Bagging the swag

The celebrity gift lounge is as much an awards night mainstay as the parties, acceptance speeches and wardrobe malfunctions.

A veteran in the celeb gifting business, Nathalie Dubois-Sissoko, president and CEO of DPA, had six major gift lounges set up at all the major awards nights and film festivals last year.

Originally from France, but now a Hollywood insider, Dubois-Sissoko was in Dubai to oversee details of DPA's gift lounge at the fifth edition of the Dubai Film Festival to be held in December.

How it works

The gift lounge is one of those win-win situations for all involved. From luxury brands such as Chopard, Valentino and Petrossian caviar, to charities and less well-known designers — all benefit from a sprinkling of star dust.

For smaller companies such as the Tahitian pearl jewellery designer, who was among DPA's first clients, this is the opportunity to be launched into the international limelight. It beats just sending celebs freebies that may be given away to the maid or babysitter.

Even better, the company reps get to meet the stars face to face and extol their products. "Sharon Stone has always been kind and is unfailingly polite to everybody in the lounge," says Dubois-Sissoko.

"And there are the real gentlemen — Richard Gere for instance. We gave him a lot of gifts for his wife and he made it a point to introduce us to her at the party. With all the stars I've dealt with, I've never had a problem with anybody."

The swag is also apportioned according to the celeb's star power. "In Hollywood, you definitely don't want to be a D-lister. At festivals, there are jury members, people who have movies at the festival, lead stars, supporting cast members, and the attendees. Everyone understands why somebody who has a movie at the fest may get bigger gifts. It's done with diplomacy and a smile."

Perfect stone

"Sharon Stone was a presenter at DIFF last year. People love to give her gifts, because she wears them, uses them and talks about them. Plus she is an international star. Rachel Bilson (another DIFF guest) is amazingly sweet, beautiful and a fashion icon now — but some countries might not know her. The stars know it's a marketing promotion — the brand has to be promoted by the star that suits it best."

While most stars agree to be photographed receiving the swag, a few A-listers like Charlize Theron refuse. Others, like Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt and George Clooney, simply stay away.

Dubois-Sissoko usually sets up her lounge in an exclusive hotel, close to the venue. Last year, she sent 300 invites to the Hollywood, Bollywood and Arab cinema personalities attending DIFF. From Stone and Mira Nair to Kabir Bedi and Youssef Chahine, they all trooped in at the lounge at Al Qasr.

Among DPA's successes this year was the Emmy Awards that drew an unprecedented response (partly because marketers stayed away from the Oscars and Golden Globes, held in the middle of industry strikes).

The swag loot for Emmy nominees and presenters included $45,000 (Dh165,294) gowns and clutches from Parisian haute couture designer Georges Hobeika, sunglasses from Michael Kors and Oscar de la Renta, both provided by Marchon, gowns from Canadian company Sodalicious, shoes from Jerome C. Rousseau (ex designer for Isabella Fiore), jewellery from Bel esprit and Mon Bijou, and the French Sisters magical hooks.

Stars at the top of the food chain got themselves vacations to Bora Bora, French Polynesia, and a safari in Kenya.

DIFF loot

With the current financial slump in the US, celebrities have been reluctant to accept millions in gifts and are quite interested in giving back — read: charity gifts. It's also tax deductible, which explains the presence of charitable organisations in gift lounges.

So what is the swag in store for DIFF guests? "We launched Pucci sunglasses at the Golden Globes this January," Dubois-Sissoko says pointing to her head where said glasses are perched.

"This pair has all the original prints that were on the dresses of the '60s. Marilyn Monroe wore Pucci, and we will bring it to Dubai." The lounge will also have environment friendly products, Natura Bisse cosmetics, gowns by Lebanese designer Georges Hobeika and spa treatments.

Having been a film journalist for 20 years, before turning entrepreneur, Dubois-Sissoko has a fund of anecdotes. "We have interesting stories because we do some of the biggest awards shows and festivals. Jennifer Love-Hewitt was moved to tears when she came to the gift lounge and found out that she was the foster mother to a baby elephant in Kenya. That was a special moment. She was just crying, while the photographers took pictures."

Duboi-Sissoko says she has never had to contend with star egos. "We have a lot of people telling us to ensure they get the trip to Bora Bora. But it's not just about the price.

"One year we had this really cheap camera, it didn't cost more than $100 (Dh367), but all the stars wanted one. It took pictures that looked as if you were posing in a fishbowl. Sometimes they casually drop in for treatments or a pair of sunglasses. If a star has not been gracious, I just think they are having a bad day. Sure enough, the next time it is better..."

What the celebs are likely to get at DIFF