Behind The Red Rope

Movie night with friends sounds like a pretty simple party to plan. Rent flick. Buy popcorn. Gather friends.

It's another story if you are advertising executive turned filmmaker Eddie Shieh (photo right, shown with actor/director DB Woodside). Fresh off the festival circuit (screening at over 20 international festivals and counting), Shieh began fielding requests from friends who wanted to watch his debut short film, "No Menus Please," a drama/comedy about two immigrants competing to distribute restaurant menus in New York City.

While planning the screening, Shieh reached out to 5 other directors with internationally acclaimed short films and invited them to join. With one call to Ayler Young of Tribeca Cinemas, (home to the Tribeca Film Festival) "movie night" was transformed into the Red Rope Screening, an event to celebrate short films and promote social business networking among influencers in film, fashion, music and art.

On Wednesday night, despite the torrential downpour, 400 guests attended the inaugural Red Rope Screening presented by Adidas, who showcased student documentaries about the prominence of graffiti art in the sneakerhead community through their End-to-End Project. Other supporters included Foot Locker, Chopin Vodka, Shorts International and Saint Grace (one of my favorite brands for T-shirts and tanks).

Shieh hand-selected 5 incredible films to accompany his own including: A Nick in Time by Bé Garrett (2007 Official Selection at Sundance, Tribeca and Cannes); first by actor DB Woodside (who plays President Wayne Palmer on Fox's "24") and Nick Sivakumaran; Spread The Love by Matt Lilly; Mutual Love Life by Robert Peters (2000 Oscar short-listed film); and, Our Time Is Up by Rob Pearlstein (Oscar nominated for 2006 Best Live Action Short Film).


After an hour listening to legendary DJ Stretch Armstrong, I finally found the newly minted director at the after-party. Shieh told me that the inspiration for the film literally arrived at his front door. During Shieh's advertising days (he was an award winning creative at Ogilvy & Mather, TBWA/Chiat/Day and BBDO), he used to order from the same Chinese restaurant when he got home late at night. Shieh began to notice the constant menu delivery in his building and to wonder about the life of his delivery guy.

There is talk of another short film by Shieh as well as a Red Rope Screening in the Fall. We promise to keep you posted on both. In the meantime, check out the schedule at Tribeca Cinemas for other interesting film and music events such as the Miguel Migs record release party on Sunday, May 20th.

For your own movie night, art show or cocktail party, call Tribeca Cinemas (54 Varick Street, 212-941-2001). All of their event spaces are pretty amazing. Tell Ayler we sent you....

Writing On the Wall

Event designers always cringe at the thought of corporate signage clashing with their artistic vision.

If only all messaging was as beautiful as Blik, the award winning product line of surface graphics. With Prose, the company's newest offering, the writing is on the wall....literally.

You can submit your favorite poem, quote or phrase to be made into stickers in various sizes, colors and fonts. Blik will send you the self-adhesive decals to affix to any smooth, flat surface such as a wall, window, mirror, ceiling, tabletop or floor. Price is based on size and quantity of letters.

A great idea for party decor, these stickers are easy to apply as well as remove. You might chose to decorate a birthday party with energetic dancers by Keith Haring or a going-away party with delicate birds in flight. The geometric shapes by Charles and Ray Eames are some of my favorites.

Bowie Takes The High Line

This week in New York, the buzz is all Bowie.

As the inaugural curator of the H&M High Line Festival (May 9th -19th), David Bowie has become our city's personal guide to the coolest line-up of music, film, comedy and visual art performance. The artists that he has chosen to showcase are as eclectic as Bowie himself from Brit comedian Ricky Gervais ("The Office") to French electro-pop duo Air to visionary Ken Nordine, the 87-year old musician who has been performing his beatnik-style spoken "word jazz" since 1955. Arcade Fire, the Montreal based indie rock band, kicked off the 10-day arts festival with a killer performance at Radio City Music Hall on Wednesday night.

