ABOUT
LAUREN CHEESEBOROUGH
FREELANCE EXPERIENCE
PRODUCER
NYFW: FIRST STAGE
PRODUCER
May 2017 - June 2018
ABOUT
As an ancillary event to NYFW: The Shows, NYC’s official Fashion Week event, IMG created NYFW: First Stage, a platform for emerging fashion designers to host their shows.
IMG tapped me as producer for this event with the goal of finding a hotel ballroom that could be converted into a turnkey runway venue.
CONCEPT TO EXECUTION
I oversaw all production elements for this platform from concept through to execution, including but not limited to venue research, floor plan development, operations logistics, permitting, staffing, signage and budget management.
THE DREAM
Partnering with the Dream Downtown, IMG took over their ballroom space for the first iteration of NYFW: First Stage. I transformed the venue to an elevated runway space, using flats to divide the venue into the Back of House hair, makeup & dressing areas, and the Front of House runway. The venue hosted 11 runway shows over 4 days and was met with positive feedback from designers.
INDUSTRIA
After a highly successful first season, IMG decided to expand and elevate the NYFW: First Stage platform. Relocating the event to a larger venue at Industria, I continued to oversee all production elements for the event, including floor plan development.
I worked with a rendering artist to provide clients with a scale drawing of the new runway layout. The venue ran for 6 days and accommodated 16 runway shows, 1 presentation, and an industry party to celebrate the premiere of Black Panther.
BUDGET
I held full budget responsibility for the platform from projection to reconciliation and closed both budgets at, respectively, 8% and 10% under budget each season.
