They are like trick-or-treat for grown-ups - or, at least, for famous grown-ups.

They are the "gifting suites," the rooms set up at celebrity-studded events (like award shows or the Sundance Film Festival) where companies give products to stars - in the hope that those stars will get themselves photographed with those products. (Here's an Los Angeles Times photo of actress Emily Mortimer loading up at the Village at the Yard suite at Sundance '08.)

But, according to this article in Daily Variety, the suites may be fading into oblivion.

"Slowly, each year, the suites are dying down and losing their appeal," Elissa Kravetz, founder of Kravetz PR, told Daily Variety. "I don't want one of my brands to pay a hefty participation fee to be a part of a suite when there's no guarantee of a return on their investment. There are more effective ways to raise brand awareness."

The reasons the suites are not so sweet? Fewer A-list celebrities want to go - because it's tacky to go scrounging for freebies, or because the companies will deliver. And the suites are getting clogged with D-listers and reality-show stars trying to get some publicity for themselves.

(Photo: Myung J. Chung / Los Angeles Times)

Labels: Gifting suites