Buddha Bar with Ty KU, a new sake liqueur, played host to the festival's launch with a decadent after-party that followed their one-year anniversary celebration - a 250 person VIP dinner and auction (to benefit The Institute for Civic Leadership) for guests such as Kevin Spacey, Denise Rich, Marc Ecko, and Thom Felicia. Produced by my friends at Experiential Agency, Buddha Bar put on a spectacle of a show - a mix of performance art and acrobatics that descended from the vaulted ceiling - while revelers danced to soon-to-be-released tracks by legendary DJ Sam Popat, creator of the popular Buddha Bar compilations. Check out the NY Times video coverage of the event.


The goal of the annual festival, which continues through May 19th, is to highlight the particular taste of the artist curating it and to introduce New York to talented acts from around the world. Performances and events are being held at different venues near the High Line which runs through the Meatpacking, West Chelsea and Clinton/Hell's Kitchen. A portion of proceeds from ticket sales will go to benefit Friends of the High Line, an organization working with the City of New York to transform the 1930's elevated rail structure in a public space in 2008.

There are still some amazing events coming up. To buy tickets for shows including Polyphonic Spree and The Secret Machines, (photo below, left) visit the festival's web site www.highlinefestival.com. Claude Cahun's photography exhibit will run from May 18th -20th (photo below, right) in the gardens of the General Theological Seminary (175 Ninth Avenue). Open to the public and free of charge, it is not to be missed.

After seeing the photographer's work in Paris, Bowie was fascinated and had the following to say:

"You could call her transgressive or you could call her a cross dressing Man Ray with surrealist tendencies. I find this work really quite mad, in the nicest way."

Which coming from Ziggy Stardust is truly the finest of compliments.

Say It With Flowers

Nothing says Spring more than a bouquet of fresh flowers. But, do you ever wonder what the flowers you send say about you?

Whether you are professing your undying love, sending your condolences, begging for forgiveness or thanking your hostess, the gift of flowers can be wonderfully emotive.

Yet, your heartfelt message may be inadvertently misunderstood if you send a scrawny arrangement covered in cheap plastic wrap from 1-800-Flowers. In this case, your gift may not effectively assuage the anger of a scorned lover nor console a wounded friend.

This communication breakdown can be easily remedied by finding a florist with impeccable taste that understands not only your personal style but your relationship needs.

With Mother's Day just around the corner (and what relationship could be more important than Mom), I reached out to one of my favorite florists, Elizabeth Ryan, (411 East 9th Street, 212-995-1111) who has done events for everyone from Paris Hilton to the Dalai Lama. She shares the following advice.

Try to give general characteristics of the recipient (preppy, modern, bohemian) and then, if possible, move on to more personal details (loves the beach, from the British countryside). A good florist should be able to interpret all the information he/she is given and create something that will appeal to the person's personality and style as well as convey the right message.


For Mother's Day, Elizabeth recommends a mixed spring arrangement (shown above), including a combination of any of the following flowers that are now in season: lilacs, peonies (her favorite and mine), roses, sweat peas, tulips, vibernum, lysianthus. Prices start at $65 with $15 delivery in Manhattan. Mother's Day orders will be sent on Saturday.

Another incredible floral designer is L'Olivier Floral Atelier (19 East 76th Street, 212-774-7676) who has another location downtown on 14th Street. They have a beautiful tulip arrangement in a rectangular vase for $150 which makes a strong visual statement (photo top center).


Finally, VSF (which stands for Very Special Flowers located on 204 West 10th Street, 212-206-7236) is popular with the fashion crowd. I especially like their tightly packed arrangements with Vandella roses, mini calla lilies and snowball hydrangeas all in creams and whites (shown above). The tone on tone is fresh and elegant. A great choice for anyone who appreciates the understated look.

It seems as though a talented florist can work wonders on all of your personal relationships by eloquently telling the people in your life just how your feel. Now, if only your therapist could understand.....

Cinco De Mayo

Everyone loves to celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Yet, ask those same people about the origins of the holiday and you will be surprised how little they know.

After sending out invitations to my little fiesta, I was amused at the responses I received from my (highly educated) friends.

How do they celebrate the holiday in Spain? It's Mexican...

Would I be hanging a skeleton on the door? It's not the Day the Dead...

