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bizbash.com fall 2010 3

WASHINGTON Volume 3, Issue 2Fall 2010 © 2010 BizBash Media

FROM THE EDITORS 4 Quick notes for short

attention spans

READERS’ FORUM 7 What’s your dream technology?

THE SCOUT 11 Colored tape installations 12 Attention-grabbing invitations 13 How do you attract younger

guests? 14 Outdoor-friendly rentals 15 Meatless entrées 16 Floral designer Debbie Moultry 18 Corporate gifts with charitable

tie-ins 19 An online marketing leader’s

ambitious offl ine event

VENUES 20 Washington’s newest venues

EVENT REPORTS 23 The White House Correspondents’

Association dinner’s A-list after-parties

25 The Opera Ball’s themed rooms 26 Washingtonian’s gourmet circus

at the “Best of Washington” party 28 From Boston: The Institute of

Contemporary Art’s spring benefi t 29 The sponsor-heavy Safeway

Barbecue Battle 30 From Los Angeles: The Milken

Institute Global Conference 32 The L’Enfant Society’s expanded

Ball on the Mall 33 T. Boone Pickens’ birthday party

and benefi t 34 From New York: O, The Oprah

Magazine’s 10th anniversary 35 The Library of Congress’ private

Paul McCartney concert

39 Holiday Parties Ideas for end-of-the-year

gatherings directly from the people who plan them

43 The New Reality Planners’ biggest challenges,

according to our reader survey 46 Washington’s Top 100 Events A roundup of the area’s biggest

annual undertakings

THE DIRECTORY 60 New Washington venues

TED KRUCKEL 80 Tips for choosing the right music

for an event

On the Cover At the 55th annual Corcoran Ball on April 16, nineteenth cen-tury photographer Eadweard Muybridge’s studies of animal and human locomotion were projected on the walls of the museum’s rotunda, and silk screened on table skirts, which were lit from within. Photographed by Tony Brown/Imijination Photography

ON BIZBASH.COMComprehensive local venue and supplier directories

The latest industry news

Local sites for Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami/South Florida, New York, Orlando, Toronto, and Washington

The Patron Tequila Express, a refurbished antique railcar, pulled into Washington’s Union Station June 8, the second stop on the fi ve-city Epicurean Express tour. Owned by John Paul DeJoria, who also owns Patron Spirits Company, the 85-foot-long luxury railcar served as the backdrop for two nights of food and fund-raising events. The fi rst evening, which had a $50 ticket price, was an hors d’oeuvres reception in a loading area. Local chefs Ann Cashion, Jeff Tunks, and David Guas worked alongside New Orleans-based chefs Brian Landry and Greg Reggio to create appetizers with a Southern twist. The second night was a seated dinner for 25. More photos and details are on BizBash.com.

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Last week I came across three interest-ing takes on how electronic media is affecting how we think and behave.

First The New York Times ran a long front-page piece about the impact of our devotion to information-loaded screens (computers, smartphones, iPads, etc.) and toggling between their apps, emails, videos, texts, games, and RSS feeds. In a nutshell: Our multitasking is actually making it harder for us to move between tasks effectively.

Next, on a fl ight from New York to our annual expo in Los Angeles, in Bloomberg BusinessWeek I read a review of The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains, a new book by Nicholas Carr. He says all those Facebook status updates and ani-mated banner ads are zapping our ability to recall information and comprehend what we read.

Lastly, while stopping for a drink at the Bazaar, the José Andrés restaurant inside the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills, I skimmed an op-ed piece by Harvard psychology professor Steven Pinker—using a Times app on my iPhone. He suggests everyone chill out about the above. Text messages and CNN screen crawls haven’t exactly slowed the pace of scientifi c discovery. And our experiences can’t change the brain’s basic capacities.

All interesting points—and things to consider when developing event content. It’s also my ex-cuse/inspiration for fi lling this space with random thoughts instead of a cohesive note. Here goes:

Speaking of Flying The experience was fi lled with the indignities we’ve come to expect from airline travel. Extra fees for checked luggage, food, and Wi-Fi. (I’m half expecting to pay to rent a seat belt next time.) I folded myself into an exit row seat that somehow had less legroom than normal, if you can believe that.

But Then… Consider the contrast of checking in at the new Andaz West Hollywood. The concept, as I see it, is modern boutique hotel design with homey service touches. (I’ve also toured the Andaz Wall Street in New York.) There’s no front desk; casually dressed roving staffers armed with tablet computers check you in while sitting on a sofa or standing at a kiosk. The minibar snacks and sodas are free, you pay for booze and beer. There is free Internet access, too, which always wins points from me. (I should note I stayed there because the hotel has a business deal with BizBash.)

A Confession I’m no expert on the fi ner fi nan-cial points of the airline or hospitality industries, and surely executives or PR people from either could explain their various policies. My point is how these experiences make customers feel, which affects buying decisions. Advertising a cheap rate and then piling on additional costs might increase short-term revenue, but it’s not a good long-term branding strategy.

More to the Event Industry Point You can have whatever excuses you want for a less-than-stellar guest experience, but the fact is guests don’t care. They remember what they remember, which might be the six-foot fl oral arrangements, or it might be the 20-minute valet wait. You can’t control what they talk about the next day, but you can infl uence what they experience.

D.C. Status Update Most of the folks I encoun-tered while covering the White House Correspon-dents’ Association Dinner weekend in Washington were focused squarely on the guest lists of the various parties. They looked past the food to the famous faces, which I’ll grant in many cases was the more interesting choice. But some hosts still put out stylish spreads that would stand out in any market. Some highlights are on page 23.

Weiss Is Nice Our L.A. keynote speaker, Mindy Weiss, started with photos from her own family gatherings—and self-deprecating asides about her former hairstyles. Moving on to the celebrity nuptials she’s known for, she gave a candid, funny presentation full of sound bites (as Colin Cowie did in Florida in April). “Great entertainment, great bar, great party.” “Every designer is focusing on lighting fi xtures.” (She predicts we’ll see more residential fi xtures at parties.) “Always end, if it’s in the bud-get, with fi reworks.” Ka-boom. —Chad Kaydo

From the Editors

Not-So-Deep ThinkingNo time for a long column? How about a few short thoughts? Flowers from Vert-De-Gris at

Politico’s brunch after the White House Correspondent’s Association dinner

Our L.A. keynote speaker Mindy Weiss

BIZBASHEDITOR IN CHIEF Chad KaydoNEWS EDITOR Courtney ThompsonSTYLE EDITOR Lisa CericolaASSOCIATE EDITORS Michael O’Connell, Anna Sekula

CHICAGOEDITOR/BUREAU CHIEF Jenny Berg

LOS ANGELESEDITOR/BUREAU CHIEF Alesandra Dubin

MIAMIEDITOR/BUREAU CHIEF D. Channing Muller

TORONTOEDITOR/BUREAU CHIEF Susan O’Neill

WASHINGTONEDITOR/BUREAU CHIEF T.J. Walter

ART ART DIRECTOR Joey BouchardASSISTANT ART/PRODUCTION DIRECTOR Carolyn Curtis

PHOTOPHOTO EDITOR Alison WhittingtonASSISTANT PHOTO EDITOR Jessica Torossian

COPY & RESEARCHASSISTANT MANAGING EDITOR Claire HoffmanEDITORIAL INTERN Jennifer Ross

CONTRIBUTORSEDITOR AT LARGE Ted KruckelWRITER AT LARGE, LOS ANGELES Irene LacherCONTRIBUTING EDITORS Mimi O’Connor, Brendan Spiegel CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Meryl Rothstein, Andi Teran LOS

ANGELES: Shilpa Gopinath, Rosalba Curiel TORONTO: Amy Lazar, Erin Letson WASHINGTON: Adele Chapin, Walter NichollsCOPY EDITOR Libby Estell, Josh WimmerCONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Vincent Dillio, Roger Dong, Nick Ferrari, Emily Gilbert, Dan Hallman, John Minchillo, Alice and Chris Ross, Keith Sirchio BOSTON: Aviran Levy, Patrick Piasecki CHICAGO: Mireya Acierto, Tyllie Barbosa, Barry Brecheisen, Eric Craig, Jeremy Lawson, Eddie Quinones LOS ANGELES: Matt Armendariz, BEImages, Jessica Boone, Nadine Froger, Line 8 Photography, Zen Sekizawa, Dale Wilcox MIAMI: Joseph Cancellare & Associates, Matthew Horton, Moris Moreno, Elizabeth Renfrow, Mitchell Zachs TORONTO: Gary Beechey, Jill Kitchener, Henry Lin, Emma McIntyre, Nicki Leigh McKean, George Pimentel WASHINGTON: Tony Brown/Imijination Photo, Stephen Elliot, FotoBriceno, Powers and Crewe

EDITORIAL OFFICES21 West 38th St., 13th Floor, New York, NY 10018phone: 646.638.3600, fax: 646.638.3601

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CONTACT USEditorial Feedback and Ideas: [email protected] Invitations, Press Releases: [email protected] Listings: [email protected] Inquiries: 646.839.6835, [email protected] Subscriptions: bizbash.com/subscribeSubscription Renewals: bizbash.com/renewReprints: Dani Rose, The YGS Group 800.494.9051 ext. 125, [email protected]

BIZBASH MEDIAC.E.O. AND FOUNDER David Adler PRESIDENT Richard AaronBOARD OF DIRECTORS Jonathan Adler (CHAIRMAN), Richard Aaron, David Adler, Beverly Chell, Martin Maleska, Todd Pietri

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT OF SALES AND MARKETING Robert FitzgeraldCHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER David Micciulla

MARKETING & CIRCULATIONMARKETING MANAGER Aram FischerPRINT CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Tracey Harilall

