Sunday, April 27, 2008

PREMIER AUCTION A SMASHING SUCCESS!

Event Chairs Holly and Mark Whaley hamming it up during the auction. Beloved former Tennessee Titan quarterback Steve McNair was seated next to Holly - my wife was ecstatic that she got his autograph!

Several close ups of the set we created for the event...

Last night we worked with "l'Ete du Vin" to produce the Premier Auction, a fabulous evening of great food and fine wines designed to raise funds to support cancer research and cancer support organizations here in the Middle Tennessee area. "L'Ete du Vin" is the oldest charity wine auction in America. In addition to the Premier Auction, the organization also sponsors The Grand Auction later in the summer. We've worked with the organization for the past 10 years, and over that time millions of dollars have been raised through the generosity of those who support the charity. The theme of last night's event was "Route 29" - inspired by the name of the main highway running through California's Napa Valley wine country. We designed Gaylord Opryland Resort's Presidential Ballroom to emulate the look and feel of some of Napa's landmark attractions. The stage set featured a street scene inspired by the architecture and icon businesses in Napa's St. Helena community. The set was designed by GMC team members Keith and Eric, and built by Phil and Blair, and masterfully painted by Dean. Jonathan, Jerry, and Sean handled all video production, while Jim kept things flowing smoothly with his backstage management. A big thanks to the entire scenic and productions crew for their hard work that made for a fabulous event!

Some 500 attendees sampled specialty dishes donated by 20 of Nashville's top restaurants. Wines, artwork, trips, and specialty items were auctioned throughout the evening. The event raised nearly $500,000 to support l'Ete du Vin's efforts to cure cancer. Congratulations to Holly and Mark Whaley (event chairpersons) and Mike Haney, Torrey Barnhill, Collin Husbands and the entire l' Ete du Vin staff and volunteer team on the success of the auction!