‘Let us party tonight, but for a global cause,’ was the theme of The Global party which took place on 15-16 September across 80 countries globally. Billed as the biggest party in the world, the event wasn’t a celebration of the riches of the invitees. It went much beyond that. The event was to bring together the most influential people to raise awareness and and money for over 100 charities. The party was designed by lifestyle entrepreneurs David Johnstone and others to host 100,000 of the planet’s wealth builders and influencers, affording them a priceless networking opportunity in an effort to raise funds and awareness for a collection of charities across the globe. I too had the opportunity to attend the event at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai and I here make a deluxe confession: “The experience was one of its kind.â€
It all began as soon as I entered the precincts of the venue and was quickly overwhelmed by the scale of the event. By now, I was yet to brisk shoulders with members of the tinsel town and my heart was thumping with excitement. Extravagance was surely the theme of the party. With only 30 tickets priced at £1,450 each available for each city, I saw only film celebrities ad HNIs walking into the ballroom.
The party wasn’t just about the bling and glamour. The amount raised was to be donated to prominent charities like Nelson Mandela Children’s Fund, Pratham, ARK (Absolute Return for Kids), Virgin Unite and 21st Century Leaders among others 80-plus leading charities. The two gold sponsors here were the US-based diamond company Harry Winston and Japanese pearl giants Mikimoto.
The invitees did get a gist of the exclusivity of the event when they received a mysteriously sophisticated black gift box containing two silver Key-2-Luxury key rings wrapped in velvet bags, and a book featuring 80 international venues on this rarefied party list. The promise here was to be a part of the world’s most exclusive event and access for life to the Key-2 Luxury world of personal contacts and exclusive VIP privileges.
Expectations were touching sky-heights and with the dress code being dress as if the world’s your stage’, everybody was dressed well. The event also had an auction of 5 elite items including some rare Chateau wine and a horse artifact among others. If you want to really capture the essence and scale of the Global party, you have to see it this way-More than 80 parties, in 73 cities within 40 countries, set in some of the world’s most exclusive venues and unexplored alcoves, over a two-day span (September 15 and 16).
The boutique hotel poured champagne and wine throughout the event whereas the food arrangement was put together by India’s biggest chef Hemant Oberoi. In Mumbai, the Taj Palace Hotel proved to be the perfect fit for the event and the burst of various colors in the venue coupled with fascinating décor created quite a stir. By the end of the night as I walked down the stairs, I couldn’t help wondering how well this extra-ordinary event was put together by the organizers.