PRODUCTIONDIRECTOR OF PRODUCTION AND CUSTOMER SERVICE J.P. PagánNEW MEDIA COORDINATOR Jamie Hile

EVENTSSENIOR EVENTS MANAGER Sheryl Olaskowitz

OPERATIONSVICE PRESIDENT, CONTROLLER David LevineSTAFF ACCOUNTANT Shahla NasSENIOR DEVELOPER Wei Zheng

BIZBASH NEW YORK21 West 38th St., 13th Floor, New York, NY 10018646.638.3600, fax: 646.638.3601PUBLISHER Jacqueline GouldADVERTISING DIRECTOR Lauren StonecipherASSOCIATE PUBLISHER, NATIONAL VENUE GUIDE/ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER,

BIZBASH BOSTON Andrew CarlinACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Erica FandACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Kristie HudsonSALES ASSISTANT Robert Connell

BIZBASH BOSTON617.340.3914

BIZBASH CHICAGO312.436.2525PUBLISHER Susan BabinACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Julia Kearney

BIZBASH FLORIDA1450 NE 123rd St., North Miami, FL 33161305.893.8771PUBLISHER Ann Keusch

BIZBASH LAS VEGAS702.425.8513ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Jessica Slama

BIZBASH LOS ANGELES310.659.9510PRESIDENT Elisabeth FamilianPUBLISHER Hofi te HuddlestonSENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Mandana Valiyee

BIZBASH TORONTO1 Thorncliff Park Drive, Suite 110, Toronto, ON M4H 1G9 416.425.6380ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Stephen SinananONLINE SALES SPECIALIST Eileen Gualtieri

BIZBASH WASHINGTON202.684.8743PUBLISHER Shelley Golinsky

WASHINGTON ADVISORY BOARDReggie Agarwal, C.E.O., CVENT; Aisha Davis, PRESIDENT,

DESHO PRODUCTIONS; Susan Davis, CHAIRMAN, SUSAN

DAVIS INTERNATIONAL; Philip Dufour, FOUNDER, DUFOUR &

CO. PRODUCTIONS; Aniko Gaal Schott, PRESIDENT, A. GAAL

& ASSOCIATES; Kelly Gillespie, PRESIDENT, GILLESPIE EVENT

MANAGEMENT; Jamie Greenwald, VICE PRESIDENT, GALA

EVENTS; Tammy Haddad, PRESIDENT, HADDAD MEDIA; David Hainline, PRESIDENT, CAPITOL SERVICES INC.; Carla Hargrove-McGill, PRESIDENT, HARGROVE INC.; Leslie Hayes, FOUNDER,

HAYES & ASSOCIATES; Chinyere J. Hubbard, VICE PRESIDENT,

COMMUNICATIONS & MARKETING, WASHINGTON CONVENTION

AND SPORTS AUTHORITY; Victoria Isley, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT,

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS, WASHINGTON, D.C. CONVENTION &

TOURISM CORP.; Nicole Krakora, DIRECTOR, SPECIAL EVENTS AND

PROTOCOL, SMITHSONIAN; La Randa Mayes, STAFF ASSISTANT/EVENT

COORDINATOR, SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES MARSHAL’S

OFFICE; Gail Mutnick, DIRECTOR OF MEETINGS, A.A.C.C.; Susan Nixon, C.O.O., LCM WEALTH MANAGEMENT GROUP; J. Michael O’Connell, DIRECTOR, CONGRESSIONAL INFORMATION PROGRAM, THE

NUCLEAR ENERGY INSTITUTE; Carolyn Peachey, PRESIDENT, CAMPBELL

PEACHEY & ASSOCIATES; David Shackley, VICE PRESIDENT OF GLOBAL

EVENTS, DISCOVERY CHANNEL; Nancy D. Shaffer, FOUNDER AND

C.E.O., BRAVO! EVENTS BY DESIGN; Scott Widmeyer, CHAIRMAN/

C.E.O., WIDMEYER COMMUNICATIONS; Kaye Willis, CLIENT RELATIONS

MANAGER, BAKER BOTTS L.L.P.

Marketing and Advertising Programs: [email protected]®2010 BIZBASH IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF BIZBASH MEDIA INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.

BIZBASH Event Planning | Unique • Elegant • Historic • Unforgettable

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m7960021_ncc_bizbash.indd 1 2/1/10 4:34:02 PM


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Readers’ Forum “A room scanner that would tell me if all the tables, bars, buffets, etc. are in the right place and if each one has the correct number of chairs and place settings.”

Carol Rosen, owner, Party Designs by Carol, Los Angeles

“In a perfect world, someone would sell tracking devices for executives and talent. In this same world, it would be socially acceptable to place these on your speaker at least two hours before he or she is scheduled to appear at your event!”

Grace Garrison, manager of marketing and events, IFC, New York

“An application for my iPhone that would give me the total square footage and layout of any venue while I was actually in it.”Jodi Wolf, president, Paulette Wolf Events & Entertainment, Chicago

“An all-inclusive, portable device that I could use on-site that would allow me to view, edit, and connect all of the planning elements of my event—production schedules, fl oor plans, decor elevations, staff and volunteer assignments, scripts—with an interactive video stream between me and my team. Maybe an iPad on

steroids.” Melissa Bingham, president, Bingham Marketing & Events, Chicago

“Some sort of handheld gadget that that would be able to draw up fl oor plans as we do our walkthroughs with clients, and then be able to email them out and print them for staff. This would be so much easier than drawing them out by hand.”

Lynn Hughes, event sales manager, New England Aquarium

“Now that 3-D technology is becoming such a hit, it would be great to have a program where we can create a proposal that walks the client through the entire event, 100 percent 3-D.”

Brit Bertino, special events director, Power Events, Las Vegas

“Wireless power. There are many ways to run cable for audio and video connectivity, but when you need to power up everyone’s laptop… [being able to] just fl ip a switch, like we do with wireless Internet, would make things much easier.”

Joe Camilli, sector manager—technology, PSAV, San Francisco

“Computer software that would allow me to verbalize deadlines and event dates to be automatically added to or deleted from my event calendar.”

Anne Schmitz, assistant director of advancement meetings and events, DePaul University, Chicago

Compiled by Claire Hoffman

“A robotic Lenny double—but I’m not sure my team would agree.”

Lenny Talarico, director of events, MGM Mirage Events, Las Vegas

What’s your dream technology?

WHAT INSPIRES ME“When it comes to hospitality, The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World

with Kindness by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Korval is a lovely reminder of how the simplest of thoughtful gestures can determine

a successful outcome of a project or event.”

Gina Tepavchevich, meet-ing and event coordinator, board affairs, Radiological Society of North America, Chicago

MY NEW FAVORITE THING“Contact Keeper ($12.99-$29.99, contactkeeper.com), a notebook with slots for business cards and space for writing notes. Even though I can type everything into my phone, I prefer writing things down while meeting with someone. It keeps my contacts in order until I have the time to sit on my computer and input them all. I purchased it when I saw it at the National Stationery Show this year, where it fi rst launched.” Dianne Velez, vice president, Colorblind Productions, New York

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My Cool New JobNiels Schuurmans has been named the executive vice president of brand marketing and creative at Spike. In his new role, he oversees all on- and off-air marketing and focuses on the visual presentation of

the Spike brand. Schuurmans has been senior vice president at the company since 2004. He previously spent 13 years at Nickelodeon.

“We’ve established the brand, and it’s time to take it to the next level. I want to turn these shows into fran-chises. For our show Blue Mountain State, we went to college campuses and hosted games. We sponsored supercross, a motorcycle sporting event. We don’t even air supercross, but those are the guys we want to speak to. We had logo presence and people at the tailgates handing out Spike stuff. I want consumers to actually touch and feel the brand.”

The home of the Nationals can be the home of your next special

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11 bizbash.com summer 2010

The Scout

11

Austin, Texas-based artist Rebecca Ward (rebeccasward.com) uses colored gaffer tape to create vivid, site-specifi c installations that play off existing architecture. Ward lays evenly spaced lines of tape that crisscross ceilings and staircases, rise up from fl oors and walls, and form three-dimensional sculptures. Ward has done corporate commissions, including an eye-catching hot pink and yellow work for Kate Spade’s New York fl agship store. Her installations can range from tape-only creations to more elabo-rate designs that incorporate video and projections. More photos of her work are on BizBash.com. —Lisa Cericola

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For an April 2009 wedding showcase, Mélangerie Inc. (646.248.7823, melangerienyc.com) created a simple yet striking invitation based on a “naughty and nice” theme illustrated with two fonts in contrasting colors and styles.

Invitations

John Kneapler Design (212.463.9774, johnkneaplerdesign.com) created a patriotic invite for the Hackensack University Medical Center Foundation’s gala at the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum in New York in October.

In April, Washington’s Corcoran Gallery of Art held a press preview for an exhibit of work by Eadweard Muybridge, who pioneered stereographs, an early form of 3-D. Westland Enterprises (301.736.0600, westlandenterprises.com) printed a Muybridge stereograph on natural cardstock. American Paper Optics (800.767.8427, 3dglassesonline.com) provided 3-D glasses.

For its Best New Chefs event in New York in April, Food & Wine created postcards with images of cutlery and wine bottles printed by Corporate Color (800.242.5364, corpo-ratecolor.com).

Mackenzie Brown Design (312.443.1000, mackenziebrown.com) created a text-driven invite for the Chicago-based Adler Planetarium’s 2009 Celestial Ball, which had a “cosmic fusion” theme. To create an explosive look, the fi rm merged a vibrant stock image with a bold font on iridescent paper.

For the launch of music video Web site Vevo in New

York in December, Alpine Creative Group

(212.989.4198, alpinecreativegroup.com) created

a two-panel rubber invite that peeled apart. On the front was a

holographic foil stamp of Vevo’s logo. The inside text was silk screened with a

special ink that wouldn’t rub off.

