Fundraising organizers for L.A. Phil, LA Opera are maestros in their own right

“The Unmasking” of the new Renzo Piano-designed Lynda and Stewart Resnick Exhibition Pavilion should prove to be more than a glamorous evening for the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The Venetian-themed gala brought in $4.7 million even before the first bejeweled guests were due to arrive at the Sept. 25 event.

And more blockbuster events await on L.A.’s fall social horizon, including the Oct. 7 “Celebración Gala Phil” with Gustavo Dudamel and acclaimed Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Flórez; the star-studded Oct. 23 “Carousel of Hope”; and the Nov. 13 “Artist’s Museum Happening” at the Museum of Contemporary Art, among others. (The LA Opera’s opening night gala followed the world premiere of “Il Postino” on Thursday.)

The Carousel of Hope ball and L.A. Philharmonic each hope to take in $3 million. MOCA organizers aren’t making predictions, but last year’s gala grossed $4 million. LA Opera representatives said estimates for their event were modest by comparison, but the company has big plans for its 25th anniversary celebration in April.

There are plenty of challenges for those who aspire to such lofty goals. It takes time, dedication, perseverance, VIP connections and occasional arm-twisting to pull together the elements. And with some guests paying up to $100,000 a table or more, expectations for these glittering evenings run high (to put it mildly). What follows is a look at some of the behind-the-scenes efforts to make these evenings a success.

Attempting to ensure that the LACMA dinner would satisfy discriminating palates, host committee members Jane Nathanson, Shelli Azoff and Wendy Goldberg met four months ago with event producer Ben Bourgeois, chef Joachim Splichal and others to taste each course. After discussing the program, pre-dinner diversions, décor, entertainment, parking, invitations, take-away gifts and timing, the group sampled six hors d’oeuvres, seven antipasti, one salad, two pasta dishes, three entrees, desserts and cookies. When tables cost $25,000, $50,000 and $100,000 and individual tickets cost $5,000 and $10,000 each, there always seemed to be one more bite to take.

The veal? Exceptional, Nathanson said, but added: “There are a lot of people who don’t like veal or who don’t eat meat.”

Fried hors d’oeuvres? Azoff wondered if they might be too greasy for women in gowns.

The sorbet dessert? Goldberg suggested it might not be substantial enough for the men. The solution? Plates of macaroons, chocolate truffles and bon-bons were added for the tables.

“We have to think of the broad audience,” Nathanson said. “I’m confident the food will be delicious, but you can’t please everybody. So we’ll have alternatives too.”

Barbara Davis, who has chaired 24 galas since 1978, understands the challenges of a big bash. Over the years, her Carousel of Hope events have raised $75 million for the Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes in Denver, which she founded after her daughter, Dana, was diagnosed with the disease. This year, she expects 1,250 people to attend.

“That’s all the Beverly Hilton fits,” she said. “I could sell more tickets, but the fire marshals are very strict.”

Over lunch in July at the Polo Lounge, Davis read off some names from her committee of her supporters: Sherry Lansing and Billy Friedkin. Jack Nicholson. LaTanya Richardson and Samuel Jackson. Betsy Bloomingdale. Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas. Linda and Jerry Bruckheimer. Susan and Robert Downey Jr. And Eva Mendes, whom Davis said she recruited immediately after meeting her.

What do these supporters do? They buy tickets, write checks, donate items and attend the event, lending a little glamour to the ballroom.

Davis calls the gala “a job.”

“I do it every day,” she said. “I call people to be on the committee. I call people to buy tables. I call people to donate.” (Tables range from $10,000 to $100,000 and individual tickets range from $2,000 to $20,000 per couple.)

“I’m very soft sell,” Davis said. “I don’t push — I nudge people to death.” She also doesn’t miss opportunities to accumulate merchandise for the gala’s 500-item silent auction or her famous party-favor-packed goody bags.

At a July VIP reception for MOCA’s Dennis Hopper exhibition, while others perused the artwork, Davis asked Hopper’s daughter Marin for an auction prize. “Dennis gave me a painting every year. Marin is going to give us something [from the Dennis Hopper Trust] now,” she said. “I always ask.”

As for the goody bags, “Jackie Collins is giving us her newest book” and Guess donated the bags and branded merchandise.

And the more donations (Carousel of Hope features a 2011 CL63 AMG Mercedes Benz in its auction) the better, as it takes money to make these millions.

Some of that money must go toward overhead, which is true for every event. At LACMA’s gala, staffing requirements added up to about 450 people, or what Bourgeois called “sort of a small army,” which included check-in, production, technical, rental and PR crews; musicians and other performers; valets, security guards, waiters and kitchen help.

MOCA’s “happening” requires some unusual overhead expenses. Co-chair Maria Bell said, “Our gala goes beyond food and flowers and renting a hotel room. We’re producing a work of performance art that will be not repeated.” L.A.-based artist Doug Aitken will produce the event, featuring musical performances by Devendra Banhart and others.

Yet that doesn’t mean ignoring the bottom line. Bell recalled last year’s gala at which artist Francesco Vezzoli insisted on having, aside from Lady Gaga, Bolshoi Ballet dancers who required air transportation from Russia.

“We said to Francesco, ‘Couldn’t we use local dancers?’” Bell recalled. “He said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll find someone to pay for it.’ And he did.”

Lady Gaga performed gratis for MOCA. Aguilera agreed to do the same for LACMA, as have entertainers at Carousel of Hope event.

“We’ve had Babyface — Kenny Edmonds, Josh Groban, the Jonas Brothers,” Davis said. “They work for free, and they’re giving up other engagements. We had Bette Midler, and she can get a million dollars for a performance.”

This year, Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony will perform at Davis’ event, as will Gladys Knight. Maria Shriver will be honored, there will be a tribute to Quincy Jones, and Jay Leno will emcee.

Whenever possible, gala organizers work to get various elements underwritten, sometimes by corporations. Mercedes-Benz “presents” Carousel; Rolex is “gala sponsor” for the LA Opera and L.A. Philharmonic; and Chanel Fine Jewelry “hosts” with MOCA.

“You ask a lot of people for a lot of things, and a lot of people do respond,” said David Bohnett, chairman of the L.A. Philharmonic gala. “You can spend a wide range of money putting these on. But when you’re there to raise money for the institution, you have to do it efficiently.”

In addition to providing the $55 million in cash and promised art that prompted LACMA to name the new pavilion in their honor, the Resnicks also contributed the 307-page exhibition catalogs, which guests will take home as gifts, and the event invitations — custom-made silver masks on stone pedestals.

“When you get an invitation like this, you know it’s going to be a special event. You want to go,” Nathanson said.

ellen.olivier@society-news.com