up the lighting, the flowers, the stage, projections, and so much more. My crew and I will definitely be pulling an all-nighter for this one.

I'll have more pictures of the set-up process to show you tomorrow, but for now, tell me....

What was the most exciting transformation you have ever created or witnessed?

What's Hotter Than Naked?

I think some people find it hard to find just the right thing to wear to a party. When I throw my own, I try to give direction that's fun and amorphous so that guests can take the direction and interpret it in their own way. For example, at my last book launch party, the only attire request I had was to wear red (by the way, the rebel Martha Stewart showed up in orange). I love surveying the scene as guests show up to see all the clever ways they decided to get dressed.

For the Celebrations party, I wanted to come up with an attire request that complimented the mood of the party. January tends to be a depressing month since it's so cold, it's post-holidays and some people are partied out. That's exactly why I wanted to throw the party at this time to bring back the mood of sexy, fun and hot...hence the attire requirement for this party: hot.

I've been so busy traveling and planning my party (along with many others...work never stops) that today it hit me: I haven't chosen anything to wear to the party yet. What does one wear to a party where the attire requirement is "hot" and all the guests have already seen the invite?

When I grew up in Panama, I used to have to wear a uniform of white shirt, tie and slacks so I promised after high school that I would never wear another tie again. So, generally, I'm opposed to wearing suits--even though that may be someone's definition of hot.

This is where you come in my loves. I need your help figuring out what to wear to my party. Tell me your suggestions, please!

Oh, and stay tuned for tomorrow. We'll be talking about my favorite part of the party...the decor.

Conversation with: Marcy Blum, Event Planner Extraordinaire

Similar to how doctors shouldn’t treat their own family, it doesn’t work for me to plan my own parties. So, I turned to the best for help with the Celebrations launch party (and many others--Marcy and I have worked together for years).

...And just because she happens to be one of my longtime friends who makes me laugh endlessly is just extra icing on the proverbial 20 foot tall cake.

Enjoy!

PB: Let’s talk about how you became an event planner and why you wanted to embark on this career.

Marcy: When they released me from the asylum (from Preston: I could not help but laugh out loud) I decided that I needed something to do. Okay, actually I was a foodie and I went to school to be a chef and worked as a cooking teacher and all sorts of things and it evolved from there over the years.

PB: How are you different from other event planners? 

Marcy: (With a little smile) I’m good at it! (from Preston: More laughter from the two of us)

PB: What was one of your most challenging events?

Marcy: Every event is challenging. The interesting thing is that it’s always a different challenge. Just when you think, “Now I know how to build a tent in the middle of outer Slobovia in the pouring rain,” the next time, it’s in a desert or everything’s fine but the client’s impossible...Life is constantly different.

PB: What’s your favorite part of the event planning process? 

Marcy: You know, I hear this question all the time and the truth is most of us lie and most of the time, I lie (laughs) but really it's the joy of the process itself, rising to the challenge yourself.

I find people endlessly fascinating--both the good parts and the bad parts. I’m just fascinated by the mystery of what makes them tick; what makes someone come in and say, “I really want something simple and elegant,” and what they think of as simple and elegant is yards and yards and yards of satin wrapped around everything...

PB: What kind of advice would you give to a client looking for an event planner?

Marcy: Oh, to hire me! Of course. (Laughs)

PB: Okay, last question. Can you share some of the surprises you have planned for my Celebrations party?

Marcy: Well...we’re going to have a lot of very enthralling, sexy and interesting things planned--both in entertainment and the guests--don’t forget the invitation said the attire is “hot.” So, I’ve been looking for something hot for several weeks, I may just bring my boyfriend...

Your parties are about surprise and they’re very sensuous. I’m usually all about the food and you throw parties that are about the vibe. So, just wait for something very unexpected.

In the video below, Marcy snuck in one last thing she wanted to say after I thought the interview was officially over and I stepped out of the room. I was touched to hear what she said. Click play to watch.



For more info on Marcy Blum or to contact her, please email: lea@marcyblum.com or visit http://marcyblum.com/.

Now it’s your turn, share one event that took you months and months to plan, and tell me...was it worth it?

The Importance of Eye Candy

I've always said that LA is full of gorgeous people (even the ugly ones are pretty) but New York is where the characters are. Since this city is such a melting pot of different cultures, there's a diversity in beauty and types of people that you may not see in another city. Besides great food at a party, it's always wonderful to have some hot servers to accompany the hot food. Okay, I know you're thinking this may seem trivial or superficial, but let's think about this: The devil is in the details. If you're going to oversee all the other crucial details of your event, why not ensure that there's some great eye candy to go along with the main entree?