For the opening of Tyler Perry’s Atlanta studios, Creative Intelligence (323.936.9009, creativeintel-ligence.com) hand-wrapped each invitation in crushed silk taffeta. Inside, the center panel was engraved in metallic gold and merlot. Each invitation was wrapped in a cashmere paper sleeve with the recipient’s name calligraphed in gold.

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Priority MailPaper invites can get lost in the shuffl e. Here are seven that grabbed guests’ attention with… By LISA CERICOLA

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By giving events a youthful edge, organizations can draw new custom-ers and donors, and corporations can attract emerging talent or new customers. From carefully curated soundtracks to high-impact enter-tainment, here are some ways to draw fresh faces.

In Chicago, Saks Fifth Avenue di-rector of marketing Julie Selakovich tapped online magazine CheekyChi-cago.com, which has a core reader-ship of 25- to 40-year-old women, to publicize an in-store fashion show. Saks and Cheeky staffers selected “six infl uential, fashionable people in Chicago,” including PR reps and members of the media, to serve as hosts and models. The event had a fun, low-key vibe with a shiny pink runway by Kehoe Designs, a DJ, and refreshments from sponsors MGD 64 and Vitamin-Water Zero. Through email blasts from Cheeky, postings on social net-working sites, and word-of-mouth publicity from the host committee, the event drew 150 guests. “More than half were new customers to Saks Fifth Avenue,” Selakovich says.

In April, Hillary Smith and Sarah Turk of Miami’s Koncept Events worked on a national road show to promote Cover Girl’s Clean Founda-

tion line of cosmetics. Held in the parking lots of stores such as Rite Aid and Walgreens, the events offered free makeovers and product educa-tion. Because the makeup is geared toward 13- to 21-year-old women, the events’ “marketing, signage, color palette, and even the uniforms and look of the makeup artists, were chosen to appeal to that age range,” Smith says. “We also created a play-list with that age group in mind, [with] artists such as Miley Cyrus and Lady Gaga.” Smith says the coupon redemption for Clean Foundation products was “through the roof” and estimates that 75 to 90 percent of guests purchased products on site.

In the nonprofi t realm, planners are using after-parties to target

emerging philanthropists. When the Art Institute of

Chicago debuted its Matisse exhibi-tion in March, the women’s board hosted an elegant gala with a cham-pagne reception, a string quartet, and a three-course dinner. Geared toward a younger crowd, a separate event—new this year—started at 10 p.m. in the museum’s upper-level res-taurant. There, guests found pillow-strewn lounge areas, a dance fl oor with disco balls, and a buffet of slid-ers and French fries. Dubbed “Radical

Night,” the event had a separate host commit-tee comprised of young area professionals. Some 350 guests, most in the 21-to 40-year-old age range, attended.

The party was “certainly a great success,” says director of donor initiatives Anne Henry. “It raised a bit of money. More importantly, though, it was an opportunity to welcome a new audience. All ticket purchasers who were not already members of the museum received a membership with their ticket.”

Jung Lee, co-founder of New York production company Fête, says that clients with particularly dry cor-porate cultures hire her to produce events that will help retain younger employees. In addition to keeping current staffers, she says, “great cor-porate events can be selling tools to attract great new talent during the recruiting process.”

Lee says that uninteresting

entertainment is a common mistake at corporate gatherings. “Most event entertainment goes on a little too long,” she said. “Young employees have a shorter attention span and will get bored.” Lee recommends hiring entertainers who can deliver short, high-impact performances that incorporate contemporary humor. She has wrangled up-and-coming comedian Aziz Ansari and talent from Second City Entertain-ment. She’s also hired a professional pickpocket artist to roam cocktail receptions and pluck guests’ watches and wallets. —Jenny Berg

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Splashy New Chair CoversFor an over-the-top look, Chameleon Chair Col-lection is renting a new faux crocodile chair cover

in purple, white, black,

or bronze. A chair and cover cost $18.50 and are avail-able nationally through Classic Party Rentals (310.202.0011, classicpartyrentals.com). —Alesandra Dubin

RENTALS

D.I.Y. SIGNAGE Ideal for exhibits or check-in sta-tions, Sentina’s (908.964.8109, biz.sentinasmart.com) USign allows planners to create their own illuminated signs. The light-

weight display

frames are made of recycled plastic and have built-in LED lighting. To create a custom display, print a sign on an 8- by 11-inch transparency sheet and slide it into the frame. USigns cost $80 each and can be linked together to create a freestand-ing tower. —Lisa Cericola

TR ADE SHOWS

United Enter-tainment Group, Cover Girl’s New York-based PR and marketing agency, enlisted Koncept Events to stage a fi ve-city road show geared toward women who are just starting to use makeup.

How do you attract younger guests?

Multiple USigns can be linked to create a tower.

— Henry Dinardo, Chef Proprietor

The world around us is changing and so are we. This summer Windows Catering Company is excited to bring you

a new collection of sustainable, beautifully presented and affordably priced menus for every event.

For Rent

TAKE IT OUTSIDE

These six outdoor-friendly rentals incorporate natural touches such as wood, rattan, burlap, and faux shrubbery.

By LISA CERICOLA

Butterfl y Effect tables, $220 each, available across the U.S. from Fresh Wata (323.951.0617, freshwata.com)

Meridian Leaf lounge, $237, available across the U.S. and Canada from Cort Event Furnishings (888.710.2525, cortevents.com)

Isabellé linen-burlap sofa, $350, available across the U.S. from Suite 206 (214.749.0400, suite206.com)

Solei coffee table, $120, available throughout California from Designer8 Event Furniture Rental (800.709.7007, designer8furniturerental.com)

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Boxwood hedge planter, $535, available throughout Southern California from FormDecor (714.493.9501, formdecor.com)

Broadway chair, $250, avail-able across the U.S. from AFR Furniture Rental and Event Furnishings (888.237.7368, afrevents.com)

EVENTSTHATILLUMINATEHargrove will light up your next event with a distinct, creative, and innovative approach sure to engage your audience, leave a memorable impact, and produce results. When you need to shine, call Hargrove.

3 0 1 . 3 0 6 . 9 0 0 0www.hargroveinc.com

New on the Menu

Meat-Free and MemorableVegetarians often get short shrift on event menus. Here are three substantial meatless entrees. By LISA CERICOLA

Grilled vegetable napoleon of eggplant, yellow squash, zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, and phyllo with roasted red pepper sauce and goat cheese, from Phil Stefani Signature Events (312.226.7611, stefanicatering.com) in Chicago

Vegetable paella with saffron-scented rice, tofu, and vegetables, from Contemporary Catering (310.558.8190, contemporary-catering.com) in Los Angeles

Tofu cabbage rolls in ginger broth with chrysanthemum greens and bok choy, from Daniel et Daniel (416.968.9275, danieletdaniel.ca) in Toronto

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New Customizable TablesPerfect Settings’ (202.722.2900, perfectsettings.com) new Chameleon Tables can be made bigger or smaller to create bars, buffets, and cocktail tables. The collection is constructed of welded steel frames that support four or

more 15-inch panels that comprise the exterior of each piece. The panels can be covered in a variety of materials, including

fabric, wood, bamboo, and metal. Owner Peter Grazzini also will work with planners to create completely customized rentals. Prices range from $200 to $500 per piece. —Lisa Cericola

RENTALS

Perfect Settings can insert LED lights in the tables.

For years Debbie Moultry kept a clipping from a magazine showing what she imagined as her dream fl oral shop—a brick building with fl owers blooming in window boxes and a garden courtyard. One day, she showed the picture to her sister, who pointed Moultry to a similar vacant storefront on H Street, in Northeast Washington’s rapidly revitalizing shopping district.

In January 2008, the building became home to Nouveau Fleur (202.543.8616). The sign on the door advertises “gallery hours,” presenting Moultry’s fl owers as works of art. “I like creating fl oral arrangements that will make you say ‘That’s beautiful’ and make you appreciate nature,” she says.

Moultry’s cheery shop draws in customers from the neighbor-hood, as well as corporate clients

including Toyota, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, the Congressional Black Caucus, and the Folger Shakespeare Library.

Before opening her business, she earned certifi cation through the U.S.D.A.’s Master Gardener program at the University of the District of Columbia and gradu-ated from a two-year fl oriculture program at the Community College of Baltimore County. She also worked for three years as a planner at the Dixon Group, where she coordi-nated logistics and fl oral designs for congressional events in and around Washington. “It’s an adrenaline rush, keeping up with the timeline, the fl owers, the placement of every-thing,” she says.

Today, Moultry creates custom arrangements that are modern with a touch of whimsy, using unusual

colors and pulling in elements of the outdoors. “That’s what I like my arrangements to look like, an extension of my garden, with sticks, stones, apple blossoms, everything natural,” she says.

For a 2009 reception honoring Congresswoman Carolyn Kilpatrick during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual Legislative Conference, Moultry used

mums, hydrangeas, and deep purple ornamental kale, with an eight-foot-tall arrangement of birch bark and orchids for the stage near the podium. “Everything is very bright, colorful, and out of the ordinary,” says Kim Rudolph, Kilpatrick’s chief of staff. “She is just a pleasant, nice person. Give her a budget and she’ll stick to the budget and make it very creative.” —Adele Chapin

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Growing a Business At her new H Street fl oral studio, Debbie Moultry creates whimsical arrangements for gifts and events.

