Miami Swim Week Chaos

Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images, Frazer Harrison/Getty Images for San Lorenzo, John Parra/Getty Images for Acacia

Fashion Week is always a fun time in any city but as any event planner knows there’s a lot to think about before a runway show or even a presentation can become a reality. The departure of title sponsor, Mercedes-Benz, left everyone in the fashion industry a bit confused for some time, but even now as runways continue to be filled with models and front rows packed with celebrities, some cities are struggling.

Miami Swim Week was last week, filling South Beach with a colorful and interesting array of swimwear and coverups. Not to mention some A-list celebrity action!

However, IMG, the usual chief organizer of Fashion Week, did not organize Miami Swim Week...and mayhem followed.

Multiple production companies were involved but with no governing body to overlook the calendar, times, and venues; everyone was left to their own devices. Funkshion, a production company that put on a few shows, started things on Wednesday, even though the official start date was Thursday. Some shows started over 30 minutes late due to rearrangements of the seating charts, which then caused press AND models to be late to other shows.

Thankfully, IMG will be returning next year to smooth out the wrinkles.


By: Rachel Oliva-Valdes






If you're in the market for a New York PR Agency to handle your next campaign, please contact AMP3 PR at 646-827-9594 or email us at info@amp3pr.com.

Summer Events Are Coming to An End...

If you want to make the most of the last few weeks of summer and hit some fun activities before they're over, here's a list of the one's that I consider "can't miss":

Summer Streets

Tomorrow, Saturday August 20th is the final Summer Streets in NYC. Park Avenue will be closed to traffic from 72nd Street to the Brooklyn Bridge from 7am-1pm. If you're a runner, biker, rollerblader or are just looking for a beautiful walk down the middle of the street for miles and miles, this is the place to be. There will be water stops and bike rental locations set up along the way. If you miss it tomorrow, you won't see it again until next summer.

Outdoor Film Series at The James Hotel

If you couldn't get tickets to some of the most talked about films at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival than the James Hotel is where you want to be. Come enjoy dinner and an outdoor movie at the David Burke Garden. This Monday, August 22nd they'll be showing Last Night (starring Keira Knightly & Sam Worthington). If you can't make it you'll have one more shot on September 12th.

Williamsburg Waterfront Concerts

The name pretty much says it all, it's Williamsburg, the East River Park waterfront, and music...and there are still 4 concerts left, so get your tickets now:

8/31- Bright Eyes

9/8- TV on the Radio & Broken Social Scene

9/17- Widespread Panic

9/24- Fleet Foxes

Hair: The Musical

Hair returned to NYC this summer for a limited time run that ends on September 10th, if you haven't seen it before, it's totally worth it. If you've seen it before, well then you know why it's worth going back.

Rooftop Cocktails

Hit a roof top, any roof top! Soon the season for rooftop drinking & dining will be over, so make the most of the time you've got left. Some favorites:

Affordable: Me Bar

Amazing Empire State Building Views: 230 5th

Trendy & Swank: Top of The Standard

Easy Going Good Time: The Delancey

Art Meets Frozen Pina Coladas: Roof Garden Cafe at The Met

If you're interested in Event Planning and Event PR, please contact AMP3 Public Relations at 646-827-9594 or info@amp3pr.com.

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting

The 2010 Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony will take place on Tuesday, November 30th from 7-9pm at Rockefeller Plaza between 48th & W. 51st Streets and 5th & 6th Avenues.

This is a change from past years, as the tree lighting ceremony usually takes place on December 1st. This years still will stand at 74 feet high and 40 feet in diameter. It will weight 12 tons....and then it will be decorated with 30,000 lights and crowned with a Swarovski crystal star.

Live performances will take place over the course of the ceremony, performers including Mariah Carey, Sheryl Crow and Josh Groban are set to perform this year. Also slated to make appearances and sing are Jessica Simpson, Susan Boyle, Annie Lenox, Katherine Jenkins, Charice, Kylie Minogue, and Jackie Evancho.

The holidays are an especially beautiful and exciting time in New York City with events taking place daily and spanning across the city.

If you are interested in Event Planning or PR services, please contact AMP3 Public Relations at 646-827-9594 or info@amp3pr.com.

More August Fun in NYC

On any given weekend in August you can pretty much count on the fact that it's going to be hot and there are going to be far less people in the city than you might expect. Many take the summer months as an opportunity to escape the concrete jungle for greener (and cooler) pastures, but if you stick around you might find that there are actually a lot of fun events that take place in the NYC summer months. Here are just a few activities & events to consider:

US Open Tennis

Whether you're a tennis fan or not, a trip to Flushing Meadow Queens to see a US Open tennis match is an amazing experience. The US Open is the final Grand Slam tournament of the year and has been known to both make or break the season and careers. The US Open is as iconic an event in American sports, as the Masters, the World Series and the Super Bowl. The US Open starts on August 24th with the qualifiers and ends on September 12th with a new Men's Singles title holder (as well as a Women's).

Summer Streets

Have you ever just wanted to walk down the middle of Park Avenue for as far as your eye can see without worrying about being run over by a taxi or bike messenger. Well during the month of August you can do just that. The city will temporarily close Park Avenue and connecting streets from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park to motor vehicles and open it up to people on three consecutive Saturdays in August (August 7, 14, & 21). Here's your chance to play, run, walk or bike, whatever your heart desires. This year you can even swim, thanks to MacroSea. The pools, transformed out of unused shipping containers, will be set up near the Grand Central viaduct and free entry bracelets will be handed out for time slots on a first come, first served basis.

