Profile
Gail Ball
is prepared
for tonight's
Symphony gala.
SUZANNE CHESSLER
Special to the Jewish. News
T
he largest benefit gala ever
held by the Detroit
Symphony Orchestra takes
place tonight.
It starts with a sumptuous dinner
in the Orchestra Place courtyard,
moves on to an Orchestra Hall con-
cert featuring Motown-bred singing
star Diana Ross and classical pianist
No Pogorelich, and concludes with
dessert and dancing to the music of
Mel Ball and Colours back at the
courtyard.
Circulating among guests at the
$1,C,00-a-person, black-tie fund-raiser
will be Gail Ball, who also will be cir-
culating behind the scenes. She's the
events planner hired for "Classic
Legends: Opening Gala for the New
Millennium," which kicks off the
DSO's 1999-2000 season.
Ball's job, in addition to planning
and lining up product and service
suppliers, is to make sure that every-
thing runs smoothly so that every-
body else can enjoy a carefree
evening. Its a responsibility she's
demonstrated at similar grand-scale
galas over the past six years as owner
of Gail Ball Exclusive Events.
"Each party is a work experience,"
says Ball, who has arranged corporate
affairs with budgets topping $1 mil-
lion and private parties costing only a
tiny percentage of that. "My function
is to let hosts and hostesses get
involved with the parties and not
worry about a thing."
Ball's business credo entails stick-
ing to budgets and staying mum
about amounts. Most months find
her working on two or three events.
"This will be my first assignment
with the Symphony," says Ball, whose
office is located in Farmington Hills.
"When I have something that is espe-
cially large, like this benefit, I limit the
number of events I work on because of
the amount of commitment.
"A fund-raiser is very different
from a private party because you
want to make sure the benefit brings
in money for the charity. The idea is
to put on an event that looks like a
lot of money has been spent even
when it really hasn't."
In setting up the Symphony open-
ing, Ball has immersed herself in
what guests will experience. She taste-
tested the meal, which offers beef ten-
derloin and salmon, and she attended
to the favors.
Although her early work was as a
high-fashion photographic model,
Ball transitioned into her special
events firm by helping her husband
book acts through his Mel Ball
UP SCALE ON PAGE
128
From small affairs to massive events, parties are Gail Ball's expertise.
9/17
1999