Debbie Moultry with Mademoiselle Fleur, the shop’s mascot

STREET FOOD ON WHEELSSâuçá (eatsauca.com) serves globally inspired street food around metro Washington. The menu includes soups ($4);

salads ($5.50-$6.50); toffl es ($4.50), Belgian-style waffl es with different toppings; and

sâuçás ($6.50-$7.50), griddled fl atbread sandwiches with fi ll-ings like beef shawarma, pork bánh mì, and Mumbai butter

chicken. There are 22 sauces, including chimichurri, white miso, barbecue sauce, tahini, and passion fruit mayo, all of which can be used for sâuçás. Event catering is available. —L.C.

CATERI NG

Sâuçá serves globally inspired fare.


Through Bright Endeavors

(773.388.2811, brightendeavors.

org), homeless and at-risk young

women make Dreambeam soy

candles in recycled glass containers,

$12 to $45.

The Women’s Bean Project

(womensbeanproject.com) hires women in poverty to

create and package food items like salsa, chili, and bean soup mixes. Gift baskets start at $30.

Cookies for Kids’ Cancer (646.454.0386, cookiesforkidscancer.org) funds pediatric cancer research through the sale of baked goods, $30 per dozen.

Cards for Causes (888.832.4153, cardsforcauses.com) creates personalized stationery, starting at $105 for 100 cards. Twenty percent of proceeds go to any licensed charity.

Ten percent of proceeds from Presents for a

Purpose’s (212.580.0515, presentsforpurpose.com) oilcloth toiletry bag, $25, go to one of 23 charities, including

the Breast Cancer Research

Foundation.

Charity: Water’s (646.688.2323, charitywater.org) stainless steel Thermos hydra-tion bottle, $42, funds 20 years of clean water for two people in developing nations.

New Orleans-based What’s Surbag (whatsurbag-usa.com) creates tote bags, $14.95 and up, that support

Hope House’s

food and shelter assis-tance, adult learning programs, and other services.

Chocomize (856.375.2041, chocomize.com) offers 90 ingredients to create custom candy bars that start at $4 each. A small percentage goes to one of three charities, includ-ing the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Rara coasters, $12.95 for four, from the Hunger Site

(888.355.4321, thehungersite.com) are made by Haitian

artisans out of recycled materials and

support Partners in Health.

TWICE AS NICE These 10 corporate goodies have built-in charitable tie-ins. By LISA CERICOLA

This unisex scarf, $30, from the Yellow Bird Project (yellowbirdproject.com) benefi ts organiza-tions such as Mercy Corps and Greenpeace.

Gifts

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Like so many technology fests, New York Internet Week is a booze-soaked labyrinth of panels, launches, and networking events. It provides a brief, face-to-face respite for guests whose lives and professions revolve almost entirely around a glowing computer screen, so getting them to commit to one daylong event, in a week crammed with dozens of differ-ent initiatives, requires a compel-ling pitch.

That was the dilemma for social media blog Mashable, whose previous Internet Week outing was a mixer with little opportunity for branding or audience education. Since it was founded in 2005, Mashable has become the de facto authority on marketing with social media and is only bested in U.S. blog traffi c by the Huffi ngton Post and Gizmodo. Looking to create a signature event that could cater to the varied interests of its readership while providing an attractive opportunity for sponsors, the brand put on the Mashable Media Summit at the Times Center on June 8.

Instead of typical conference panels, the summit lined up an entire day of presentations from social and digital media experts in arenas as diverse as hospitality, music, consumer brand-ing, video production, and location technology, all speaking about how Web marketing and promotions worked to their advantage. By cast-ing the widest possible net, Mashable hoped to court an equally diverse group of guests.

“We’re known for throwing parties, but that’s not really what we’re about,” says Brett Petersel, who handles Mashable’s business development and events, but had never done anything on the scale of the summit. “I think it was time to see if we could really do something big like this.”

After being heavily promoted on the site and appearing on recommended event lists from CNET and the Daily Beast, the summit drew a sold-out crowd of more than 400. Attendees paid $499 for their nearly eight hours of live programming.

“We didn’t really target specifi c people,”

Petersel said. “We just put it out there, what we were doing, for the people who might be some-what familiar with the terminology but wanted to learn how to do it and wanted to hear it from people who’d done it well.”

Mashable looked to speak-ers who were recognizable, but not familiar speaking circuit faces. Coordinating with busi-ness and editorial staffers, Petersel brought in more than 20 experts, including Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crow-ley; Starbucks vice president of brand, content, and online Chris Bruzzo; and actor Edward Norton, who made a recent foray into social media with a fund-raising Web site called Crowdrise.

Securing market-ing partners ended up being easier. “A lot of sponsors just came to us,” said Petersel. He had worked with many of the brands before, though typically on events that offered less exposure. “As for the others, we approached our sponsors the same way we always do, giving them the opportunity to meet our audience, do some business, and see fi rsthand how much we’ve grown.” Yahoo, HP, and Motorola—which gave each attendee a new phone—were among the brands that came on board.

The biggest partnership of all was with CNN. Mashable chief operations offi cer Adam Hirsch, who fi rst came up with the idea of the summit, brought on the cable news network as an offi cial co-host in the early stages. All of the day’s content—in addition to being streamed on Mashable—was available on-line via direct links on CNN’s home page.

However, as might have been expected in a group so focused on social media, it was the guests who provided much of the content promo-tion. From start to fi nish, the conference offered the very meta sight of most attendees clacking out blog entries on laptops and Blackberries and stealthily tweeting from their new iPads.

Social LifeThe social media gurus at Mashable drew a sold-out crowd to their most ambitious offl ine event yet, a daylong conference during New York Internet Week. By MICHAEL O’CONNELL

Strategy Session

Brett Petersel

Attendees tweeted and blogged from the conference.

CNN co-hosted the summit and linked to online content from the day.

Mashable editor in chief Adam Ostrow interviewed Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley.

Sponsor Motorola set up a photo booth and gave each attendee a phone.

20 bizbash.com january/february 2010

By WALTER NICHOLLS & T.J. WALTER

Modern MeetingsOpened in April, Vetro is a 1,400-square-foot, members-only lounge and event venue on the mezzanine of the Tower Building on the K Street corridor. The long space has gray and white walls and is divided in half by a series of four glass-encased industrial columns. On one side of the columns is a 12-

seat stainless steel bar with white leather stools; on the other side, Barcelona sofas, chairs, and adjustable glass cocktail tables create fl exible seating areas. Audiovisual capabilities include a wall of fi ve projection screens and a DJ booth. Vetro holds 200 for a reception, seats 80, and for full buyouts, can be combined with neighboring venue Lima Restaurant and Lounge to accommodate more than 800 guests. (1401 K St. NW, 202.789.2800)

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A Parisian ImportWashington’s outpost of the international chain Buddha-Bar opened in May in Mount Vernon Triangle. The 9,500-square-foot restaurant and lounge has 22-foot ceilings, massive red-tasseled chandeliers, and an 18-foot-tall signature Buddha sculpture in the center of the 170-seat dining room. In the 50-seat lounge, as well as the dining room, chairs and sofas are covered in paisley brocade or polished silk, and more than 700 yards of gold fabric cover the fl oor-to-ceiling win-dows. In addition to sushi, the Pan-Asian menu includes curry shrimp in banana leaves, fi ve spice chicken, and wok-fried beef with basil. (455 Massachusetts Ave. NW, 202.377.5555)

Maryland’s New GastropubWashington-based hospitality fi rm the Whisk Group expanded its Againn gastropub to Rockville with the opening of Againn Tavern in July. The 8,100-square-foot venue’s design refl ects a modern interpretation of a traditional British pub with dark pan-eling, cognac-colored leather booths, and traditional gas lanterns. Execu-tive chef Wesley Morton incorporates organic, locally produced ingredients and certifi ed humane meats into the menu of pub classics like fi sh and chips with mushy peas and bangers and mash. Two semiprivate rooms can accommodate 50 people each. In addition to the 215-seat dining room, the tavern has outdoor seating and a separate bar area. (12256 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Md., 301.230.9260)

Venues

A Massive RevampThe Washington Hilton held its offi cial reopening in June after a three-year, $150 million renovation. In addition to new guest rooms, common areas, restaurants, and a health club, the renovation added two function spaces: Columbia Hall and the Heights Executive Meeting Center. On the terrace level, the 30,000-square-foot Columbia Hall has a series of movable walls that allow for the space to be tailored to a variety of group sizes. Adjoin-ing the hall are seven renovated meeting suites that can be used as breakout rooms or in conjunction with the hall’s main exhibition space. The nine-room Meeting Center offers groups dedicated meeting space within the hotel. The property now boasts more than 110,000 square feet of function space. (1919 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202.232.0438)

ON BIZBASH.COM A look at Baltimore’s newest venues

INSIDE EDGE

LIMA Unveils Exclusive Event Space

Drape Kings Opens D.C. Office

Springtime at the Renaissance

Event Tech’s Low-Profile 60-foot Tower

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Banner HostsFor its White House Correspondents’ Association dinner after-party, MSNBC lined the Mellon Auditorium’s walls with three-story-high banners promoting its shows and personalities.

House RaceThe White House Correspondents’ after-parties competed with A-listers and self-serve s’mores.

The competition for guests leaving the White House

Correspondents’ Association dinner at the Hilton Washington on May 1—Washington’s biggest annual party night—saw a new contestant. MSNBC challenged the two major players of recent years, the Bloomberg/Vanity Fair party and the bash thrown by Niche Media’s Capitol File, with a large, lavish event that offered a big spread of comfort food and the evening’s only musical performance.

All three used their distinct charms to lure black-tie guests from the political, media, and entertainment folks in town: intimate exclusivity (Bloomberg/Vanity Fair), raucous fun (Capitol File), and curiosity about the newcomer (MSNBC).

