Introducing the HELEN MILLS Original Event Series. Join us for our first event on Friday, July 25th!

HELEN MILLS was established in 2005 by real estate entrepreneur and arts patron Helen Mills, who has a passion for creating beautiful, inspiring spaces for people to gather, whether in business, celebration, or for the arts. In support of Helen’s mission, HELEN MILLS is creating its own event series. The goal of our series is to bring extraordinary people together to learn about interesting topics, discuss new ideas, debate important issues, and meet other movers and shakers in New York City. On Friday, July 25th, HELEN MILLS will be producing its first original event titled “Digital Data Privacy and What It Means for Your Brand.” The event will begin with a networking breakfast, followed by a seminar on how growing data privacy concerns are impacting modern marketing. We have five great speakers from the worlds of creative technology, marketing, and consumer research, who will be presenting their unique perspectives on this topic. These include Eliza Esquivel, VP Global Brand Strategy at Mondelez International, and Adam Harvey, an artist who raised headlines for his line of countersurveillance fashion gear and anti-drone camouflage.

For our inaugural event, we are offering 50% off tickets to all of our blog readers. For more information, and to purchase tickets, please go to our Eventbrite page. Please feel free to pass along the invitation to friends or colleagues who might be interested in attending!

Summary of Event Details:What: Seminar on digital data privacy + Breakfast Who Should Attend? Anyone interested in data privacy, modern marketing, and intriguing talks When: Friday, July 25th, 8:30-10am Where: HELEN MILLS Theater, 139 W 26th St, New York, NY 10001 Tickets & More Details:Click here!

New York International Film Festival Screenings at HELEN MILLS

This past weekend, the HELEN MILLS Theater was home to two New York City International Film Festival (NYCIFF) film premieres. The following are short descriptions of the films that premiered at HELEN MILLS Theater on May 30th through June 1st.

LAZARUS: Day of the Living Dead 1957 Hollywood CA. A telegram arrives at the office of George Lazarus, an Insurance Investigator to investigate a suspicious claim that was just put in by Deadly Sin Cigarette Company. Lazarus begins to schedule routine interviews with the twelve employees that are named on this claim. He learns that they all had just gotten fired for being sick at the job. …He never makes it back to the office.

Rooftops A young artist's work flow grinds to a halt when his teenage sister confides in him her unwanted pregnancy, dredging up memories from his past that have long gone ignored. So begins an intimate journey into a young man's past and the bond between brother and sister, taking them on a road trip from the hills of Pennsylvania to Ricky's old college town near Baltimore, where they search to bridge the gap between Ricky's past and his present.

About NYCIFF: NYCIFF is in its 5th year and is taking place from May 29th to June 5th, 2014. This year, the festival features 77 film premieres with filmmakers from 27 countries. To find out more about the festival and to buy tickets, visit nyciff.com.

Looking for a Venue to Screen Your Film? Located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan and among the many Chelsea Galleries, HELEN MILLS is the perfect place to host your next screening event in NYC! The venue features a 140-seat theater and screening room, state-of-the-art projection and sound systems, a large green room, and experienced A/V technicians to ensure your event runs seamlessly. For more information, Contact Us or call 212-243-6200.

Words of Wisdom: Food PR & Marketing Events

We sat down with Food Fête founder Jeff Davis to speak about the creation of the 10-year-old food marketing & PR event, food industry trends, and how food brands can get involved and succeed. HELEN MILLS has hosted Food Fête events since 2011. How didFood Fête Start? Food Fête started 10 years ago out of a desire to create a high-value media event for food brands. I come from a PR background and saw an opportunity to help food brands get in front of many top food editors. The tabletop format was not being done in the food industry at the time, and having seen the event model work in other industries, I decided to try it.

Best Giveaway Item at a Food PR/Marketing Event? The US Potato Board several years ago put a Mr. Potato Head toy in each media gift bag. It was clever branding and helped reinforce potatoes as an ingredient.

Food Industry Trend to Watch?  In both our San Francisco and NYC events, we featured two companies in the online food shopping space, where consumers can order ingredients for a meal or recipe (including fresh foods) and have it shipped to them. The presence of these companies points to the growing number of online companies getting involved in the food space.

