Massoud Abbasi, banker at RBC during the day and founder of Omega Group by night, is determined to lead an evolution in Toronto and transform the city into a world class sophisticated party locale for international jetsetters and fashionistas.
“Our belief is simple,” relates Abbasi in an exclusive interview. “Toronto is undergoing a seismic change in every respect, economically, architecturally, socially and culturally. It is the city of the future in our opinion and many eyes are pointed in our direction.”
Crowd at the party
The Omega Group officially launched this past summer but certainly kicked it up a notch with their sophomore event Black & Gold Soirée held again at Toronto hotspot The Carlu. Over 550 of the T-Dot’s young professional set – primarily Bay St. bankers, lawyers, traders and private equity professionals – came out in their finest cocktail fare, ready to cruise and schmooze.
Movie director Phillip Princeton, Casting Factory Modeling’s Randy White, 1loveTO and MuchMusic’s Tyrone Williams and McNabb Roick’s Jeffry Roick added a VIP vibe. There were also some prominent journalists like Shinan Govani from the National Post and Stephen Henrik of The Globe and Mail.
Small group of attendees
The Carlu has often been the scene of upscale events. It was a favourite spot for the official after-party to the NHL Awards when they were held in Toronto and even the host to some sophisticated European fashion shows.
“As the center of Canada, we feel Toronto lacks that ‘extra’ that New York or London has,” states Abbasi with passion, going on to explain the thought behind the event, “We don’t have sophisticated upscale ambiances and venues like the Carlu where professionals and ambitious people come together to both fraternize and revel. We’ve decided to become that.”
The Omega Group had gone all out with the venue. The ground floor reception had black tie garbed guys and dolls ready to greet guests at every door and entry point. All signing in was down at this reception making way for a seamless elevator ride and entry to the 7th floor venue.
Tatiana Sanghera and Massoud Abasi
The set-up had two rooms with distinct feel, music and ambiance but that made for easy flow of crowds from one to the other. There was plenty of room for mingling and even having conversation but soon enough the dance floor became quite happening.
As is European style, the event gained momentum quite late compared to typical Toronto party timings and it was past 10:30 pm by the time people started coming and almost midnight before there was a crowd and things only got better as the night went on.
Fashion-wise it was a huge success for Toronto with guests puttin’ on the ritz. Toronto’s pretty crowd came out in haute couture cocktail dresses with some even sporting long gloves. Although there wasn’t quite paparazzi, there were plenty of media snapping red carpet shots to the delight of guests.
“Omega Group represents the new Toronto,” reiterates Abbasi. “We will be putting together a regular series of rolling parties at unconventional venues that are not commonly known where professionals can converge in an exclusive environment that is invite only, enjoy each other’s company, meet new professionals, listen to live music and have a good time.”
By the size and sophistication of the crowd, the world class ambiance of the venue and scene, and the runaway success of the evening, it’s clear the Omega Group is well on its way to leading an evolution of Toronto.
Photography by Janick Laurent, courtesy of The Art of … Public Relations
