944 magazine throws a blowout

At the W Scottsdale. (Credit: Jeremiah Toller/Special for Metromix)

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When he talks about throwing parties, Marc Lotenberg of 944 magazine drops the words “synergy” and “brand,” and uses phrases such as “spike in revenue,” and “return on their investment.”

It's not really the come-on you'd expect from the man behind a glossy lifestyle magazine that's filled with models in sexy fashions and profiles of men and women in various cities' nightlife scenes and the hangers-on who support them.

Lotenberg, the 30-year-old CEO and founder of 944 Media, is throwing a party at the W Scottsdale Hotel and Residences this weekend. It's sort of for you, and sort of for his partners.

“A lot of these places that support us financially, they expect us to show them a return on their investment,” he said. “This type of event helps show the value of investing with 944.”

He said expects the hotel to be sold out and the restaurant, Sushi Roku, to be packed.

Perhaps this is the kind of chatter a person engages in while his company is being sued for the last big party he threw.

Lotenberg's 944 Media was behind the biggest bash Scottsdale had ever seen with the 944 Super Village during the 2008 Super Bowl in Glendale. Paris Hilton, Velvet Revolver, 50 Cent and various other celebs showed up for the multi-day outdoor event that featured concerts, a celebrity flag football game, boxing matches and other hype- and liquor-fueled shenanigans.

In March, the production company that helped throw the bash filed a suit to recoup unspecified damages and legal fees, arguing that 944 Media more than doubled the event budget to $2.4 million and gave away close to $1 million in tickets to promote its own interests. The suit said revenue totaled less than $1.6 million.

Lotenberg said he expects this weekend to be more successful.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the magazine is taking over the W to celebrate eight years of chronicling the beautiful people and their favorite bottled waters, cocktails and crystal-encrusted jeans.

The party will feature burlesque dancers, local and international DJs, a live band, a silent charity auction, live painting by local artists and a company making custom Ts.

“We want to bring the magazine to life, that's what this type of party is about,” he said.

The editorial department helped select the talent featured at the bash, unlike at 944-branded events in the past, where entertainment was coordinated by the magazine's party planning arm.

944 is hosting the bash in Phoenix as a kind of homecoming; it's where the magazine launched and where the production is still done. Head offices are now in Los Angeles and all the cities with editions, seven right now, with Atlanta and Detroit to come online by the end of the year, have their own satellite offices.

The weekend's proceeds will benefit Ear Candy, a Phoenix non-profit that provides music education for elementary schools through support of in- and after-school music programs.

Details: 7277 E. Camelback Road, Scottsdale. For table and cabana reservations, call 602-405-0099, or to reserve a room, visit WScottsdaleExclusive.com. Cover is $20, and the public must RSVP at 944.com/944is8.