What day is it on? Cinco de Mayo is the 5th of May in Spanish...duh!

For those of you that care, Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday in Mexico that celebrates the victory of Mexican forces over the French occupation in the Battle of Puebla on May 5th, 1862.

For the rest of you, it's just a night to party and drink a lot of tequila. Here is what you need to know:

Tequila is made from the blue agave plant and was first produced in the early 1800's in Western Mexico. It is considered North America's first indigenous distilled spirit. There are 3 major categories:

Blanco or Silver:
Clean and transparent with strong flavor of the blue agave. Bottled right after distillation.

Resposado:
Pale color with mellow flavor. Blanco aged in white oak casks for 2 months to 1 year.

Anejo:
Amber color with woody rich flavor. Aged for more than 1 year in oak barrels.

I'm serving two types of Milagro tequila for my party. Silver for those who want to have margaritas and mojitos. Select Barrel Reserve Anejo, which is aged for three years, for connoisseurs who prefer their tequila over ice with nothing more than a squeeze of lime.

To try something new, head down to La Esquina (203 Lafayette Street, 646-613-7100), one of my favorite Mexican restaurants which has an incredible tequila menu with over 100 choices as well as some super premium selections such as Patron Gran Platinum ($48/glass) and Don Julio "1942" ($44/glass). Their waitstaff is very knowledgeable so ask them for recommendations. Order the Tequila Flights, tastings of three, which will introduce you to new flavors and combinations.

So, unless you just returned from Spring Break, please retire the shot glass. With so many premium choices of tequila these days, growing up has never been more fun!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Green Is The New Black

Caring about the environment is finally in style and it's about time!

Lately, I've noticed that the fashion industry has embraced the cause. Vanity Fair, Domino and Elle Magazine have produced green issues. Environmental lifestyle guru, Danny Seo, is eco-styling celebrities like Eva Longoria and Rosario Dawson for the red carpet. Organic clothing lines such as Edun and Loomstate are sold at Barney's. And, there is even a new "eco-model" who hosts a show about green fashion named Summer Rayne Oakes (I guess you could say that her name is self-fulfilling prophecy).

The message is clear: you no longer have to sacrifice style to save the planet.

As a follow up to my post on Green Entertaining, I spoke with Danielle Venokur of dvGreen, an event design and production company that bridges the gap between luxury and sustainability. After years as the Event Director and General Manager of L'Olivier, a floral design house who caters to the A-list fashion and social set in New York, Danielle launched her company to merge her finely tuned expertise and sophisticated taste with her desire to protect the environment.


From corporate events to destination weddings, Danielle is an expert in green party planning and offers us the following advice:

Design the party you want, then retrofit it to be eco-friendly
You don't need to compromise your vision before you even begin. There are extensive resources that exist to help you achieve your dream while also being green.

Plan Ahead
While resources do exist, they may not be as immediately accessible as you are used to. Give yourself a longer lead time to find and acquire all of the green elements for your party.

Research Local Vendors
Once you figure out your event concept and theme, find local vendors who can offer green products and services.

Danielle recommends:

'wichcraft: for quick and casual catering for the home or office. Chef Tom Colicchio works with small producers, uses green market vegetables as well as antibiotic and hormone-free meats in all of his sandwiches while donating to the Fresh Air Fund.



The City Bakery's Build A Green Bakery: for incredible desserts sold at two locations in NYC. The bakeries were built with sustainable and eco-conscious materials.


Branch: for great serving pieces, house and kitchen wares such as these bowls made of 100% organically grown bamboo with natural lacquer and non-toxic adhesive.



Square One Organic Vodka: for delicious vodka drink recipes featuring all organic ingredients. Square One is the first certified organic rye vodka and uses soy-based inks and recycled papers on their labels and packaging.

We will check back with Danielle for more green tips in the next few months and to see what amazing events she is producing for her clients. To hire dvGreen for your next party, conference or company retreat, contact them directly at 212-713-0013.

In the meantime, keep sending us your green ideas by leaving a comment!

