Chamber Gala- The People Show
Every year, the Miami Beach Convention center houses a number of noteworthy exhibits, Art Basel, the Car Show, the Boat Show, the Home Show…to name a few. On Saturday, May 8, the Convention Center was home to the “People Show”, as 900 of the most influential Miami Beach and Miami-Dade county business professionals came together for the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce 88th Annual Dinner gala honoring local luminaries for their outstanding contributions to the community.
The cabaret-themed ball was reminiscent of Miami Beach’s heyday, with sparkly, black table cloths, white feather centerpieces, cigar rollers, gin martinis, and an 18-piece swing dance band. Michael Aller, “Mr. Miami Beach”, served as Master of Ceremonies, welcoming guests to the “Cabaret” and putting on a full blown show, starting with his glitzy rendition of “Life is a Cabaret” that would have put Liza to shame. This year’s Gala Service Awards recipients included William D. Talbert, III, CDME, Elsie Sterling Howard, The Steinberg Family and Boucher Brothers Management Incorporated.
MCM – Fun for all Ages
On Saturday, April 24, the Miami Children’s Museum (MCM) held its annual gala in honor of its 25 year anniversary. Over six hundred guests were able to “play” in the museum’s galleries while enjoying cocktails and delicious bites before heading outside to the enormous tent for dinner catered by the Ritz Carlton South Beach’s celebrity chef, Jeff McInnis and Executive Chef Thomas Connell and a concert by the Average White Band. The high point of the evening was the $1 million donation by philanthropist Gloria Martin for the launch of MCM’s Capital Endowment Fund Campaign. The Knight Foundation committed $100,000 to the campaign. This added to the $750,000 that was raised by the spirited live auction for the museum’s programming. Notable guests at the MCM gala included: Nicole Miller, Romero Britto, Lisa and Donald Pliner, Gisela and Diego Lowenstein, Tracy Mourning, Gloria Martin, Jeff and Yolanda Berkowitz, Claudia Potamkin, Lisa Schejola Akin and Jeffrey Akin, Richard and Susan Lampen, Mo Abety, Evan and Stephanie Reed, FJ and Abigail Pollak, and Richard and Sandy Berkowitz.