Yes, I am being a little cheeky--but there's nothing wrong with admiring beauty, and if that means also getting to flirt with a random stranger, then all the better. And listen to this, at one of my parties a guest and a server ended up clicking and making a real connection. They later got married!

One semi-related, but semi-not side note to this thought--I really dislike when waiters are asked to wear tuxes at a black tie affair. It's confusing to distinguish the servers from the guests and can cause some awkward moments. I can't tell you how many times I've been at a formal event as a guest and I've had other guests come up to me to ask for a drink (talk about profiling).

What do you think? Is eye candy important?

Conversation with: Ira Levy

Today’s interview is with Ira Levy, founder of Levy Lighting. Ira has worked with me on many past events, infusing my designs with his brilliant lighting sensibilities and creative touch. We talked about different lighting techniques, how to stay innovative in the industry, lighting trends for 2010 and so much more. Plus, don’t miss the video at the end where he shares what special surprises he has in store for the Celebrations book launch party.

PB: Can you tell my readers what it means to be a lighting designer and how you started your business?

Ira: I was in school and saw the Pretenders in our gym. I was completely blown away by the fact that this whole show was produced by students. The next day I joined the concert committee and got involved with producing the shows. That means when I was 19 I worked with U2, Eddie Murphy, Santana...all these groups, and I always took a liking to the lighting part of it.

We started a nightclub on campus and I continued with that after college and worked with nightclubs in general. From working with techno nightclubs, I became involved in the rave scene. One of the first rave parties I did in New York, actually, was at the Armory at 26th and Lexington! It was before Marc Jacobs, before VH1, before anybody did a party there. We were there. It’s funny to be coming back full circle.

PB: Oh, that’s such a great coincidence. Tell me more.

Ira: When I decided to go out on my own, I started in fashion. I did something for Donna Karan where she wanted water in her new apartment (because she does meditation) so I installed a water projection for her. From there, I started working with Calvin Klein and all these different companies.

My sensibility from a lighting point of view came from fashion, which is about clean lines, meticulous installations and a really professional approach. I wasn’t involved with social events at first, and for years people would say to me, “You know who would be a perfect fit for you? Preston Bailey.”

PB: Can you tell me more about staying on the cutting edge of lighting innovation?

Ira: I’m really married to technology. I think that especially with light, it’s such an important thing. It’s a mysterious art form and technology is an important aspect of what I do.

I like to be very forward thinking in what I do, for creative stimulation and from a competitive standpoint.  I think that a lot of people, especially in this social market, are stuck in a low-tech world, but I think there’s a way to use technology without it feeling “high-tech” and cold.

Let’s talk about lighting technology like cell phones. Every year they get smaller and lighter, and with lighting it’s the same thing. Now, we’re able to illuminate things brighter, cleaner and sharper but with a smaller fixture.

PB: What are some lighting trends for 2010?

Ira: Well, projection is getting to a point where it’s becoming much more user-friendly so we’re able to use projection as different types of light and backgrounds for different things. So, rather than having to constantly use fabric and material like that, you can now utilize light as actual projected elements.

There’s also interactive technology where people are now becoming part of the event. Rather than just walking in, people will enter a space and be able to play with something. Right away it sets a mood and tone for the personality of the event.

PB: What’s your favorite part of doing lighting design?

Ira: My favorite part is when you first walk into a space and you really visualize how you can transform it. For example, the first day of set up--I enjoy seeing the equipment, the trucks, the people... These jobs are on such a large scale, we spend a week or two working on them so we get to know each other, bond and become a family.

For the last question, Ira sent me a video clip of his plans for my book party and what he has in store for the guests. Click play below to find out what sort of lighting surprises guests can expect at the Celebrations book launch. 



If you’d like to contact Ira or need more info from him, feel free to email: info@levylighting.com

Can you tell me about a party you attended where the lighting really impressed you?

Conversation with: Darren Olarsch

I sat down with Darren Olarsch, President of On the Move Entertainment and Events to get his thoughts on the entertainment industry, how to stay innovative in the ever-changing world of music, and try to get you the dirt on who will be performing as the surprise guest at my Celebrations launch party. Did he reveal the secret? Read on to find out.

PB: Tell us about your company and how you got started.

Darren: On the Move has been around for 18 years. We started, literally, right out of college. We wanted to be in the business of having fun and being able to make a little money and found that the music business was the calling.

