From city to a little bit country
Gabrielle Durning has gone country, as producer of the VIP gift lounge for the Canadian Country Music Association's 2009 awards, taking place Sept. 13 at GM Place.
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Updated: September 09, 2009 3:24 PM
Gabrielle Durning doesn’t speak with twang or dance two-step.
But when it comes to looking after country music’s finest, the South Surrey businesswoman, it appears, has all the right moves.
In charge of producing a gift lounge for stars who will be front-and-centre at Sunday’s Country Music Association Awards show, Durning has lined up a veritable feast of food and fashion for the celebs – a local and luxurious buffet experience relatively unheard of north of the border.
“I do think we’ve really broken the mould of the traditional, generic gift bags stuffed full of average brands,” said Durning.
“This is like putting it into 3-D.”
Durning, who owns the Uptown Giftbox Company, was approached to get involved with the CCMAs last spring. She had the success of sponsoring the Junos under her belt, and had just wrapped up a gift-lounge experience at Hotel Vancouver for Olympic sponsors and clients when the call came.
She wasn’t planning to take the lounge concept further until after the Olympics. That changed when a CCMA official asked her about gift bags for the Sept. 13 event.
“Before I could censor my brain to my mouth, I said, ‘how about a gift lounge?’”
And so it began.
The past months’ whirlwind of organizing the lounge has all-but-eliminated the word sleep from Durning’s vocabulary.
But she’s confident she’s found her niche.
“This is such a great combination of all the things I’ve learned,” she said, citing buying and sponsorship experiences among skills she’s tapping into.
Sunday’s new-age swag bag will be experienced, perused and talked about by such “seriously talented” performers as Reba McEntire, Paul Brandt, Terri Clark and Martina McBride, along with a host of other country favourites and up-and-comers.
Durning has lined up former CCMA- and Juno-award winner Erica Ehm as official lounge host, along with a seemingly endless list of products and services for the stars, from spa treatments and on-site hair touch-ups to boot fittings, one-of-a-kind jewelry and custom sunglasses. Gourmet sampling, sustainable accessories, lingeried cowgirl models, instant teeth whitening and live music by former Canadian Idol contestant Greg Neufeld are also in the mix.
A half dozen renowned bloggers will provide by-the-minute coverage of the lounge.
Durning is particularly proud of the night’s charitable components, from gift bags that will be donated to the bloggers’ charities of choice to a Chris MacClure Giclée print signed by all the artists that will be donated to BC Children’s Hospital Foundation.
And while she’s totally comfortable with the thought of being surrounded by celebrity, Durning admitted to some excitement about the opportunity to meet Jann Arden, and has no complaints about the night’s host, Jason Priestley.
Lack of twang aside, she promised to sport footwear befitting the occasion Sunday, but hesitated to put country, or any style of music for that matter, on a pedestal.
“I am a music fan of all genres... from African to blues to country,” she said.
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