The Life Ball Benefit

As we stood outside The Ring Hotel waiting for the others to join, crowds starting forming around and photos were being taken. It was a great experience for all- we all felt like celebrities. But, it was only about to get better. On our way to City Hall, Life Ball's annual venue, we ran into the specially designed Mini for Katy Perry that was auctioned off.

Our 10 minute walk to Vienna's City Hall seemed to last forever. For the first time that day, the sun all of a sudden came out and was shining on us as the skies were smiling in anticipation of our arrival. As we turned the corner to City Hall, there it was! The classic Viennese music filled our ears as we approached. There were thousands of people being held back from the entrance as spectators watched the celebrities and guests arrive in front of City Hall for their walk down the Blue Carpet. Blue carpet, rather than red carpet, to go along with the theme of water.

I gathered the group together and after a few small photo-ops (Sister Sledge included), we entered the heavily guarded entrance to the Blue Carpet. As we waited for our chance to prance down this stretch of about 200 feet of carpet, the energy of the space filled my veins.

Hundreds of video cameras, press, and members of the media all fighting for a shot of us. The stands to the left and right were filled with top-tier sponsors, celebrities, and VIPs including Bill Clinton, Eva Longoria, and Fran Drescher.

It was our turn to be featured. There was a Blue Carpet costume contest-- the judges were off to the left which included Amanda Lepore, and Pam-Ann! Kiss-Kiss... This was the most thrilling red carpet experience-- beats the Grammies! Take a look at this picture that was snapped of me in the background that appears in various Austrian newspapers and blogs-- Lucky me :)

We then found ourselves at the Red Bull Vodka bar outside marveling at everyone's costumes and posing for our own photos. It was actually very cold and we were all half naked-- but the energy kept most of us warm, except one of our guests who was shivering frozen in a iron-clad chain-link shirt. ;) Adorable.

The stage was set around a huge Aids Ribbon, which was actually the runway and performance for the rest of the evening. The front of stage left and right were huge tubs of water each filled with life-sized gondolas which were sailing all night around the Life Ball's water canals. Guests can hop into one of the gondolas and cruise around for a few minutes at any point during the show. The transparent tubs of water were also filled with beautiful mermaids swimming all evening. The setting of water was certainly conveyed-- nothing like I have ever seen.

The show began- City Hall lights up more beautiful than a menorah on the 8th night. A quick rundown of the events:
The show is introduced. Two announcers including Pam Ann come out and announce the winner of the costume contest. She was wearing over $50,000 of Swarovski crystals-- simply gorgeous! Next, the gorgeous Blonds and Patricia Field arrive on the Blue Carpet via the special edition Mini. They were proud and excited. I have a place in my heart for Phillipe and David. Ivanna Trump was then escorted by Gery Keszler, creator of The Life Ball, onto the stage where where she made a beautiful yet inaudible speech.

Fran Drescher was then introduced and she presented a meaningful speech about women and the HIV pandemic. The crowd was in awe by the events that were unfolding. All of a sudden, we heard a scuffle behind us. Just about 2 feet behind us out comes former President Bill Clinton being escorted out of the VIP stands. He is then introduced and brought into stage with Fran. After a very warm welcome and an even warmer hug to Fran ;), Bill walked onto stage with dignity and pride as he spoke about his efforts and the Bill Clinton Foundation (where a percentage of the proceeds from Life Ball go to). His speech was beautiful and all of us were proud to see him up there representing the US and the world.

The show was outstanding. Following the speeches, out comes Baywatch star PAMELA ANDERSON (you get it??-- water theme...), who opened the show by "turning on" the Boom box. And she did just that. Her cameo set the tone for the rest of the show, which included an ornate fashion show by the Blonds and musical acts by Katy Perry, who was actually outstanding. The fashion show and performance included everyone from our flight. All of the NYVC-based models and personalities were serving all of their attitude on stage- it was thrilling!

After the show, our shivering bodies were invited inside Vienna's City Hall to celebrate Life in one of the most amazing venues I have seen. City Hall was transformed into a space dedicated to Life Ball for the evening. The entire hall was decorated beautifully. Tons of rooms everywhere you turn. Performances and DJS all spinning a different sound from one room to another. Costumes galore. It seemed to never end. We danced outside and got wild until 5 in the morning. It is really hard to describe this event. Imagine dancing in an old European hall with 100 foot ceilings and higher adorned with chandeliers, pure marble, and lights accenting every corner. One of our guests said that one of the halls reminded him of the dining room in Harry Potter-- that is the perfect description.

The party did not seem to end. The DJS were turning it out until 5am. We did not want to leave. We wound up at the hotel at 6am, 2 hours to pack and relax before everyone headed back to the plane to fly back to New York.

I can continue to articulate the magnificence, laughter, and sights throughout the night, but I would be writing a book. We will be back next year presenting Life ball 2010: Earth! Be sure to visit www.SteeleTravel.com and sign up for our newsletter to keep up to date on next year's Life Ball experience!