PB: What makes your company different from other entertainment vendors?

Darren: We’re a boutique entertainment company. We prefer to be a smaller company where my partner Joe and myself are in touch with every single client. We’re involved with every single song that gets played at every single party. That personal touch makes whatever we’re doing, at any party, pretty special.

PB: Can you share your thoughts about music and how it should affect the flow of the party?

Darren: Sure. Especially for a party like your Celebrations book launch, we believe in building the party. So, instead of hitting everybody hard as soon as they walk in the door, it’s a process. It’s taking people on a trip. When they come into the room, we start out with something ambient, a little mysterious and then build up the tempo from there. By the time this party gets kicked into full gear, it’s rockin’.

PB: How do you stay innovative within the entertainment industry?

Darren: You need to be in touch with what’s going on out there in the clubs and the scenes, not just here in New York but globally. My DJs don’t just work here in New York, they do events across the globe from Europe to Asia. There are hot tracks happening right now in Europe that haven’t even hit the States yet. So by the time they hit here, if we’re the first ones doing it, we look like the heroes.

PB: What’s your favorite aspect of each gig?

Darren: My favorite aspect of each gig is seeing the reaction of our client. When they’re on the dance floor and they’re movin’ and they look up and realize, “Holy cow, this place is awesome,” that’s when we get the good response. When they look over at us and give us a little wink or a thumbs up...that’s what it’s all about.

For the last question, you can hear from Darren personally in the video below. I asked him: Can you give my readers any information about who will be performing at my Celebrations book party?

Click play to find out the answer:



Who is your favorite band or DJ and why? Let me know. If you’d like to contact Darren or need more info from him, feel free to email: info@onthemove.com.

Party Planning: The Final Invite

As we talked about in an earlier post, the invite is an important first step in party planning. Today, I'm really happy to share with you the final concept we came up with for the invitation to my Celebrations book launch party.  But first, I have to say that I loved hearing all your ideas for the potential concept of the invitation.

Here are some ideas you shared with me:
• The invitation as a puzzle
• Me as a shirtless gladiator on a chariot
• Me on a bed of roses à la American Beauty
• An invitation in the shape of flower, using a color scheme of different shades of purple
• An invite told in a story format handwritten on a brown card
• Champagne bottles as invitations with custom labels

I actually loved the American Beauty concept so much that we tried it out. Here's the image of me in comparison to the original image from the movie (you can click on the image to make it bigger):

As you can see, I'm no Mena Suvari, so we nixed it.

Luckily, I have a private creative consultant (who also happens to be my partner) Theo Bleckmann, who has helped me create concepts for some of my past party invitations. We were talking about New York City landmarks and became inspired by the statue of Atlas holding up the world on his shoulders in Rockefeller Center. It is such an iconic image in a landmark destination.

I was so fascinated by the image that I felt it was the right direction to go in. Here's the final invitation:

I'm working with the fabulous Ellen Weldon to produce these invitations. She is such an amazing, innovative invitation designer and definitely one of my go-to ladies when I need a beautiful invite designed.

What do you think of the invitation? Let me know in the comments.

Busy Day

The "before" picture of the Armory

There's so much to share today--I did a walk-through of the Armory with my team and we discussed the specifics for transforming the space for my Celebrations party. It's so exciting to walk into a raw space and instantly begin to see how my vision will come to life. Not only did I do a walk-through with my own production team, but I also talked to some of the vendors I'll be working with to help me produce the event.

Today, I talked with Ira Levy of Levy Lighting to discuss the special lighting techniques we'll be doing for the event and Darren Olarsch of On the Move Events to discuss the entertainment for my party (including the special surprise appearance by a singer or band I have planned!). I've worked with both people for years, including my past book launches.

I also interviewed both Ira and Darren on their expertise and experience in the industry to share with you on the blog. They shared some really great info and gave some insights into what we've planned for the party. So, stay tuned for tomorrow when I get the first interview up.

Later this week, I'll be meeting with Olivier Cheng (who will be catering the party) and the fabulous Marcy Blum, event planner extraordinaire, to discuss logistics. I'll have interviews and behind the scenes chats with them too.

What is one behind the scenes task you're interested in knowing more about? Let me know and maybe I'll share the answer...

Party Planning: Making Sure Your Party Flows

Let's talk about something important that can sometimes be overlooked: the length of your party. One of the biggest mistakes many people make is they plan an event that is too long.  Most parties should be no longer than 4-5 hours. The beauty of a fabulously planned event is that you always leave people wanting more. I always say you've thrown a successful event when people just don't want to leave.

