OPEN from American Express held a posh (by small business standards) event at the Nokia Theater in Times Square tonight and the 800 or so guests and 7000 or small business folks attending by Webinar were treated to some wisdom from some of the hottest brand builders going.

Want to know what each had in common? Jean Chatzky, Kate Spade, Andy Spade and Bobbi Brown were treated like rock stars but came off as some of the most approachable people you will ever encounter. Perhaps that’s the secret to their success.

I asked Susan Sobbott, President of OPEN from Amercian Express, what shrimp, spotlights and champagne had to do with the real world of small business. “This event is about celebrating the heroes of small business, we will give them the tools and the support they need to succeed, but tonight were celebrating – so, shrimp and champagne make sense.” Amen!

Stay tuned.