Bloomberg’s longtime party presence and Vanity Fair’s star power retained their event’s status as the evening’s toughest ticket. A-list political fi gures like White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel mingled with Hollywood heavyweights like Morgan Freeman in the sprawling residence of the French ambassa-dor. The Vanity Fair team lit the trees on the grounds in green, blue, and orange, and put out pillows printed with humorous political quotes.

Meanwhile, MSNBC made its own big statement with roving spotlights and a tented table for 20 check-in staffers at the entrance to the Mellon Auditorium. Four bars fl anked a checkerboard dance fl oor, while Rachel Maddow manned another bar named for her. At the other end of the vast room, KC and the Sunshine Band took the stage. Producer Phillip Dufour and Eric Michaels from Occasions Caterers made sure there was plenty of homey food circulating the party.

Capitol File’s fi fth annual after-party doubled as an 85th anniver-sary celebration for the Renaissance Mayfl ower Hotel, which underwrote the festivities and brought in New York-based Tony Berger of Relevent to produce. On the hotel’s fi rst fl oor, a tiny lounge allowed guests to check out R Life, the hotel brand’s blog, and tables were piled high with sweets from Edward Marc Chocolatier.

But the main action was in the grand ballroom, where DJ Cassidy spun an upbeat mix for an expected 1,600 people that had the likes of Desirée Rogers—the recently departed White House social secre-tary, and a co-host of the party last year—dancing in the V.I.P. area on the mezzanine. —Chad Kaydo PH

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ON BIZBASH.COM

More photos from the White House Correspondents Association dinner weekend events

Bloomberg/Vanity Fair White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner After-PartyCatering Design Cuisine Caterers

MSNBC PartyCatering Occasions Caterers

Decor A Vista EventsFlowers Jack H. Lucky Floral Design

Lighting Atmosphere Lighting

Production Dufour & CoRentals Perfect Settings L.L.C.

Security The Bilyeu Group LLC

Transportation Carey Limousine

Valet Atlantic Services Group

Venue Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium

Capitol File PartyCatering, Security, Valet, Venue Renaissance Mayfl ower Hotel

Decor, Production Relevent Group LLC

DJ DJ CassidyLighting AG Light and Sound Inc.

MSNBC entered the after-party scrum, hosting its debut bash at the Mellon Auditorium.

Occasions served push-up ice cream pops from glowing trays.

Rachel Maddow made three specialty cocktails at her own bar at the MSNBC party.

The Capitol File party took over the grand ballroom at the Renaissance Mayfl ower.

At the Bloomberg/Vanity Fair party, guests including Anna Kendrick and Rosario Dawson lounged among political pillows.

At MSNBC’s after-party, Occasions Caterers served a large array of casual food options, including self-serve s’mores.

24


Russian StandardThe Opera Ball offered history lessons via themed rooms at the Russian Embassy

The Washington National Op-era set a new standard for its

largest annual fund-raiser, the Opera Ball, which took over the ceremonial building at the Embassy of the Russian Federation on May 21. This year marked the fi rst time the Opera Ball was hosted in conjunction with Russia, and throughout the evening more than 600 guests were immersed in Russian history by way of fi ve themed spaces that offered glimpses into the nations’s past and its future. The event, which was overseen by chair-man Susan Lehrman, raised $1.5 million.

Patti Humphrey, director of special events for the Washington National Opera, said the ceremo-nial building at the embassy was an easy choice due to the fact that it “was such a clean slate to work with, but still offered so much history and tradition.”

Although these spaces offered plenty of creative freedom, there still were challenges to working within the confi nes of an embassy. While a typical Opera Ball takes fi ve days to set up, this year’s event required 12, due to the security requirements and the large amount of furniture and decor.

For the majority of attendees, the evening be-gan at one of 22 formal dinners hosted by embas-sies all over the city. Guests arrived at the Russian embassy shortly after 9:30 p.m., where a cano-pied red carpet ran from the front gate to the en-tryway, and Quince Imaging projected eight-story images of traditional Russian architecture on one of the ancillary embassy buildings.

Inside the embassy, the lobby was transformed into a winter landscape with plush white carpets and white birch trees lining the hallway. The winter theme continued into the courtyard, which was designed in tribute to the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

On the second fl oor were four themed rooms including the Golden Hall, which was made over as St. Pe-tersburg’s Winter Palace; Yellow Hall, which became a Russian tea room; Petrovsky Hall, which resembled an ice palace; and Palekh Hall, which took on the look of Tolstoy’s library.

For entertainment, the Peter Duchin Orchestra kept the dance fl oor abuzz, and rising opera stars from the Bolshoi Opera gave three 15-minute performances in an adja-cent auditorium. The ball concluded shortly after 1 a.m. and all guests re-ceived an offi cial program and a shot glass engraved with the symbol of the Russian Federation. —T.J. WalterPH

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The Washington National Opera BallAudio All Stage and Sound Inc.

Catering Occasions Caterers, Sylvia Weinstock Cakes, Terracocoa

Entertainment Alexander Izbitser, Duchin Entertainment, KSE Productions Inc.

Flowers Fields & Chambers Floral Events, Flowers, Sticks and Stones: Designs by Susan Edgar, Plants Alive Inc.

Lighting Atmosphere Inc., Frost Lighting

Printing MacImpressionsProduction Sandi R. Hoffman LLC Special Events

Projections Quince ImagingRentals DC Rental, Gala Inc., HDO Productions, Party Rental Ltd., Props for Today

Valet Atlantic Services Group

Venue Embassy of the Russian Federation

WASHINGTON

Entertainers circled the snow-fi lled courtyard in Zorbs, the symbol of the upcoming 2014 winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Petrovsky Hall became an ice palace complete with seven nine-foot-tall ice sculptures.

Vintage samovars decorated the Yellow Hall, which became a Russian tearoom.

In the Golden Hall, two dessert stations served Faberge egg cakes by Sylvia Weinstock.

Quince Imaging projected images of storied Russian architecture on one of the embassy’s ancillary buildings.


Circus StyleWashingtonian staged a gourmet circus at the “Best of Washington” party.

Washingtonian magazine re-turned to the National Building

Museum on July 21 for its annual “Best of Wash-ington” party, which marks the July issue honor-ing reader-generated picks in areas ranging from pizza to politicians. While the venue remained the same, the circus theme was a departure from last year’s Asian-inspired party.

Jennifer Haber, the magazine’s director of marketing and special events, worked with Har-grove Inc. and A. Dominick Events to transform the spacious museum into a gourmet circus with many of Washington’s top restaurants, as well as tents, games, and a sword swallower.

“The circus idea came out of a planning ses-sion where we were looking at past ideas and I saw a picture of a stilt walker,” Haber said. “The circus is all about having fun, and we wanted to create a circus with a twist, where adults could be a kid for the night.”

The tone was set early as a carnival barker and a fi re swallower greeted guests the moment they arrived and will-call tickets were available in a large red and white striped tent. Inside, juggling

clowns and stilt walkers mingled through the crowd of 1,500 people, performing tricks along the way. Luckily, all the food was well above typical circus fare as more than 70 area restaurants doled out one or two dishes at their individual tables.

Although most of entertainment was of the old-school variety, planners also embraced technology and added a new level of interactiv-ity to the event. Guest photos taken in the photo booth instantly appeared on a massive overhead screen in the middle of the museum. Five roam-ing photographers also sent food and group shots from the fl oor to a behind-the-scenes photo editor, who uploaded them to the screen. Spon-sor Verizon Wireless also got in on the action, setting up a text-to-win program for the evening’s best dish. Using a code at each restaurant’s table, guests could text in their favorite dish, which eventually went to Co Co. Sala’s German chocolate whoopie pie. —T.J. Walter PH

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Washingtonian Best of Washington PartyAudiovisual Production CPR Multimedia

Beverages Metropolitan IceCatering Occasions Caterers

Entertainment Cast of Thousands Entertainment Company

Event Management A. Dominick Events

Photobooth onomonomedia

Design, Production Hargrove Inc.

Rentals Perfect Settings L.L.C.

Tenting Skyline Tent Company

Valet Marc Parc Valet Inc.Venue National Building Museum

WASHINGTON

One of the three bars resembled a game booth with a spinning wheel of fortune.

Event designers added whimsical touches to the bars and side tables.

Planners wanted to let guests act like kids with activities such as cut-out photo boards.

Guests could try their hand at classic circus games like the hammer swing.

Restaurants were grouped into fours under a series of striped and solid tents.

Celebrating a Decade of Fresh Ideas and Inspiration

New York / The Javits Center / October 27, 2010

Register Today at bizbashnewyorkexpo.com and celebrate 10 years of BizBash on Wednesday, October 27 with:

Call 646.839.6840 or email [email protected]

EXHIBITOR INQUIRIES

PLUS A DAY FULL OF: 10 AMAZING ACTS10 INCREDIBLE GIVEAWAYS

A DECADE OF CELEBRATING IDEAS

2001 2011

New AdditionThe I.C.A. took its gala to a raw space this year, and introduced an after-party.

The Institute of Contemporary Art hosted its annual spring fund-rais-

ing event on May 7, this year attracting larger crowds with its fi rst-ever after-party, dubbed

“Party on the Har-bor.” The evening kicked off with the “A Gala Celebra-tion” cocktail party and dinner in the adjacent One Ma-rina Park building in Fan Pier.

“We wanted to liven up the night. Not everyone could come to the dinner, and it was a nice way to let people come and not invest in a major ticket price,” said Susie Allen, the museum’s director of special events.

Using green Astroturf, fake hedging, and glowing plastic bars, PBD Events transformed the 13th fl oor of the new Marina Park Building from a raw, concrete-and-glass shell. Custom, industrial-looking light bulb chandeliers and mirrored tables contrasted with wooden tabletops and tropical fl owers for an organic-meets-contem-porary vibe.