New York International Fringe Festival

For two weeks, from August 13th to 29th, NYC will be the setting for more than 1,000 distinct stage performances—running the gamut from absurdist comedies to social commentaries to hip-hop musicals—with participating theater companies from down the street and around the globe. Feel free to just choose a show or two, or buy a multi-day pass to get the full experience. FringeNYC is the largest multi-arts festival in North America. All tickets can be purchased online (for $15) or at the door (for $18).

If you are interested in Event Planning assistance in NYC, please contact AMP3 Public Relations at 646-827-9594 or info@amp3pr.com.

Looking for a fun way to spend your weekend? Well the PR pros at Delta think they have your answer!

June 18th-20th head over to Madison Square Park for the Delta Dugout. In preparation for the Subway Series games at Highlander Park, Delta Airline will have a Fan Fest entitled the "Delta Dugout". Consider it a Madison Square Park takeover.

The Delta Dugout will play host current as well as former Mets and Yankees players. Additionally there will be Wii Batting and fast pitch stations, a photo booth, fan giveaways, and games for kids. Fans will be able to enjoy stadium style concessions and beverages as well as specialty foods including the limited edition "Delta Dugout Dog" available at the Madison Square Park Shake Shack. Fans will also be able to enjoy live game coverage of the series on a Jumbotron in the center of the park.

Over the course of the three days, The Delta Dugout will be offering plenty of major league giveaways, including ticket packages to Mets and Yankees games, special ballgame events and round-trip domestic and international tickets on Delta. Delta will also be hosting the Sky360 Lounge where they will be showcasing elements of their premium BusinessElite in-flight experience, including lie-flat seats and information on their award-winning culinary offerings.

If you don't have tickets to the game, it certainly seems like the PR team at Delta has planned a great event and a great way for you to spend your afternoon. This event will be a great way for Delta to engage their fans and introduce Delta to new customers through the American pastime of baseball.

If you are looking for event planning assistance and are in the market for Event PR, please contact AMP3 Public Relations at 646-827-9594 or e-mail info@amp3pr.com.

Museum Mile Festival- June 8th, 2010

Plenty of time to save the date for the 2010 Museum Mile Festival. The event will be taking place on Tuesday, June 8th, from 6-9pm.

So what is the Museum Mile Festival? The Museum Mile Festival is an annual festival (32 years and running) that shuts down traffic on 5th Avenue for a large scale block party. There will be 23 car free blocks from 82nd to 105th for your enjoyment. The festival includes entertainment spanning music and art (including face painting and chalk drawing for the kids) but by far the best part is that all 9 museums that make up Museum Mile open and offer free admission.

Participating museums include:

• El Museo del Barrio - 105th Street
• Museum of the City of New York - 103rd Street
• The Jewish Museum - 92nd Street
• Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution - 91st Street
• National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts - 90th Street
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum - 89th Street
• Neue Galerie New York - 86th Street
• Goethe-Institut New York/German Cultural Center - 83rd Street
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art - 82nd Street

What to know? The Museum Mile Festival takes place rain or shine and brings in attendance that can reach 50,000 people, so be prepared for crowds and a great time.

How to get here:
4/5 to 86th Street
OR
6 to 86th, 96th and 103rd Streets

As Event Planning goes, the Museum Mile Festival takes a lot of work to bring to fruition year after year, and yet its organizers continue to pull it off with success. Thanks to the City of New York and the participating museums an incredible annual event has become part of the summer landscape of this city. Whether you're an art enthusiast or not, this event allows everyone to come together and share pride in the city we call home. Mark June 8th on your calendar and tell your friends where you'll be.

-Ashley for AMP3 Public Relations

The Met Costume Institite Gala 2010

The 2010 Met Costume Institute Gala will be held Monday May 3rd. That's exactly a week from today. The theme for this years gala is American Women: Fashioning a National Identity. This years Gala has been planned under the reign of first timer and new Director of Special Events for Vogue Magazine, Sylvana Soto-Ward. Soto-Ward was the replacement for Stephanie Winston Wolkoff who resigned from her post last summer after 10 years planning the Gala and a reputation as the driving force behind the success of the Gala.

After the resignation of Stephanie Winston Wolkoff, there was quite a bit of talk about the budget for the 2010 Gala being slashed as well by Conde Nast. Sylvana Soto-Ward, who began her career at Vogue in 2003 as assistant to Anna Wintour herself, would have had her work cut out for her planning a budget friendly event this year. WOULD HAVE. Except that the Gap stepped in as sponsor for the 2010 Gala and with the Gap came a substantial amount of financial backing.

The 2010 Met Costume Institute Gala will be as big and bright as usual. Hosting the event this year is Oprah Winfrey (already set to wear Oscar de la Renta) , Patrick Robinson, Head Designer for the Gap, and Anna Wintour, Editor in Chief of Vogue Magazine. The Gap, in collaboration with designers including Thakoon, Rodarte and Alexander Wang, will be dressing hot young starlets including Natalie Portman and Jessica Alba as well as musician M.I.A.

Talk of cheap liquor, plastic cups and fewer celebrities at the Met this year is a thing of the past, there's no doubt that all the stops will be pulled out as usual. I think we'll all be staying tuned to see how this years event compares to years past.

-Ashley for AMP3 Public Relations

Rewarding Meeting and Event Planners

The Renaissance Las Vegas Hotel is rewarding Meeting and Event Planners with a pretty mediocre payoff. The jackpot is something like, if you spend $15,000 throwing an event at their LasVegas Hotel, you get a Best Buy Gift Card worth $750. The contest is open to Event Planners from New York and the rest of the country.