By all accounts, a success

• Global Party brings out the who's who

Garfene Grandison, Gleaner Writer

It was all about charity on Thursday night at the Fiction lounge, where brother-and-sister duo Kirk-Anthony and Michelle-Ann Hamilton brought the Global Party to Jamaica's night life. According to Kirk-Anthony Hamilton, "The Global Party was designed to spread goodwill. There were a number of charities that we could support, but we sponsored a local one.

"It's a big philanthropic effort to celebrate something good. It's a global party linking influential people of the world," he said. The main goal of the event's staging was to raise awareness about a number of global charities, and that is a goal Hamilton thought was met. "The goal was met here in Jamaica as it relates to financial support for Chain of Hope, Jamaica, an organisation that lends much-needed support to the Bustamante Hospital for Children. We made people aware of the charity and what it stood for," he added.

"There are many hurdles to cross, and raising money for the charity is just the first step to creating and building relationships," he said.

Alongside Kirk and his sister, there were also Everton Bryan, CEO of IAS, and a number of other high-profile advisers.

An international event

In order to truly capture the essence of what the Global Party is, picture this: More than 80 parties, in 73 cities within 40 countries, set in some of the world's most exclusive venues and unexplored alcoves, over a two-day span (September 15 and 16). In Jamaica, at the Fiction nightclub, the most premium liquor was served and delectable dishes were prepared by Jamaica's most sought-after chefs. Hamilton said Jamaica earned a foot into the Global Party franchise through the relationships that he had made and convincing the planners that Jamaica as a party destination, could not be left out.

"I reached out to them (the international planners) and they were intrigued with brand Jamaica, and so they accepted our coming onboard and hosting one of these events," he said. However, he revealed that there will be other projects in the works, but there won't be another Global Party.

The Fiction lounge proved to be the perfect fit for the prestigious event. With sponsors on-board such as Tai Flora Luxe, Mercedes Benz, Diageo, The RMP group, Bollinger Champagne and many others, the venue, both inside and out, was transformed into a global party paradise. Decked in mostly white fabric with an all-white lounge area, the burst of blue that was the carpet and the floral décor created quite a stir on the outside of the venue.

Inside, the décor was even more dazzling and tasteful with the chandeliers and floral arrangements situated all around the club. The deejays for the night were Jamaica's own DJ Narity and South Beach's DJ Irie, the official deejay of the Miami Heat basketball team.

From day one, Hamilton has been adamant that the event be held in St Andrew, calling the city a global destination and place of business, elevating its profile to stand alongside New York, Miami, Cape Town, London, Sydney, Dubai, and many other first-world cities.

Persons that were present were specially invited by Hamilton and his team or a sponsoring organisation. Outside of being invited, prospective patrons could donate upwards of £3,000 (J$422,221.34) to one of the global charities. The turnout of movers and shakers in Jamaica was impressive.