Inspired by the museum’s Dr. Lakra exhibi-tion, servers donned T-shirts with tattoo designs by the artist. Max Ultimate Food provided a martini juice bar, passed hors d’oeuvres, a two-course meal, and an old-fashioned ice cream truck outside.

Large arrows formed from white fl uorescent lights guided the 430 dinner guests to walk across the boardwalk to the I.C.A., where they joined 300 additional guests. Packed with entertainment and special activities, the fete included henna tattoo stations and a photo booth that projected the images it took around the building. Local band Endway provided live music for a second-fl oor dessert lounge supplied by Wolfgang Puck Catering.

Downstairs, DJ Ruckus performed and guests were of-fered I.C.A. branded fl ip-fl ops for their sore feet at the end of the evening. —Erica Corsano

I.C.A. GalaCatering Max Ultimate Food, Wolfgang Puck Catering

Decor, Production, Rentals PBD Events (Party by Design)

DJ DJ RuckusEntertainment EndwayFlowers Winston FlowersRentals Be Our Guest Inc.Venue Institute of Contemporary Art

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Bright fl owers and driftwood added an organic vibe to the contemporary dinner decor.

Mini screens placed on serving trays displayed work from the museum’s teen programs.

Astroturf and illuminated bars transformed the raw offi ce space for cocktail hour.

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On ’CueThe Safeway Barbecue Battle attracted Oscar Meyer lunchables, Verizon, and other sponsors.

Despite temperatures that reached into the 100s, more

than 100,000 people made their way to Penn-sylvania Avenue the weekend of July 2 for the Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle. The 18th annual event, which at its core is a cooking competition with thousands of dollars at stake, has evolved over the years and now features a wide range of sponsors and exhibitors setting up space along eight blocks of downtown D.C.

“First time visitors are typically surprised at what they fi nd at the battle,” said Suzanne Tubis, vice president of publicity for the Safeway National Capital Barbecue Battle. “We have been really lucky with the great sponsors and exhibitors we have been able to attract over the years, and much of that starts with having a great title sponsor like Safeway.” Tubis also spoke to the other factors that

have attracted sponsors over the years, like its lon-gevity. “Coming into our 18th year, the battle has longevity with a proven turnout year after year. We have also earned a solid reputation with the marketing companies and sponsors that our event provides a really good setup for them and they will be taken care of from start to fi nish,” Tubis said.

Exhibitors and sponsors with giveaways or interactive elements attracted the most attention throughout the two-day festival. Lunchables and local cable provider RCN both brought in climbing walls for attendees while the Oxygen Network showcased its dancing competition show, Dance You’re A** Off with dancing demos on its mobile stage. Greyhound and Peter Pan Bus Lines capital-ized on the heat by turning up the air condition-ing on two of their new buses and using them as cooling stations. Once inside, guests could sit down in the new leather seats and check out new amenities, like on-board Wi-Fi.

When it came to food, attendees could pur-chase everything from pad Thai and French fries to turkey legs and pulled pork from vendors or they could line up for the free samples in the massive Safeway sampling pavilion. Despite waiting times that lasted more than hour, the tent offered some 30 free samples from sponsors. —T.J. Walter

WASHINGTON

The Lunchables exhibit catered to families with small children and featured several interactive games and a cooling station.

Char-Broil staged a friendly game of cornhole alongside its new line of infrared cooking systems.

At the barbecue competition, guests could purchase ribs, pulled pork, and much more from vendors like the award-winning Smoke Stack BBQ.

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Think TankThe Milken Institute Global Conference drew 3,000 attendees for 140 panels amid 560 top thinkers.

The Milken Institute’s Global Conference ran April 26

through 28 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. With 560 speakers on 140 panels, the event brought spirited discussions among top-level decision makers and thinkers on topics like education, energy, the en-vironment, fi nance, religion, government, health, media, and philanthropy. T. Boone Pickens, Maria Shriver, Eli Broad, and Les Moonves were among the participants in the discussions, which brought

more than 3,000 at-tendees represent-ing 60 countries. Even non-attendees could check out the proceedings through recordings of all public sessions that were available online within hours of their completion.

To produce the event, Milken Insti-tute senior event manager Bryan

Quinan and Milken Family Foundation senior vice president of creative services Larry Lesser tapped Vision Matrix, led by Josh Lesser, the former direc-tor of video production for Milken Family Founda-tion. About 150 freelance staffers were on hand for support during the programming. Josh Lesser explained that producing the show was a 24-hour, on-call, live-in situation. “You never know when someone’s going to need that projector—those things come left and right at us. One of the things that makes this thing so successful is that we live on site and we have 115 walkie-talkies.”

“One of the challenges every year that we face is, how do you keep the show with the level of people that we have safe and secure? How do we make IDs safe?” said Lesser. “We work with security fi rm Guardsmark and they bring offi cers, and there’s an internal security element.”

Among the new programming this year (revived from a past incarnation) was the Global Gourmet Games, an interactive event that paired leaders in business and industry with chefs and som-meliers for a program to benefi t the Prostate Cancer Foundation and FasterCures. Related programming also took place at res-taurants and private homes. —Alesandra Dubin

Milken Institute Global ConferenceCrew, Equipment Video Applications

Production, Technical Production Vision Matrix

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Venue Beverly Hilton HotelVideo Equipment Video Equipment Rentals (VER)

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Dinner TimeThe Ball on the Mall added a seated meal and raised $350,000.

The L’Enfant Society hosted its second annual Ball on the Mall

on May 8 under the shadow of the Washington Monument on the National Mall. The sold-out black-tie affair, held in a series of tents, attracted more than 800 people and raised $350,000 to restore and improve the National Mall. The event has quickly become one of the top events of the year for the young philanthropic crowd, and Al-lison Signorelli, the Trust for the National Mall’s fund-raising consultant, along with her commit-tee, wanted to retain and capitalize on that status when they began planning this year’s event.

“After last year we took a hard look at what people liked about the event and what they didn’t like,” Signorelli said. “We thought there was a hole in the event market for people in their 30s and 40s when it came to exciting, affordable black-tie events, especially ones that included a seated dinner. There are plenty of super-expensive dinner events and cocktail parties, but nothing in the middle. We were able to attract a lot of new sponsors who were interest-

ed in sponsoring a table as opposed to sponsoring just a buffet and dance event.”

The V.I.P. dinner got under way after 6:30 p.m. under a clear top tent, which allowed the 350 diners to sit for their meal and interact in natural light. Guests were seated at a mix of rectangular and square bar-height tables adorned with vi-brant green and purple fabrics, and a trio of glass bulb chandeliers hung from the center support column. Design Cuisine provided its take on high-end Mexican fare, serving spicy pork enchiladas with Veracruz mole and pepita-crusted halibut with black bean, corn, and jicama chutney and cilantro cream sauce.

At 8:30 p.m., V.I.P. guests made their way to the main reception tent, where an additional 450 guests were gathered. Here a variety of buffet tables served dessert selections and Mexican

foods like sausage empanadas and tamalas. Four bars fl anked the interior of the tent while the center was reserved for the dance fl oor, where DJ Heather Femia played a mix of world music and top 40 until the house lights were turned on at midnight.

Among the noted guests for the evening were Silver Spoonsstar Ricky Schroder, jazz legend Ski Johnson, and former Bachelor Andy Baldwin. Whitney Houston was rumored to be making an appear-ance, but failed to show. —T.J. Walter PH

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the MallCatering, Rentals Design Cuisine Caterers

Decor, Production, Staging A Vista Events

DJ DJ Heather FemiaEntertainment Mariachi Los Amigos

Event Management Allison Signorelli

Invitations Design ArmyLighting, Production Fandango Productions

Signage Signs by TomorrowTenting HDO ProductionsVenue National Mall and Memorial Parks

WASHINGTON

The dinner tent housed a mix of square and rectangular tables adorned with vibrant linens.

Design Cuisine passed hors d’oeuvres as V.I.P. guests arrived for the seated dinner.

DJ Heather Femia (right) provided background music during dinner before transitioning to dance tunes later in the evening.

Glass vases and fl owers anchored the tables and seating areas in the reception tent.

Horsing AroundBillionaire T. Boone Pickens hosted a mustangs benefi t that doubled as his birthday party.

As many of the country’s elected offi cials were ham-

mering out the fi nal details of a fi nancial reform bill on the House fl oor on May 20, Madeleine and T. Boone Pickens hosted more than 350 guests at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian for an evening that was planned as a “celebration of America’s heritage.”

Part of celebrating that heritage was honoring the horse, most nota-bly the American mustang, which played a central role in America’s history and is the focus of Mad-eleine Pickens’ foundation, Saving America’s Mustangs. Four mustangs took center stage during the cocktail hour, held outside on the museum’s stone entrance patio. The guests, including members of Congress and TV personalities, took full advantage of their access to the horses and many spent time interacting with the trainers and posing for photos. In line with the heritage theme, Ridgewells Catering passed Ameri-can comfort food hors d’oeuvres like

macaroni and cheese bites, chicken pot pie fritters, and grilled shrimp on sweet potato cakes.

Shortly after 8:30 p.m. guests were ushered into the museum’s dramatic Potomac Atrium. The evening began on a strong patriotic note with the U.S. Navy Band accompanying military and Native American color guards for the Presentation of the Colors. Grammy nominee and eight-time Native American Music Awards winner Jana Mashonee sang the national anthem while Atmosphere Lighting blanketed the atrium walls with projec-tions of the American fl ag.