Here is the general timeline I'm planning for the Celebrations launch party. The party will be from 6pm-10pm (perfect for an event thrown on a week night, 8pm-midnight for the weekends):

6:00pm-8:00pm: Guests arrive. I call this the "lounge" period. Guests will be arriving, checking out the scene, eating some wonderful food, and mingling with others. I always make sure the entrance is welcoming, with waiters ready to greet everyone with drinks and appetizers.

Music is also very crucial here--I don't want to overwhelm guests with something too high energy at the beginning. It's also important the music is not too loud (We'll discuss more about the importance of music in a later post.)

8:00-8:04pm: I like to greet my guests with a special welcome message by stepping up to the mic. This is a way for me to welcome everyone I may not have had a chance to personally say hello to, and a way to "officially" kick-off the party. When greeting your own guests, be careful not to make your speech longer than 2-4 minutes max.

8:05 pm - 8:35pm: Time for a special guest performance by a surprise entertainer! (No, I'm not telling you who...) This is the moment to get the energy level up and get people in the dancing mood. I don't want my party to turn into a full blown concert, so an abbreviated set of the band's most popular songs is enough to get everyone in a dancing mood.

8:35pm-10:00pm: Dance, dance dance. Being a member of the Studio 54 era, I definitely love to dance and always hire the best DJ in town to get everyone moving at full swing.

After 10:00pm: This is the moment I'll start saying my good-byes and thank all the guests for coming.  It will be the end of a wonderful night...

Tell me, what's your favorite part of a party? Let me know in the comments.

Party Planning: The Guest List

Once you have your invite and your venue, the next important thing is your guest list. Who’s coming to the party?

New York is a very diverse city, and I love bringing together folks from all groups: uptown, downtown, celebrities, royalty, clients, gay, straight, etc... I find that with great décor and enough food and drink everyone has a wonderful time and gets along fabulously.

I think parties are a good place for people watching and dancing. I'll talk more about music and  entertainment closer to the event, but I do think it’s important to plan a surprise appearance of a singer or group for no more than 25 minutes. (You can see the surprise guests from my last party—Sister Sledge--below.) It adds a little extra something to the party that people will be talking about for days after the event. Of course, it doesn't just have to be a band or singer that wows the crowd, any element of surprise that creates a defining moment is something no party should be without.

Who do you think should perform at my Celebrations party this year and why? Let me know.

Party Planning: Choosing a Venue

These are the "Angels" I had at my last party in the Rainbow Room

Choosing a venue, for me, is a very crucial moment. The choice of venue needs to complement and create the feeling of your event. In prior years I chose a beloved space in New York, The Rainbow Room, for all three of my book launches. Being from Panama originally, this space always represented the ultimate New York experience with incredible views of the city in Rockefeller Plaza. (Unfortunately this most cherished venue was closed because of our economy.)

Jennifer Holliday performing in the Rainbow Room

It's been a challenge choosing a space this year. I wanted to find a space that fit at least 500 people, more rustic than I’ve chosen in the past but equally as charming. I found the perfect space in the 69th Regiment Armory—a national historic landmark. Victoria's Secret recently used this space for their last fashion show.

I love this venue because it is open to the decor I have in mind. I don’t want to reveal too many details before the big day, but one idea I have is to set up an Art Exhibit of events I’ve designed, small vignettes created to walk you through multiple experiences. But we’ll talk more about that in a later post...

Jennifer Holliday and me dancing the night away

What are your favorite venues in your city and why? I'd love to know for when I am working in your area.

On Throwing Parties

It’s a new year (a new decade!) and it’s time to talk about one of my favorite subjects: parties. I LOVE throwing parties (can you tell?). I often entertain at home with friends and family, but once or twice a year I enjoy having a BIG blow out party. Right now, I’m hard at work designing and planning my next big bash—a book launch party for Celebrations.

My book parties have become an exciting event in New York. I invite 500 of my closest friends and we take to the dance floor (or the buffet table) all night long. Here are some pictures from past book parties.

I’ll be blogging the whole process of planning and designing this celebration. Party day is January 28 so in the next few weeks, I'll share ideas, inspiration, and ask for your opinion and feedback for the party.

Ready to help?

