Host Committee

Host Committee is a New York City events company that lets individuals organize parties at bars and nightclubs without handling logistics themselves. A prospective host specifies the type of event, the date and the expected number of guests, and the company arranges the venue, a one-hour open bar, a DJ, photography, coat check, door staff and digital invitations. Hosts then invite their own guests by email or Facebook, typically for evening events running from roughly 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., and receive a private table with champagne from the venue. Events span birthdays, holiday parties, going-away parties, fundraisers, alumni gatherings and singles events.

The company was built inside Trigger Media, the New York company-building firm led by Andy Russell, alongside the men's lifestyle newsletter InsideHook. Carli Roth and Yvonne Najor served as co-founders and directors of events; they had previously co-founded DBD Social, which was acquired by Host Committee. As of early 2014 the service was reported to work with 69 New York venues and had gained traction among young financial-industry professionals, with guests commonly paying about $30 for the open-bar hour.

Founding story

Andy Russell began organizing parties as a New York student, building a mailing list that eventually held around 10,000 names and using it to fill empty clubs during off-peak hours. After a banking career, founding the Manhattan restaurant-club Moomba (sold in 1999), work at East River Ventures and incubating digital media companies with Bob Pittman's Pilot Group, he founded Trigger Media, which launched Host Committee. Co-founders Carli Roth and Yvonne Najor started the concept after friends repeatedly asked them to plan events.

Business model

Host Committee assembles parties for individual hosts at partner nightlife venues, providing venue booking, open bar, DJ, staffing and invitations to the host at no charge; guests pay for admission to the open-bar period, reported at about $30 in 2014.

Monetization is tied to filling otherwise unused venue capacity during early evening hours, with guests paying an admission price for a one-hour open bar.

Traction

Reported partnerships with 69 New York City venues as of January 2014, with the team attending as many as four company events in a single night; one singles event was said to have resulted in eight relationships.

Latest developments

As of January 2014 coverage, the company was working with 69 New York venues and planning expansion into additional markets.