Ridgewells’ Southwestern menu began with an appetizer trio: a sweet corn tamale on a bed of poblano corn salsa; pinto, black and green bean salad; and chilled butternut squash soup, follow-

ed by bison tenderloin. During the entrée guests were

treated to a performance by Ameri-can Idol alum Katharine McPhee and opera singer Josh Page. While the evening began as a celebration of America’s heritage, the event also became an 82nd birthday party of sorts for T. Boone Pickens, who was presented with a tower-ing cake designed like a traditional Native American tepee. Following a rendition of “Happy Birthday,” serv-ers doled out chocolate-strawberry cake along with a festive glass of Blanc de Bleu Cuvee Mousseux, a pastel blue sparkling wine.—T.J. WalterPH

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Celebrating America’s Heritage With Madeleine and T. Boone PickensCake The Sweet LifeCatering RidgewellsDesign, Event Management Events in the City

Flowers Holly Heider Chapple Flowers Ltd.


Production Hanson Productions L.L.C.

Rentals Perfect Settings L.L.C.

Venue National Museum of the American Indian

WASHINGTON

The dinner for 350 guests was held inside the museum’s Potomac Atrium.

Several of Mrs. Pickens’ mustangs were on display during the cocktail hour.

Madeleine Pickens presented her husband with a tepee cake for his 82nd birthday.


The Big 1-OOprah Winfrey’s magazine marked 10 years with a sold-out weekend of events.

For the 10th Anniversary of O, The Oprah Magazine, the media

queen brought in all of her different properties for a weekend of events for 5,500 women that included a registration kickoff party, seminars at the Javits Center, a performance at Radio City, and a Mother’s Day charity walk.

“It’s been a little over a year since we started working on this,” said O associate publisher of marketing Stefanie Manning. “And while the magazine put this on, we worked in tandem with all the Oprah properties, which was a fi rst.”

O marketing art director Jessica Podoshen came up with the design for the weekend, and the magazine enlisted Empire Entertainment and LeadDog Marketing to produce the different events.

The magazine holds signature events every year, but this was the fi rst in New York and the fi rst to incorporate so many different ele-ments. The Live Your Best Life events have previously been limited to a day of seminars with magazine contributors—fi nance expert Suze

Orman, Dr. Mehmet Oz, designer Nate Berkus, and others—and a small trade show of participating sponsors.

“We kept our seminar piece intact, but we wanted to dress it up with other events. Slowly but surely, we layered all of the pieces on it,” Man-ning said. Those other elements included a sepa-rate registration event to welcome the attendees (from all 50 states and abroad), the live evening program with Winfrey at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday, and the public charity walk.

After announcing the program, O received overwhelming interest in the weekend, but decid-ed early on to cap attendance at 5,500, the capacity

at Radio City. “We didn’t want to sell the events individually,” Manning said, “so we decided to make it a full weekend event by limiting to the capacity of the program venue.”

On Sunday, May 9, the regis-trants were joined by an additional 5,000 members of the public for a Mother’s Day charity walk to Times Square, which, after the bomb scare the week before, ended up being one of the more complicated elements of the weekend.

“That was a little frightening, but we worked hand-in-hand with the city,” Manning said. The walk went off without a hitch, and after leading more than 10,000 walkers from the Intrepid to Times Square, Winfrey took the stage and con-cluded the weekend’s festivities. —Michael O’Connell

Oprah’s Live Your Best Life WeekendParty Production Empire Entertainment Inc.

Party Venue Radio City Music Hall

PR Susan Magrino AgencyRegistration Catering Thomas Preti Caterers

Registration Lighting Bentley Meeker Lighting & Staging

Registration Production, Seminar Production LeadDog Marketing Group Inc.

Registration Venue Gotham Hall

Seminar Lighting PRG Lighting

Seminar Venue Jacob K. Javits Convention Center

Walk Staffi ng Lipari Production Group

Walk Venue Times Square

NEW YORK

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Sponsor L’Oréal Paris offered makeovers, sampling, and tips at the Javits Center and the day before at Gotham Hall.

Saturday afternoon’s Live Your Best Life event took over part of the Javits Center, fi lling it with seminars, activities, and sponsor activations.

Attendees tacked messages onto the Inspiration Wall at the Javits Center.

At the end of Sunday’s charity walk, Winfrey took to a stage in Times Square to address the crowd and wrap up the weekend.

Beatle ManiaFor its Gershwin Prize, the Library of Congress hosted a private concert with Paul McCartney.

The Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of Congress was home

to rock royalty on June 1 as Sir Paul McCartney played an intimate private concert to celebrate being named the third recipient of the Gersh-win Prize for Popular Song. Overseen by James

H. Billington, the librarian of Congress, the gathering was a run up to the offi cial ceremony at the White House on June 2 and clearly was one of the hottest tickets in town, as the room was fi lled with famous faces from music and Hollywood along with a sizable contingent from Congress.

Among the musical heavyweights in attendance were Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon, the Jonas brothers, Faith Hill, Elvis Costello, Dave Grohl, Stevie Wonder, Jack White, and Emmylou Harris.

Lorne Michaels and Jerry Seinfeld, the offi cial ceremony’s M.C., were also on hand to celebrate McCartney.

Though many of the music stars were in town to perform in the East Room tribute concert the next day (which aired July 28 on PBS), the night had its own lineup: The Loma Mar Quartet, who worked with McCartney for his “Working Classical” album, and Chinese pianist Lang Lang opened for McCartney, who took to the stage and performed acoustic versions of “Yesterday” and “Blackbird.”

Following the concert, all of the at-tendees were ushered into the Great Hall for the gala dinner. While McCartney and sever-al high-profi le guests dined at a rectangu-lar head table, the rest of the guests sat at round tables with rose, peony, and ra-nunculus centerpiec-es from Grand Floral and Design. The veg-etarian four-course meal—McCartney is a strict vegetarian—was catered by Grand Cuisine Caterers. —T.J. WalterPH

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Gershwin Prize for Popular Song Gala Dinner and ConcertAdditional Staffi ng Wright Music & Productions

Audiovisual Production Regan Music System

Catering Grand Cuisine Caterers

Event Management Lisa D. Frazier

Flowers Grand Floral & Design


Menu Cards Creative Parties Ltd.

Photography Imijination Photography

Printing Linemark, Minuteman Press

Rentals Party Rental Ltd.Valet Federal ValetVenue Library of Congress

WASHINGTONSir Paul McCartney performed two songs with the Loma Mar Quartet.

The gala dinner was held in the ornate Great Hall of the Library of Congress.

FIND JOBS / POST JOBS / GET BACK TO WORK

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End-of-the-year gatherings haven’t been a top priority over the past few years, but they are still an important way to show appreciation. Here are ideas from real holiday parties and the people who plan them.By LISA CERICOLA

Happier Holidays

Hargrove Inc. (301.306.9000, hargroveinc.com) transformed the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s H Street headquarters into a rustic ski lodge complete with a 20- by 30-foot faux stone fi replace, a lifelike stuffed moose head, six-foot-tall wooden reindeer, and a massive Christmas tree.

Large-scale projections brought a winter setting to sunny Los Angeles for DirecTV’s annual holiday party. Firefl y LA (323.571.1447, fi refl yla.com) and the Hand Company (818.843.2402, thehandcompany.com) projected snow-covered forests, icicles, and other scenes onto a 120- by 140-foot tent on DirecTV’s campus.

“When decorating a conference room, make the table the central fo-cus by creating a runner instal-lation. Use white plush fabric adorned with white and silver ornaments. Incorporate height by propping white feather mini trees on either side of the table, which can be adorned with a touch of red. If the offi ce has glass windows, you can create a bigger statement by designing holiday graphics that frame your table-runner installation.”

Shai Tertner, president, Shiraz Events, New York and Miami (212.255.7001, shirazevents.com)

Combining elements of Christmas and Hanukkah, Toronto’s Regent Park School of Music staged a Chrismukkah benefi t with a modern winter look. McNabb Roick (416.703.1000, mcnabbroickevents.com) hung oversize snowfl akes, stars, and icicles while Westbury National Show Systems (416.752.1371, westbury.com) lit the room in shades of blue and purple.

New York-based Internet company IAC hired Frank Alexander (212.677.5176, frankalexandernyc.com) to capture the Viceroy Santa Monica’s sophis-ticated cabanas with green and white rentals from Taylor Creative Inc. (888.245.4044, taylorcreativeinc.com) and colorful, arty lighting by Glow Design Group (646.201.9557, glowdesigngroup.com).

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The South Florida-based Offi ce Depot Foundation held a holiday party with a tropical theme. Boca By Design (561.447.3349, bocabydesign.com) brought in live fl amingos, parrots, and other creatures from Rainforest Aviaries and Gardens (305.246.5930) and Jesse Williams Ranch (305.238.5437, jessewilliamsranch.com) for photo ops and atmosphere.

“We hired My Party Impressions (416.963.8302, mypartyimpressions.com) to provide a fl ip book station, which was a huge hit at the event. The guests had a blast creating their own unique scenes, and it was a great take-home for them as well.”

Laura Bryce, account executive, High Road Communications, Toronto

Joffrey Ballet’s Nutcracker family dinner in Chicago had kid-friendly touches including apple cider and Sprite cocktails, strolling magicians, and an activity station with a branded Lego tower provided by “brick artist” Beth Weis (847.494.5346, bethweis.com).

Instead of a single evening of festivities, Minnetonka, Minnesota-based Carlson Companies held 12 days of events. Activities included an employee-cooked progressive meal that took place over several fl oors and an offi ce-wide scav-enger hunt with clues via e-mail throughout the day. Prizes included an iPod Touch, a Sleep Number bed, and box seats at a Bon Jovi concert.

Employees of Astellas Pharma U.S. Inc. teamed up with Total Event Resources (847.397.2200, total-event.com) to celebrate the season by building 48 bicycles for children from Chicago Youth Centers, a local nonprofi t organization. About 40 kids showed up at the end of the event to surprise the company’s staffers, who then surprised them with their new bikes.

