Gala dinners and VIP evenings · Paris
Gala dinners, gala evenings and VIP evenings for luxury houses and their clients
Your guests arrive in a venue lit for them, and you can receive them without glancing at your watch. The production team holds the cue sheet until the last guest has left.
A gala evening brings the guests of a house or a company together around a dinner, sometimes a show, in a venue prepared for the occasion. Prodbox, an event production company, produces gala dinners in Paris and in Val d'Isère for luxury houses, companies and event agencies; its founder, Boris Malesset, has staged shows and events since 1994. Over the evening, the service, the speeches and the show follow one cue sheet, which our team prepares with you.
The gala dinner, from the first table laid to the last course
We prepare a gala dinner the way we would prepare a show. We set the service and the speeches on the cue sheet, down to the instant the lights dim for a speech, and the event technical production crew follow that thread on the night. We select the caterer and the other suppliers, negotiate their prices, then present our proposals to you: the final choice is yours. For a champagne house hosting its guests, see our champagne, wine and spirits events.
VIP evenings and client evenings, for those close to the house
A VIP evening brings together fewer guests than a gala, chosen one by one, such as the loyal clients of a house and a few friends of the brand. The welcome counts as much as the set, with a guest list held at the door and a route that leads each person to their place. The client evening works the same way, on the scale of a boutique or a venue booked for a few hours.
A private evening in Paris: choosing the venue, then staging it
The venue sets the tone of a private evening: a private mansion, a gallery, a reception room or a former industrial building. We help you choose it, organise the site visits with you and check what each venue allows: crew access, power supply, build and get-out hours. Once you have chosen, we draw the event scenography that leads your guests from the entrance to dinner, then towards the stage.
Organising a gala evening: you are the project, we are the production
You decide what the evening is for: the guests you receive and what you want to say to them. We take on the production: feasibility study, budget, choice of suppliers, technical plans, lighting, crews and show calling. A gala can follow a product launch event, and we then produce both. For an evening that brings your teams together, see our corporate party page.
We have produced gala evenings for companies in Paris, and gala dinners for the clients of high jewellery and watchmaking houses.
With the date and the number of guests, tell us about your project and we will look for the venue together.
How a gala evening unfolds, from the build to the last departure
A typical outline, to adapt to your evening:
- The build · placing the tables, stage and technical equipment, then a rehearsal with the cue sheet.
- The welcome · guest list, cloakroom, drinks.
- The dinner · table service, speeches, a show or concert between two courses.
- The end of the evening · music, a last glass, guests seen to the door.
- The get-out · after the last departure, at the times the venue sets.
Shows and music during a gala
Shows are part of our trade: we produce shows and concerts. You choose your artists from our proposals, and we book them, contracts included. For a gala, we work from the artist's technical rider, prepare the dressing room and set their slot on the cue sheet, with the stage sound and lighting. You can invite an artist to perform between two courses, or an orchestra to play until the last glass.
A gala dinner in the mountains, in Val d'Isère and Tignes
A seminar in a resort often closes with a large dinner. We produce these gala dinners in Val d'Isère and Tignes, with deliveries and a build organised around access to the venue, sometimes under snow, and around the calendar of the season.
Tell us about your project
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a gala evening and a gala dinner?
The gala dinner is the seated meal, served at table, while the gala evening covers the whole event, from the welcome drinks to the end of the night, sometimes with a show or an awards ceremony.
How much does a gala evening cost?
The cost of a gala evening varies with the number of guests, the venue, the caterer and the technical needs of the stage. We build the budget item by item from your brief, consult several suppliers and negotiate their prices to stay within the budget you set.
Can you help us find a venue for a gala dinner in Paris?
Yes, we carry out this search with you, according to the number of guests and the style of the evening. We organise the site visits and check what each venue allows: access, power, build and get-out hours.
How far ahead should a gala dinner be organised?
The timing depends on the availability of the venue, which comes first, then on the building of the sets. From the brief onwards, we draw up a schedule working back from the date of the evening, with a deadline for each decision.
Can you produce a show during the evening?
Yes, shows are part of our trade. We manage the artist's technical rider, the stage, the sound, the lighting and the cue sheet of the evening.