How Can Food Vendors or PR Professionals Stand Out? Great products always speak for themselves, but having a knowledgeable brand representative on hand to talk about them can make or break a vendor’s presence at Food Fête. Media see Food Fête as an educational opportunity to learn about the latest products, how they’re made, and how the ingredients are grown. Post-event follow-up is  essential to getting the most out of a food PR or marketing event. The benefit of Food Fête doesn’t stop when the event is over. Food brands and their PR people need to follow-up with food editors and writers they meet to stay top of mind when they want to cover their product category.

How Do Vendors Apply ForFood Fête's Upcoming 2014 Events? Food and beverage brands can apply online for any of our events at http://foodfete.com/forms/2014-events-online-application/

AboutFood Fête: Food Fête was founded in 2004 and is an exclusive, intimate event that introduces food PR and marketing professionals to a targeted group of top food writers. Exhibitors showcase their newest food, beverage and kitchenware products in an intimate, cocktail party setting. In just two to three hours, meaningful conversations naturally unfold. Social media profiles give way to, well, genuine social interactions. Food Fête has evolved into an essential industry touch point where new food products and the food press intersect. Food Fête's upcoming 2014 events will take place in New York City in April, June, and October. To learn more, see the Food Fête's website.

Looking for a Food Event or Tradeshow Venue? Please Contact Us for more information or visit our Tradeshow page for more information.

3 days, 7 shows, 21 designers: New York Fashion Week in Photos

From February 7-9 at HELEN MILLS, The Fashion Gallery produced 7 shows featuring 21 fashion designers for New York Fashion Week. The collections came from experienced and new designers alike including Michael Costello (the creator of Beyonce's 2014 Grammys dress), Project Runway stars Korto Momolu and Leanne Marshall. See the full list of designers here. Below are a few highlights from the New York Fashion Week Shows. For more photos and video, see our Google+, Instagram or YouTube Channel!

Looking for a Fashion Show Venue? Please Contact Us or visit our Fashion page for more information.

6 Ideas for Great Event Signage!

Event signage can make a huge impact on the design and success of an event. We've collected examples of signage from events at HELEN MILLS to show how signage in all forms - from gobos to posters to hashtags to swag - can transform the look, flow and marketing of your event. 1) Think Outside the Box

Kate Spade made a statement with their one-of-a-kind red carpet covering a New York City sidewalk! The signage also covered the venue doors as opposed to just covering the portholes. The effect was an immersive branded experience both inside and directly outside the venue for their fashion event.

Riddell covered an entire wall with images of their products and history and decorated other parts of the venue with real football helmets for their press event. Both the signage and products combined to create a feeling of excitement in the theater and offered something unexpected to guests. For more images, see here.

2) Incorporate Social Media

Hashtags, handles and check-ins are important in creating awareness and improving the effectiveness of event marketing. Lenovo made the most of this fact when they created a hashtag sign, featuring their #betterway campaign during their Yoga Tablet Launch event. The prominence and thoughtful placement of the sign ensured that attendees had no doubt what they should tweet!

3) Feature Products or Services

In addition to the name of the event, sponsors and an agenda, use signage to bring attention to your product or cause. Make Up  For Ever did this by placing their product in the porthole doors and with a standing banner on stage, flanking the speaker. This not only reminded event attendees about their work but also offered passerbys a glimpse into what they were passionate about.

It's nearly impossible to do wrong with candy. Perfetti Van Melle took advantage of this fact and featured their Mentos and Airheads candy on posters (left) and wrapped them around columns throughout the venue (right).

4) Use the Floor

The most common place for signage is hung or projected on walls or placed on tables, however, the floor is a great and unexpected place for signage. Below is an example of floor signage from PiperJaffray (left) which was created by projecting a gobo onto the floor. On the right, OpenX creatively used the theater steps as a space to brand their Publisher's Conference. Both effectively remind attendees of the event, even if they're looking down.