It's Your Birthday - vol. 2

It's your birthday and you want to celebrate with 50 of your closest friends. Rolling up to a nightclub is out of the question, even if you are "friends with the owner."

If you feel like throwing a big birthday bash, you are better off finding a venue that can give you an exclusive area to entertain your guests. Here are two venues that are cool without the attitude and rate high on service.


Cocktails for 40-75: Merc Bar (151 Mercer Street)

I used to joke around with restauranteur John McDonald that he was the Mayor of Mercer Street. Not only were his CITY magazine offices located there but two of his establishments - Lure Fish Bar (which used to be Canteen) and, the long-standing SoHo favorite, Merc Bar.

Recently, I checked out his newly renovated event space in Merc Bar called The Red Room. It comes stocked with a premium bar and staffed with a bartender, cocktail server, busser and doorman to ensure only your guests are allowed in and out. They need your guest list (please alphabetize!) in advance. You can bring in your own DJ (as well as the equipment) or just plug in your iPod into the state of the art sound system.

Besides a killer martini selection, they offer catering from Lure Fish Bar. Menu selections include Spicy Tuna Tartare Crisps, Mini Crab Cakes, Wild Mushroom Tartlets, and Grilled Filet Mignon to name a few.

Cash Bar
Room rental fee : $300.00 per hour + tax and 20% gratuity

Open Bar
No room rental fee
$30.00 per person per hour + tax and 20% gratuity

Minimum of 2 hours and 40 guests.

Contact: Jennifer, 646 873 4999 or jennifer@kagekonsulting.com.



Cocktails for 50-100: Kelley and Ping (325 Bowery, 212-475-8600)

I've been to a few birthday parties at this gorgeous loft style event space that is located on the second floor above the restaurant. The room has large windows, exposed brick, a working fireplace, a private bar and restroom.

Staffing is provided at $35/hour per person but is deducted from your room rental fee. Hors d'oeuvres are available from the restaurant below or from an offsite caterer. You can bring in your own DJ but you need to provide the equipment. You can have cash bar or open bar as long as your meet the minimums.

Sunday - Thursday
Room Rental is $500 for 5 hours
$1500 food and beverage minimum + tax and 20% gratuity

Friday and Saturday
Room Rental is $500 for 5 hours
$2000 food and beverage minimum + tax and 20% gratuity

Contact: Miche Griffen, 212-979-7866 ext 201 or info@eatrice.com.

When booking these venues, tell them Notes On A Party sent you so they'll know you are an insider. As always, pass this along to friends, colleagues and family. And, please feel free to leave a comment about your favorite birthday spots around the city.

Interested in great restaurants to host a birthday dinner? Check out It's Your Birthday, vol. 1.

Simple Seating

Warning: Event planners and brides-to-be reading this post may experience headache, dizziness, or shortness of breath. I am about to bring up a dreaded subject...the seating chart.

Whether you are planning a conference, meeting, wedding or dinner party, where you seat your guests can make a huge impact on their enjoyment and your peace of mind. Figuring out the right chemistry and compatibility among your guests can be an arduous process. I discovered an online service called Simple Seating that will make the whole task of seating and managing RSVP's a little easier. Here's how it works:

1) Add your event (name, description and # of guests)

2) Add your guests (either upload a CSV file or manually enter)

3) Provide info on guests (RSVP status, guest name, type of meal)

4) Put guests into groups (by company name, groom's family etc)

5) Choose your table configurations and placement (round, rectangular etc)

6) Assign seating with the easy drag-and-drop feature
(drag names and groups from guest list right over to each table)

7) Preview, edit, print or export your seating chart

RSVP's are color coded for easy reference - YES is green, MAYBE is yellow and NO is red (which shows up on your list but not on your chart). And, you can access your account from any computer with Internet access. The service is free for events up to 50 guests. Other packages allow you to seat events for up to 350 guests including Basic ($19.95) for 2 events, Plus ($49.95) for 5 events or Pro (call for quote).

Simple Seating is a great way to stay organized and connected with your clients, wedding planner or even your Type-A mother-in-law who will, no doubt, ask to see each revision to your seating chart!