Hadi TeheranyCameron Bartlett
Hadi Teherany, a Toronto event planner and sports marketer, gives the scoop on the all-star party scene (including how to get in if you're not on the list)
Ball park: How many all-star parties are going on in Toronto between Thursday night and Monday?
I'd say close to 300. There are the official events, the after parties, after after parties, private dinners. And they're not just downtown. There are parties out by Wonderland and in Ajax. Everyone is trying to get in on this.
And you yourself are involved in how many?
I would say I'm involved in I think 12 or 13 events. I'm doing nightly parties at Wildflower at the hotel where all the players are staying. I'm involved in the NBA Players Association party at Maison, which is invite-only for the players and their families. We have a huge surprise performance, which I can't talk about. I sign heavy confidentiality agreements when I help with a party, so I can't really name drop. I can say that I was involved in an event last night where LeBron, DeMar DeRozan, Kevin Hart and Dave Chappelle showed up. It wasn't my party, but I was involved.
Last night there was Drake's party at Casa Loma, the TNT party, Shaq and Snoop at Muzik, Kyle Lowry at Soho House and so many others. With so much going on, what's the best way to score some VIP love for your event?
Well a lot of it is having connections. The other thing is, a lot of these parties, the ones at the big nightclubs, where a big celebrity is being promoted – those are paid appearances, as opposed to the celebrity actually partying. The bigger coup is to be someplace where the celebrities show up on their own time. Last night at Wildflower, we had a bunch of players show up at 2:30 to have a good time.
What is new cool thing in event bells and whistles?
What's big right now is having a professional photographer on site who can take pictures in real time and then share them with guests. I was at the Jordan launch yesterday and a guy took a shot of me. I typed my number into his iPad and then right away I had really high quality photo to share on Instagram.
Who would you say are the party MVPs? Like who are the biggest gets?
Well obviously Drake, LeBron. That's probably one and two. Kevin Hart is big – he's one of those guys who lights up a room. And then some of the all-stars: Dwyane Wade, Kevin Durant. Kobe is huge, because nobody expects to see him out, not even the other players. If you're partying in the same room as Kobe, you've found your way to heaven.
Any tips on how to get past the velvet rope when you're not invited?
Act like you belong. And also name-dropping with confidence. I was at the Jordan party in New York last year. It was on major lockdown, and a girl walked up to the door and said I'm a guest of Michael Jordan's, and they just opened the door and let her in. Inside she told me, "I've never met Michael Jordan in my life."
I'm guessing she was probably pretty good looking too.
Well yes, but she wasn't that good looking.
Ten years ago, NBA players didn't want to play in our city because the scene was lame. Now we're "White Vegas." What happened?
You know, I don't think we were ever lame. That's something the media picked up on when we had star players leave. There were cheap comments – like when Chris Bosh said he couldn't get ESPN up here – and everyone ran with them. Those are just things you say to your ex-girlfriend when you break up. I don't think we became cooler, I think the brand caught up to what we actually are.
True or False: Hotline Bling will play at least three times at every all-star party.
True.