As an event planner who specializes in ‘James Bond parties,’ this event just blew me away! After organizing and hosting hundreds of Casino Royale events over the years, I never expected to be surprised by any of them. The 8th Annual James Bond Soirée hosted by Kent Schmor of KS Champagne Parties Global changed that.
What men do.
Kent is a gentleman by every definition of the word. It’s a word that has lost appreciation in our modern culture, sadly so. If you look up ‘gentleman’ in the dictionary it reads; a civilized, educated, sensitive, or well-mannered man. Well, the definition may be accurate, but to me, it means much more. To me, a gentleman is compassionate, kind, helpful, someone who thinks of others first. Someone who may be savvy smart, yet knows it serves no purpose to be boastful about it. (Sounds a little like 007, doesn’t it?)
Kent has very much earned this title, and his heart for charity is so transparent. It’s only natural that his golden touch would make the 8th Annual James Bond Soirée so magnificent! How generous that he worked so diligently for such a wonderful cause as the National Kidney Foundation, the designated charity which benefited from the soiree. I’m just honored that he invited us to be apart of this unforgettable event! Bravo Kent, and thank you for including us too!
What makes a James Bond party epic?
Rule #1 when planning a themed event is location, location, and location! What a wise choice Cake Nightclub was for this event! It’s the hottest club in town! Located in Pittsburgh, Cake Nightclub is modern and chic, has a glorious decor, that includes every inhibition or reservation you ever had – check-marked as done. Besides the seemingly 6ft gorgeous girls who serve you 007 martinis, or bottles of Cristal with sparklers just to light your fire! Cake has everything one would need to host a spy-worthy event. They even had the girls from ‘Goldfinger,’ painted head to toe in gold dancing to classic Bond movie themes.
Keep it authentic.
Everything happened so quickly, and I missed so much as I was focused on helping at the main event. Elite Casino Events was hired to bring in the gaming tables, of which we had blackjack and roulette, and the games were enjoyed by everyone once the doors opened and the festivities began. Because every James Bond Soirée requires 007’s favorite casino games!
They gathered in Bond style.
Several hundred guests arrived all of them dress-to-kill. All were photographed on the red carpet outside as they leisurely strolled into the event. A table of complimentary masks was made available for any guest who may not have brought their own; because this event was deemed a masquerade ball.
The 007 mood was unmistakable.
The room filled quickly, as the saxophone player, Rodger Romero was performing live over the Bond theme remixes that DJ T.J Harris was spinning. It was an intriguing and delightful surprise enjoyed by all. The aura of the room became very mystic with the masks and the music.
James Bond decor
Simple, clean, classic decor is perfect for any James Bond Party. Elite Casino Events donated a few decor items to make the event spy-tacular! On the yacht, was our 10″ martini glasses filled with gold playing cards and 2″ dice! Our 7′ foot James Bond standee of our ‘Aces Collection‘ made his way to the entrance of the event. In the top VIP area was a set of Elite’s red oversized dice; another set of oversized dice was near the dance floor of Cake.
Making new trends is our thing.
Elite Casino Events also donated the mirror booth to the event. The mirror booth is a photo booth and an interactive touchscreen that enables guests to embellish their photos after they’re taken. Our creative team designed the perfect start screen for a 007 event. The guests were all fascinated by the start screen’s animation and the 007 digital props too!
Our goal was to really step up the photo booth experience for this gala, and we did this by creating a magazine cover for the guests. Every group had their image taken in front of the infamous 007 eye scope backdrop. Then, the mirror worked it’s magic and placed a previously designed overlay on top of their photo before showing guests the preview image. I loved the look on the guest’s faces when they previewed their photo image. Everyone absolutely loved being a star on the cover of ‘The 8th Annual James Bond Soirée magazine! Soirée being the magazine title that made it picture-perfect.
The double 0 double.
James Tagger, (Daniel Craig’s dead-ringer look-a-like), mingled among the elite crowd. He popped in at the mirror booth and took a picture with me, and few guests too! He was shocked by the incredible interactive features and high-quality images the mirror booth produced. He said ‘I’ve seen a lot of photo booths and I’ve never seen anything like this one, this is amazing!’ I smiled and agreed, thanking him for his time. He too was a gentleman; I enjoyed meeting him.
The evening continued with so many elements, that if I forget to mention or acknowledge anyone who was part of the creative team, I apologize in advance. Everyone broke-a-leg and the singer, fashion show, and Pittsburgh Samba Group dancers were all off-the-chain! They literally took my breath away!
The 007 themed show.
First, a singer. Hometown girl Abigail Jerri performed several James Bond theme songs throughout the evening, all true to ambiance and aura of Bond. The MC for the festivities was the talented and gorgeous Daisy Jade who keep things flowing smoothly.
Fashionista Eva Dixon, who was the creative director for what was one of the most spectacular fashion shows I’ve ever seen. (For 15 years, I worked in the fashion industry as a swimsuit designer. I’ve seen a lot of runway shows!) What made this one show-stopping was all about the details. The models hired, the ensembles, the hair & make-up, the music, the walk! Yes!!! THE WALK. Those ‘Bond girls’ slinked down the spiral staircase and elegantly stepped up onto the short runway stage, and then they owned it! Everyone one of them. They captivated everyone in the room, and they knew it. Well done ladies! Bravo Eva! Bravo!
The person responsible for making the magic happen was Ryan Muller, of Active Entertainment who was the production director for the 8th Annual James Bond Soiree in Pittsburgh. Lovely job Ryan, the event was to-die-for fabulous!
The mission was passion.
Special kudos to two genuinely amazing women who both have a passion for involvement that moves me. Julie Arnheim and Adrienne Diethorn, lovely working with you both! I’ll look forward to our next venture!
There is a long list of supporters and influencers who helped make this event possible. All of them, extraordinarily talented and generous to donate their time, money, or both. To learn more about them, and this event, and to request to be put on the VIP list for next year’s 9th Annual James Bond Soirée visit the Facebook Page for the 2020 event! Being a part of an event like this reminds me that it’s only a winning event if…everybody wins.
Enjoy this gallery from this event, compliments Elite Casino Events house photographer, Damon Perrott of Eventra.
