Gift aid (Charity Events)
The transformation of a niche audience event to a mainstream, celebrity event can be fraught with uncertainty.
Event organisers who change the model in this way can risk alienating
their original audience while failing to attract the new target
audience.
Happily, this risk paid off handsomely for London-based event organiser, The One Event [TOE].
Led by its MD, Paschorina Mortty, with the aid of celebrity consultants Upfront,
TOE organised a glittering charity bash for the annual African
Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) at the InterContinental on London's
Park Lane in late September. Paschorina Mortty talked RedKarpet through the event. Abigail Parkin (6 Oct '08)
History 
"I started The One Event (TOE) in 2006 after 10 years of working in the industry and our approach is to design events which seamlessly introduce elements of culture, creating the originality and exclusivity that every event deserves.
"Culture can be so rich and just a
dash of it can turn a standard event into something amazing. Most
importantly guests always feel like they are being educated and exposed
to something they have never experienced before."
(Above) Paschorina Mortty of TOE and Richard Brecker of Upfront & Celebrities Worldwide
The Brief
"Our
client was the charity, ACLT. The brief was to develop ACLT's annual
fundraising ball, which had been running for nine years and was aimed
at ethnic minority audiences, into an event that would attract
mainstream celeb guests and generate national media coverage. ACLT also
wanted the theme to incorporate the new branding of the charity and
their new ‘Heroes Wanted’ ad campaign."
Execution & Planning
Stage 1
– "Come up with a cohesive event design with multiple elements and
create the right platform from which to communicate the charity’s
messages.
"Base the theme around the Heroes Wanted ad
campaign. Feature ad imagery of anyone who could give someone the gift
of life and be a hero. Intersperse the imagery with leukaemia patients,
past and present.
"Base stage design on a gallery concept
with the images suspended against a black draped backdrop and well-lit
to animate the images.Feature the charity’s new colours of black and
red throughout via lighting, flowers and props."
Stage 2 – "Identify suppliers to bring the event design to life and within a minimal budget."
Stage 3
– "Source culture-based entertainers to support the event theme and
TOE’s cultural ethos. From Jazz dancers to an urban soul orchestra."
Mischa Barton
Stage 4
– "Create a newsworthy PR campaign which generates widespread coverage
of the charity and event. Promoted Gift of Life Week and enlisted
support of the National Blood Service and celebs such as Keisha
Buchanan [Sugababes], Tim Campbell (The Apprentice
2006) and others to encourage people to sign up on the UK Bone Marrow
Register. On the back of this communicate that the ball is also taking
place during Life Week, to help raise much needed funds for the
charity."
Logistical Challenges
"The
entrance
to the ballroom is not conducive to red carpet arrivals
because a) it is quite small b) there is no space for barriers and
press pens b) the hotel driveway runs directly in front of the
red carpet. Our red carpet team had to effectively
manage the flow of celebrities, cars, press and guests at the same
entrance. However, it all
worked quite well and the media got good pics and
interviews." Sugababes, Heidi Range and Keisha Buchanan
Celebrity Sourcer
"This was my first experience of working with Richard Brecker’s team at Upfront and it was a very positive experience.
"From the outset they immediately understood the brief and what the charity was aiming to achieve.
Louis Smith and Mischa Barton
"Upfront
were also very good in managing our client’s expectations and were very
realistic in what they could achieve in terms of the calibre of
celebrities that our event would attract. In the end they exceeded my
and, most importantly, the client’s expectations and we very much look
forward to working with them again."
What they said:
"The team at The One Event was an example of professionalism and detail personified.
"It was an absolute pleasure for the ACLT to engage their service and skills. During our Gift of Life Week they promised a high quality PR campaign.
"This in turn
delivered a substantial amount of coverage in National TV, Radio,
Internet and Newspaper and written print publications. Karen Millen, Adrian Lester and Nancy Dell'Olio
This then led
directly into The One Event delivering on behalf of the ACLT the best
ever Gift of Life Fundraising Ball, which included fresh new top
quality ideas relating to the Theme and Flower arrangements, Colours,
Branding, Entertainment and a very tight Production. We would highly
recommend the services of The One Event.” African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust
Richard Brecker - Joint Managing Director, Upfront and Celebrities Worldwide:
“Upfront were honoured to be celebrity consultants to the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust and The One Event.
"Celebrity guests included: Mischa Barton,
Denise Lewis, Heidi Range & British Olympian Louis Smith among
others.
"The evening was superbly organised, very glamorous and all in
aid of a very laudable cause."
(Left) Denise Lewis and Jimmy Choo
Suppliers...
AV, Lighting, Stage Build – JVP Events
Florist - Elizabeth Marsh Designs
Catering & Security - InterContinental Hotel
Everything else was managed by The One Event
(Left) Rapper Sway gets behind the message.