If you want your party to be talked about for years to come, you’re going to have to offer something really special for your guests. Hosts with the most know that and to help them throw the party of the year, they seek the help of famous event designers and planners. These are the people who create the ambiance and the overall tone of the party.
In New York City, the opulence and innovations in events have been taken to a new level. After all, this is the city that never sleeps – the top of the heap, as the classic song about the Big Apple goes. If you want to stand out in a place where overachievers thrive, you’ll want to have an expert on hand to help you throw the party of all parties.
Jerry Sibal, through his New York-based company Design Fusion, is one of the go-to people when it comes to planning and designing events such as weddings, corporate functions, high society parties, and celebrity-studded events. Born in Manila, he’s an artist and architect by profession, but in New York, he’s sought after for his artistry and talent in designing events. Elegant floral décor is his signature. His floral designs help set the character of the event.
Making an impression with New Yorkers is a challenge. Thematic parties have become the norm. Throwing one has become a full production that can sometimes equal the level of staging a Broadway musical. For designers like Sibal, it’s not just a party but a work of art that requires a clear-cut vision and a keen eye for both the performing arts and the visual arts.
Jerry now wants to share his artistry with Filipino event designers and planners. He’s holding a master class in floral design that will consist of a class on floral design for beginners and an advanced class in event styling and creative business. Jerry will be holding his class at the Dusit Thani Hotel in Makati City from March 20 March 23, 2019.
List of clients
Guests who attend Jerry Sibal’s “productions” have marveled at the pageantry of the party venues and the resplendence of his floral arrangements. It’s not surprising then that his list of clients now includes some of the big names in the international corporate world. The illustrious list includes Steve Wynn and Richard Branson to name a few. The Wynn hotels and Virgin Airlines have at some point entrusted Sibal’s company to mount their special corporate celebrations. Another prominent client is a personal friend of Jerry Sibal – the legendary mezzo soprano opera singer Marilyn Horne.
Jerry Sibal the artist
It was in the 1970s and ‘80s when Jerry Sibal had a thriving career in architecture in Manila. So entrenched was he in the arts, he also taught traditional Chinese painting. It was also at this time when he became interested in floral design. In the 1990s, he decided to make the big move to New York City. He couldn’t find work as an architect so he got himself a job for an event planning and designing firm. Here he discovered he could use his artistry and visual style to create a memorable event. Thus he and his husband Edwin Josue decided to make it on their own and they soon established their own company, Design Fusion. Planning events it turned out, was just a facet in Jerry Sibal’s career. He’s now also a theater impresario with an opera staged on Broadway and Washington D.C. under his belt. The opera was based on Dr. Jose Rizal’s “Noli Me Tangere. It was adapted by two great Filipino artists, Felipe de Leon who composed the music, and Guillermo Tolentino. who wrote the Tagalog lyrics. The couple established J&S Productions to stage the opera.
He’s gone back to Manila twice in the past five years to produce the opera for local audiences. This year he’s restaging it again at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. As in the previous productions, Jerry Sibal is designing the costumes and the sets. He’s also wearing both the director’s hat and the producer’s hat. Jerry Sibal says he will always be the opera’s champion as he wants more and more Filipinos to be exposed to this Filipino masterpiece for years to come.
