Fendi celebrated their 2007 collection by throwing a massive party on the Great Wall. The last Gucci event cost upwards of $2 million; we saw the likes of Donatella Versace at XXXX. And more and more of your friends are making plans that involve watch launches, Adrien Brody appearances and warehouse fashion parties all in one night. Regularly.

“The economy is getting better and there are more and more parties being thrown,” says Francis Cheng, development director at premier event organizers Occasions. The parties are getting increasingly sophisticated, and it’s getting harder for competing brands to make a lasting impression. Particularly when Lane Crawford not only hosts Stella McCartney at a two-story industrial loft in Wong Chuk Hang, but brings out UK nu-rave band New Young Pony Club as well. What’s a simple multinational brand to do about getting some attention?

“Hong Kong is a very unique market – it’s small with lots of mutually inclusive databases,” says PR and events consultant Charmaine Li-Jepson. “Companies invite the same set of people to parties that are often on the same night and to get their attention, you really have to surprise these people.”

Ten years ago, parties were smaller, more exclusive and far less frequent. Accordingly, the PR scene was also less aggressive, says Li-Jepson. “In the last five or six years, everyone has been competing to have that first special show, that first event for anything,” she says. “Companies now are trying to preempt everyone else because most of the people they’re trying to invite will be inundated with invites. There are simply too many events to attend.”

Of course, not all these events are worth attending. Sometimes it’s obvious – steer clear of the ones that trumpet the presence of “hot, sexy ladies” – but other times, well, the ones with yachts certainly seem promising. How then, to cultivate that unerring sense? What’s it really like behind those scenes? And how much alcohol is in it for you? We invite you to delve into the Anatomy of the VIP party.

The Essentials

The Venue

If you’ve ever heard of it, it’s already lame. “Clients all want venues no one else has used before,” Cheng says. This novelty is what made Chanel’s spectacular Karl Lagerfeld-featuring ‘do at Clearwater Bay’s Shaw Studios in 200X. Pick the wrong place and you may as well be at your birthday party at that club that’s already been around for two whole months. God, you’re lame.

The venue also needs to be accessible because when it comes to getting to places, Hong Kong people have the get up and go of an elderly slug. It must also match the image of the brand, but in general, the best parties take place at either an obvious high-class venue, or a special one-off one. Beware of anything associated in any way with that pseudo-exclusive, hip-hop-abusing club you hate.

The Guest List

Perhaps you’ve invented something of great importance to humanity. Maybe you’re like, totally the nicest guy any of your friends know. You’re still probably not on the list. “What we’re looking for are guests with an interesting background,” Cheng says. “Are you in the Ho family? Some other big family? The mistress of a who’s who? Have a successful career? You know, beautiful people.”

With the possible exception of the mistresses, the proportion of people who are actually any of the above is comparatively so small as to be completely negligible, which is why guest lists are hardly ever as strict as the marketing teams would like you to believe. “There’s always room to maneuver,” Li-Jepson says. “After all, your guests may well have brought some friends who would be great people to have at the event.”

Alcohol

Specifically, champagne. Free-flow. “No, wine will not do,” says Cheng. Naturally, this makes focusing on the real star of the show - whatever product is being launched - a little difficult. Equally naturally, everyone was only here for the booze anyway, and so, running out of it is the worst thing that could possibly happen. Well, except if your star attraction dies the night before (see box, p.XXX). “Whoever runs out of champagne loses face,” Li-Jepson says. “A party of around 300-500 people can easily go through 1,500 bottles of champagne in one night.“

Party organizers will stop at nothing to ensure they don’t run out of alcohol, and lose face and quite possibly, their job. This ranges from buying vast amounts of backup to simply not making your drink with any alcohol at all.

Some Reason to Be There

This elusive quality is easily pinned down in the world of fashionable parties. A supremely fashionable designer; a single-night show by some band you can’t believe Lane Crawford even heard of; or an appearance by Adrien Brody will usually do the trick. “With so many viable events on, we need to give people some good reason to be at ours - why this particular fragrance launch; why this product line, you know?” Cheng says.

Air-conditioning

“I loved the Stella McCartney party, but the heat was just unbearable. In fact, weather in general is a must-have for a good party,” Cheng says. “You can throw the grandest event with the most expensive catering in the most luxurious hotel ballroom, but if it’s raining, you won’t get the turnout.” Good old fickle Hong Kong – we know how to keep ‘em on their toes.

The Press

Just a rung or two above the common freeloader, members of the press are a necessary evil at any chi-chi shindig. They may be hard to spot as it’s no longer de rigueur to wear a press tag in one’s fedora, but if you spy someone drinking the bar dry, flagging down trays of canapés and on top of it all, ignoring the dress code, you’ve probably found a journalist of some kind. This lack of contribution to the ambiance is mitigated by pre-agreed amounts of coverage. “Some press deserve my respect,” Cheng says generously. “Those who appreciate the event and show reason and reliability.”

The Money

Hong Kong’s most expensive party cost a cool $25 million in 2004, the Louis Vuitton 150th birthday celebration. Regional honchos commissioned the world’s largest tent and flew in international celebrities for at least several minutes each of waving and grimacing.

Most budgets presented to Occasions however, hover around the $2 million mark. Trendy youth fashion labels are liable to run up tabs of over $1 million on alcohol, food, models and music while the average tab for high-fashion labels is more like $2+ million as they usually operate according to strict guidelines from their global headquarters. For example, according to Li-Jepson, Prada events all over the world are identical, from the dimensions of the bar to the venue layout to the variety of canapés served.