5) Use Original Artwork

While printed signage is great, handmade signage can offer a personal and unexpected touch to your event. Make Up For Ever featured artwork on a curtain dividing the venue (left) and an artist's work was featured along the runway for a New York Fashion Week show. Both pieces of art made for not only memorable signage but an interesting and unexpected backdrop to photographs.

6) Get Personal!

If you're planning a social event like a birthday party, bar or bat mitzvah or other celebration, don't afraid to make your signage personal! This bar mitzvah featured the bar mitzvah boy peering out from the portholes in the venue doors. This helped to make the venue truly personal for the party and also provided an eye-catching detail.

7) Create Portable Signage

People love getting gifts and event swag offers you the opportunity to make this happen. Gifts given out during events can serve to not only entertain guests but also to engage with your event throughout the experience. These foam hands from the FreeWheel event brought energy to a standard meeting and also have information about the event that attendees will keep with them, even after they leave the venue.

To Recap, when creating signage for your next event, remember to:

1. Think Outside the Box

2. Incorporate Social Media

3. Feature Products or Services

4. Use the Floor

5. Use Original Artwork

6. Get Personal

7. Create Portable Signage

Looking for a venue for your next event? Please contact us or call 212-243-6200 for more information. From Meetings to Bar / Bat Mitzvahs to Fashion Shows, see here for more information about the types of events you can have at the HELEN MILLS Event Space and Theater.

2014 NYC Fashion Week Schedule @ HELEN MILLS

We're excited to announce The Fashion Gallery's Fall 2014 New York Fashion Week shows at HELEN MILLS! The February 8th and 9th shows will feature Project Runway Designers Michael Costello and Leanne Marshall as well as a number of designers as part of designer collective shows.

Looking for a Fashion Show Venue? Please Contact Us for more information or visit our Fashion page for more information.

Past Fashion Show Client Featured on QVC!

Exciting news from past client and Project Runway Runner-up Korto Momolu! Korto's dress design (below) was recently chosen by QVC host and Project Runway All Stars Judge Lisa Robertson to be sold on QVC! The following is an excerpt from her interview on QVC - read more here.

Creating clothes has always been my dream, but designing for women of all sizes [is] my passion. I designed [the dress for the QVC challenge] with all the frills and thrills a woman wants in mind, but also making sure she feels amazing, sexy, and most importantly, beautiful when she puts it on.

Korto showed her collections at HELEN MILLS in September 2012 and September 2013. See here for BET's special video feature on her New York Fashion Week September 2013 show at HELEN MILLS.

About Korto Momolu:  Korto Momolu (pronounced Cut • Toe – Mo • Mo • Lu) is a fashion designer and was a member of the Project Runway and Project Runway All Stars TV shows. Additionally, Korto has been featured on the Wendy Williams Show, Live with Kelly & Michael, the Mo'Nique Show, and QVC. Korto was named top 5 designers to watch by New York Magazine and has shown during New York Fashion Week for a number of years, including two seasons at HELEN MILLS. To learn more:Website • Twitter•Facebook

Looking for a Fashion Show Venue? Please Contact Us for more information or visit our Fashion page for more information.

PovertyCure International Short Film Festival

We were honored to have the PovertyCure International Short Film Festival and pre-Awards reception at our Event Space and Theater last night. The festival gave out an impressive $30,000 of awards to film makers including:

• Grand Prize $10,000

• Best Narrative Film $5,000

• Best Documentary Film $5,000

• Audience Choice Award $3,000

• Best Student Narrative $2,500

• Best Student Documentary $2,500

• Best Music Video $2,000

See here for submissions from the finalists that competed for the awards. For more information about the winners, stay tuned at PovertyCure.org.

About PovertyCure: PovertyCure is an international network of organizations and individuals seeking to ground our common battle against global poverty in a proper understanding of the human person and society, and to encourage solutions that foster opportunity and unleash the entrepreneurial spirit that already fills the developing world. PovertyCure Twitter & Facebook.

Having a Film Festival or Screening? Please Contact Us for more information or visit our Screenings page for more information. HELEN MILLS features a 140-seat Theater / Screening Room and a 4,000 square foot event space, perfect for pre- or post- festival or screening receptions.