Stylish Nights Party With Idris Elba
Hotminute gets the inside scoop on the Stylish Nights Christmas Party with Idris Elba and talks to Promoter Stephen Cookey about what makes Stylish Nights so Exclusive in the City!
HM: How did you get into events promotion?
I kind of stumbled into it by accident. I was supposed to organise a joint birthday party with a friend of mine; we work in marketing and realised we know too many people. After doing the maths based on how many people you can get into a venue, we decided to hold our parties separately. We both received a very good turn out at both of our parties and it all stemmed from there really.
I like to try different things and came up with the brand: ‘Stylish Nights’. I wanted to create something different in the marketplace, so that people could distinguish us from other event promotions.
HM: What do you think makes Stylish Nights different from any other event?
We try to create different events that people wouldn’t normally attempt or have the opportunity to organise. We have 3 different market areas: Stylish Nights parties which are our monthly events, like dinner parties and the Joe and Idris Elba event. We have Stylish Day parties in the summer to encourage people who do not normally come out to socialise in the daytime. Ever so often we hold comedy events, which have the same purpose.
HM: How long has Stylish Nights been running for?
Just over 3 years.
HM: What crowd would you say your events attract?
I would say professionals. We also try to entice people that do not normally go out. Because we live in a diverse society I like to see a mixed crowd. I don’t like going to events and seeing one particular crowd.
HM: If you could choose any location in the world to hold a Stylish Night event, where would it be?
If I could choose any where in the world I would probably say somewhere in the Caribbean like the Dominican Republic. I went there a couple of months ago and I loved it. I have been there a couple of times now and the people are really nice as well. I would say either Dominican Republic or Trinidad.
We held a Stylish Nites party in Atlanta in 2009, and that was great because it was something different for the locals.
HM: Did people from the UK fly over there for that?
We took quite a few people from the UK over there. We stayed at the Hilton Hotel and held the party there as it made sense.
HM: How did your collaboration with Idris come about for the Christmas party?
A few years ago when I did the ATL trip, I initially was going to host a British Invasion type of party. I approached Idris to be the frontline man. We did not actually get to hold the event; however I managed to persuade Idris to host an event in 2009. It was held in the city and it was great.
Before Idris became an actor he used to be a DJ and he loves Djing so he was very cool about the idea. When I first started promoting the event a lot of people did not believe it. A lot of event organisers promote events featuring celebrities and the guests do not show up. My reputation means much more to me than money; if the celebrity is not going to show up I would rather cancel the event.
HM: Have you had any other celebrities at your events?
I had the RnB singer ‘Lloyd’, comedian ‘Kevin Hart’ was also there on the night. Other than that I have held events with Joe and Idris.
HM: So you have all of the hook-ups?
He laughs...We have just started. May 29th we have booked to do a party with Morris Chestnut!
HM: You say you have some HOT exclusive news for my interview, do tell!
May 29th we have booked to do a party with Morris Chestnut. So that’s the Bank Holiday Sunday. We attempted to hold this event two years ago but Morris could not make it. This year looks like it is the right time. Morris Chestnut in the UK for the FIRST TIME EVER!
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Interview: Lesley B
Photography: Dtads Studio