Re-cap of the Book Discussion with Nina Garcia at Barnes & Noble

Before I give you a re-cap of last night’s event, I just have to say thank you to everyone who came out to Barnes & Noble. It was an extraordinary evening, and even though I’ve given hundreds of talks, I still get a little nervous before each event. It helped that I had such a wonderful interviewer and companion on stage, Nina Garcia. Once I’m surrounded by the excitement and energy of the others around me (Nina, the guests, my wonderful family who also came last night) I’m ready to get out there and give my all.

After answering a series of insightful questions by Nina, mostly covering how I got started in the business, what my design process is and where I draw inspiration from, we played a game called the “Or Game.” It was a series of questions—Lilies or orchids? Uptown or Downtown? Prada or Gucci?---designed to help the audience get to know me better. Can anyone guess what my answers were to some of these questions? I’ll give you one hint—I didn’t answer lilies.

Biyan, one of the best designers in Indonesia, even came out to the event. (Check out our accidentally matching Prada shoes!)

Then we took questions from the audience, and I want to share some of the answers here with you. One lovely woman mentioned that she’s been designing a lot of corporate events but wanted to get more into designing weddings and social events. She asked for some guidance on how to break in.

 My advice? Just start doing it. Start off by designing weddings for your friends and family. Learn from each experience and build your knowledge base from there. Wherever you go, keep your ears and eyes out for people looking for help planning or designing their wedding. Offer your services, and before you know it, it you’ll build up a list of clientele and a portfolio of some amazing events.

I really believe in the power of doing and knowing that the only way to get started is to get out there, create, and be comfortable with making mistakes. I’ve made mistakes, we all do, and the most important thing to do is just to turn each mistake into a learning lesson, fix what you did wrong, and make yourself better with each new job.

Another person also asked about decorating for the holidays and where to start. Like I’ve mentioned before, it’s important to pick one color for your event to keep a unified look and feel. Last night, I also advised on picking a theme for your event to help give it some focus. For example, one year we used a nutcracker theme for a client’s holiday party. It was a charming take on the traditional holiday decoration and it left everyone with a new sense of fun for Christmas. And, like Nina says about any good wardrobe, having a theme makes your event “edited”--meaning that there’s a focus and specificity that helps your event’s design stand out from the rest.

Thanks again for coming out to Barnes & Noble—hopefully I’ll get to see you all again at my next talk.

Barnes & Noble Window Display

We put up the window display today for my new book Celebrations at the Barnes and Noble on Fifth avenue. Similar to the display at Rizzoli, the theme of the window was to bring the book cover to life by using various types of silk flowers and fabric rosettes. This window, however, is a bit larger than the one in Rizzoli, so we were also able to install some tall sculpted vases similar to what I used at my Thanksgiving celebration, but incorporating floral elements instead of fruit.

This picture is just a small teaser of the window. If you want to see the whole thing, you’ll have to go check it out for yourself (if you live in NYC or are visiting). It’s located at the Barnes and Noble at 555 Fifth Avenue on the corner of 46th street and fifth avenue. And tomorrow, the window display at the Barnes and Noble in Union Square (33 East 17th Street) is going up too. I feel so lucky to have these window displays going up at a time when there are so many amazing holiday displays. As always, Bloomingdales and Saks Fifth Avenue have windows that will put you in awe, and the tree at Rockefeller Center was lit just last night!

Coming Up: In Conversation With Nina Garcia

Now that Thanksgiving’s over, it’s back to work work work... I actually did a special event this past weekend that I can’t talk about yet, but maybe I’ll share some info about it later this week. For now, here’s one thing that’s on my mind: next week, I’ll be having a discussion with the exquisite Nina Garcia to discuss my new book Celebrations. 

Nina is one of my favorite people in New York and when she's not taping the fabulous Project Runway, you can find her hard at work on Marie Claire.  She attended the luncheon for the launch of Celebrations about a month ago and we began a thoughtful conversation about why I wanted to create the book and the inspiration behind it. It was such a great talk that we wanted to bring the discussion public and share these thoughts with everyone—why not, right?

So, that’s exactly what we decided to do. I’ll be talking with Nina at the Barnes & Noble in the Upper East Side on December 8th at 7:00pm. If you’re in the New York City area, I hope you’ll stop by and check it out. The address of the Barnes and Noble is: 150 East 86th Street New York, NY 10028.

Within all my books, we include a picture of my incredible team. Here's the latest picture from Celebrations of everyone who created what you see in the book. As you flip through the pages, you'll get to see in more detail what we created together.

I’d also like to hear your thoughts about the book and any questions you may want us to answer during our discussion. Who knows? Nina might pick one of the questions you ask to include in her Q&A. Let me know your thoughts and questions in the comments!