The Merchandise Mart Design Center and The University of Chicago Cancer Research Foundation Women’s Board Raise Money for Cancer Research at the DreamHome Preview Party
CHICAGO (August 17, 2007) –On Thursday, September 27, 2007, The Merchandise Mart and Metropolitan Home magazine will unveil the third annual DreamHome™ installation with an extravagant preview gala event to benefit The University of Chicago Cancer Research Foundation (UCCRF) Women’s Board. Guests at the DreamHome Preview Party will be the first to see DreamHome, meet the designers and support the UCCRF Women’s Board in its mission to make cancer a thing of past.
“The University of Chicago Cancer Research Foundation Women's Board is thrilled to be partnering with The Merchandise Mart and Metropolitan Home to bring you the DreamHome 2007 Preview Party. The evening promises to be stylish from start to finish, combining the best in interior design with a great party and a fashionable crowd, all to raise funds to support vital cancer research programs at the University of Chicago,” said Mrs. Laura Werner, UCCRF Women’s Board president.
Founded in 1947, the UCCRF Women’s Board is committed to funding some of the world’s most innovative programs in cancer research. Proceeds raised at the DreamHome Preview Party will support the activities of the University of Chicago Cancer Research Center in its efforts to recruit new scientists to the University of Chicago and to develop world-class research programs investigating the treatment and prevention of cancer.
According to Rita Delsignore, Director of Marketing, “It has been wonderful working with the UCCRF Women’s Board for the second year to stage the DreamHome preview party. The evening will be simultaneously charitable and glamorous—providing attendees the opportunity to meet the designers and get a sneak peek of the nine beautiful rooms. We’re so proud that DreamHome will help make a difference in the UCCRF Women’s Board’s fight against cancer.”
DreamHome is a collaboration between nine of Chicago’s top interior design firms – including such celebrated names as Tracy Hickman, Doug Nickless, James Dolenc and Tom Riker, Douglas Levine, Matt Lorenz, Martial, Jessica Lagrange, Gary Lee and Sherry Koppel. New this year, the “House of Ideas “will provide innovative solutions to frequent design dilemmas. Drawing from their unique style and design inspirations, the “dream team” will create nine rooms in the design house using the luxury resources of The Merchandise Mart Design Center™ showrooms.
Guests at DreamHome’s unforgettable preview party will enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, mingle with designers and be the first to tour the fabulous DreamHome. The DreamHome Preview Party will take place on Thursday, September 27, 2007 from 6 p.m.– 9 p.m. in the North Lobby of The Merchandise Mart.
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DreamHome Preview Party Tickets are available for $125 a person, $200 a couple, or $850 for a group of ten. For more information about the UCCRF Women’s Board or to purchase Preview Party tickets directly call 773.702.6566 or visit www.cancerboard.org.
DreamHome will be open to the public from September 28 – December 21, 2007, weekdays 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and Saturdays 10 a.m.–3 p.m. Visitors will have the opportunity to make a voluntary $5 donation to benefit the UCCRF Women’s Board initiatives. For more information about Preview Party tickets or this year’s DreamHome, including group tours and event opportunities, visit www.merchandisemartdesigncenter.com or call 800.677.MART (6278).
PRESS CONTACT:
Sophia Weiss
Public Relations Manager
Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc.
Phone: 312.527.7841
E-mail: sweiss@mmart.com
ABOUT THE MERCHANDISE MART DESIGN CENTER™
The Merchandise Mart Design Center™, located in Chicago’s historic Merchandise Mart, is home to four floors constituting the world’s largest and finest design center. As a leader in the $65 billion residential home furnishings market, The Merchandise Mart Design Center offers the largest presentation of high-end, couture, home furnishings worldwide, all under one roof. Encompassing 700,000 square feet, boasting 130 showrooms and featuring more than 2,000 product lines, it is the design professional’s ultimate resource for luxury furniture, fabrics, floor coverings, wall coverings, lighting, antiques and much more.
The Merchandise Mart Design Center’s Designer Portfolios are a unique online resource for homeowners to learn about working with a design professional and help them find the perfect designer to match their tastes, expectations and budget. More than 50 area design professionals are featured in the online Designer Portfolios, with his or her own web page featuring their design philosophy, area(s) of specialty, project photos, fee structure and more. Designer Portfolios can be easily accessed by visiting www.merchandisemartdesigncenter.com and clicking on the Designer Portfolio logo.
Merchandise Mart Properties, Inc. (MMPI) is a trade show and property management firm, specializing in managing buildings devoted to wholesale showrooms and commercial office space. MMPI produces more than 300 trade shows, market events and conferences each year.
MMPI manages The Merchandise Mart and 350 West Mart Center in Chicago; Market Square, the Suites at Market Square, Hamilton Market, Plaza Suites, Furniture Plaza and the National Furniture Mart in High Point, N.C.; the Architects & Designers Building and 7 W New York in New York; the Boston Design Center in Boston; the L.A. Mart in Los Angeles; and the Washington Design Center and Federal Center Southwest in Washington D.C.
Vornado Realty Trust, owners of MMPI, based in New York City, is a fully integrated equity real estate investment trust. Vornado’s common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange and are traded under the symbol VNO.
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