Activities

STEAL TH IS I DEA

“Last year we were on a tight budget, so we hired Precision Event Group (310.285.0420, precisionus.com) to turn one of our parking lots into a dance club complete with DJ—who was spinning from above the crowd on an industrial staircase—and, of course, a disco ball. Our employees loved it.”

Pam Byrne, executive director, studio services, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Los Angeles

STEAL TH IS I DEA

At a holiday-themed event to celebrate the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Event Architects (888.365.4511, event-architects.com) brought in a pair of professional ice skaters who performed on an elevated skating rink.

Entertainment


Match Restaurant (905.850.5699, matchyyz.com) created a menu inspired by fairy tales and 1960s op art, the theme of Toronto-based marketing agency Capital C’s party. Psychedelic trays held chicken dipped in gooseberry-plum sauce.

Online magazine UrbanDaddy held a holiday party for its New York readers with a dessert bar piled high with macaroons, cakes, and other sweets from several local bakeries.

Blue Plate’s Red Sombrero incorporates tequila, Sprite, pink grapefruit juice, kumquats, and pomegranate seeds.

“It’s the return of the specialty cocktail. We don’t foresee clients returning to the luxury bar packages, but rather sticking with beer, wine, and soda, with a specialty drink added for creativity and variety.”

Loren Johnson, sales consultant, Blue Plate Catering, Chicago (312.421.6666, blueplatechicago.com)

“It’s back to basics: comfort food with an air of sophistication for our clients this year. Gourmet grilled cheese is in high demand. We serve spicy Genoa salami and aged cheddar with tomato and green apple and Brie with crushed walnuts and watercress.”

Sebastien Centner, director, Eatertainment Special Events and Catering, Toronto (416.964.1162, eatertainment.com)

Capital C’s event also had seasonal cocktails like Santa’s Beard (white chocolate liqueur, half and half, a hint of pepper-mint, and crushed candy canes).

At the AIDS Foundation of Chicago’s holiday-themed World of Chocolate event, guests sipped vanilla- and cinnamon-spiced hot chocolate from mini pipettes by the Signature Room at the 95th (312.787.9596, signatureroom.com).

At a holiday party hosted by Style Boston and Boston Magazine, the Catered Affair (781.982.9333, thecateredaffair.com) served tuna tartare with wasabi aioli on a tray accented with wheatgrass and peppers—traditional Christmas colors on unexpected objects.

Food & Drinks

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The New RealityThese days event strategists are facing an evolving set of expectations, from tighter budgets to an

increased respect for the power of face-to-face gatherings. To gauge the ramifi cations of the changes, we surveyed a group of BizBash readers—including in-house and independent planners—about how

they’re working through these challenging times. Here’s a look at their responses.

RESPONDENT PROFILE(In-house planners)

Department

Events/Meetings Planned Per Year

Tenure

Annual Budget

Events and Meetings 68.4%

51-20015.3%

$100,001 - $250,00015.3%

6-2039.2%

More than $1,000,00031.1%

Less than $50,0008.5%

21-5021.4%

$500,001 - $1,000,00016.5%

Fewer than 620.4%

$250,0001 - $500,00016.0%

$50,000 - $100,00012.6%

Marketing/PR/Sales15.6%

6-10 years28.2%

1-5 years27.5%

11-20 years 29.4%

More than20 years14.6%

Other 7.5%

Human Resources/Training 1%Owner 1%

Finance/Procurement 0.5%

More than 200 3.6%

Less than one year 0.2%

Administrative 6.1%

Methodology: The survey of BizBash subscribers was conducted online in conjunction with Finch Brands, from March 15 to March 26, 2010. Of the 843 respondents who completed the survey, 48.9 percent were in-house event/meeting planners, 28.1 percent were event/meeting planners at independent fi rms, and 23 percent were event vendors.

READER SURVEY


THE NEW REALITY

Client entertaining to

solidify relationships

Motivational events

to stimulate sales

Internal events to make

workers more productive

Customer acquisition and

demand generation

Events are not typically

part of m

arketing strategy

Training to educate users about

products to stimulate sales

What’s the most diffi cult part of your job today?

(In-house planners)

How are events used as a part of your

organization’s overall marketing strategy?

(In-house planners)

Budgets Are the Big Challenge

Events Are Expected to Drive Business

61.0%

44.1% 41.6% 41.5% 38.3%

17.7%

There is more pressure

to show resultsEvent planning has

become more strategic

Budgets have been cut

It is more diffi c

ult to

attract attendees

We now outsource

more than ever

Lead time has diminished

R.O.I . needs to be calcu-

lated more accurately

To what extent do you agree or disagree

with the following statements about

event planning today as compared to two

years ago? (All planners)

Budgets Are Down, Pressure Is Up4.35 4.10 4.08 3.92

3.54 3.37

2.31

5=Strongly agree, 0= Strongly disagree

Shrinking budgets 36.0%

Staff layoffs and departmental changes 14.1% Greater fi nancial scrutiny 13.6%

Shorter lead times 11.4%

Less organizational support 8.5%

Staying on top of the industry 7.3%Greater process complexity 5.1%


THE VENDOR SELECTION PROCESS

Catering

EntertainmentVenue

Design/DecorStaffi n

gLighting

Audiovisual Production

Public Relations

Event Management

Tenting

Vendor’s general reputation

Ease of management

Cost

Location of venues

Creativity of solution offered

Ability to work well w

ith other vendors

Feedback from other planners

Vendor specialty

Physical site inspection

Broad range and scope of services

Vendor’s client list

How often do you re-evaluate the

following types of vendors each time

you plan an event? (All planners)

How important are the following factors

when selecting vendors for your

events and meetings? (In-house planners)

Planners Re-evaluate Vendors Regularly…

26%-50%

51%-75% 0%-25%

76%-100%

What percentage of the time do you issue R.F.P.s to vendors for

events with more than 100 attendees?

(All planners)

…But Not Formally

Planners Consider Many Factors

68.7%

4.614.32 4.32 4.27 4.26 4.26 4.13 4.09 3.98 3.83

3.14

68.2% 68.1% 63.4% 63.4% 62.5% 59.4% 59.2% 55.0% 53.9%

5=Very important, 0= Not important at all

23.3%

45.7%16.2%

14.8%


Every year, these gatherings keep the region’s businesses and charities going strong. Here’s our look inside the biggest events on the area’s annual calendar. By T.J. WALTER

Politics may take center stage for most of the year, but the nation’s capital is also a hub of arts, entertainment, and plenty of charitable giving. From the international-press-drawing White House Correspondents’ Association dinner to the Safeway BBQ Battle that

drew more than 100,000 spectators, these are the events that the media reports on each year, corporations clamber to back, and philanthropists make a point to attend. Here’s a look at those who proved that when the going gets tough, events can go on—sometimes, more successfully than ever.

ON BIZBASH.COM

Our Top 100 lists from years past, plus reports from many of these events

WASHINGTON’S TOP 100

EVENTS

Food & Restaurant Events

Rammy Awards Gala The Restaurant As-sociation of Metropolitan Washington made

a format change to its June 6 recognition event for area restaurants. In lieu of present-ing awards during a seated dinner, the honors were presented during a theater-style seated ceremony, which was followed by a buffet dinner in an adjacent ballroom at the Marriott Wardman Park. Some 1,500 guests attended.

Washington, D.C. International Wine and Food Festival This 11th annual four-day show featured more than 280 domestic and inter-national winemakers at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center on February 11 to 14. There were wine seminars for attendees, and several of Washington’s top chefs held cooking demonstrations.3. Metropolitan Cooking and Entertaining Show Paula Deen, Tyler Florence, the Neelys, and Giada De Laurentiis are just a few of the big-name chefs that made the trip to Wash-ington for this show alongside more than 250 exhibitors. The event returns to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on November 13 and 14. PH

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4. Share Our Strength’s Taste of the Nation Taste of the Nation sold out for the second straight year and again attracted 1,200 foodies to the National Building Museum on April 12. Guests tasted from 60 of the area’s top res-taurants while raising more than $124,000 for local hunger-fi ghting organizations.

National Harbor Wine and Food

Festival The third annual festival ex-panded to two piers in National Harbor on June 12 and 13. The growth allowed planners to add a few more exhibitors and offer existing ones room to grow. With a new social media presence, organizers saw a fourfold increase in

pre-festival online sales and increased atten-dance by nearly 2,000.6. Safeway BBQ Battle [New to the List] More than 100,000 people fi lled nearly eight blocks of Pennsylvania Avenue for the 18th annual BBQ competition and festival on June 26 and 27. The Safeway sampling pavilion housed more than 30 food sponsors, and two live music stages were also on hand. Next year’s battle will take over the same space on June 25 and 26.

5.

National Book Festival The 10th anniversary of this festival is scheduled for September 25 on the National Mall. More than 70 authors are scheduled to attend, including Ken Follett, Rae Armantrou, and Julia Glass. Last year, 130,000 attended.2. Washington Life’s “The Young and the Guest List” Party [Up from 3] After hosting last year’s

event in a raw industrial space, Washington Life went for a more refi ned, elegant location, gathering 400 people at the historic Washing-ton Club to toast the 250 under-40 notables in politics, society, arts, and business.3. Washingtonian’s Best of Party [New to the List] More than 60 of Washington’s top restau-rants offered their best dishes at this annual

“Best Of” celebration on July 21. Hargrove and A. Dominick Events transformed the National Building Museum into a gourmet fair com-plete with carnival games, stilt walkers, and oversized lollipops.4. The Week Opinion Awards Dinner Washing-ton Post blogger Ezra Klein, The New Republic’s Jonathan Chait, and The Pittsburgh Post Ga-zette’s Rob Rogers were honored at The Week’s seventh annual awards dinner on April 15 at the W Washington. White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel was the guest speaker.5. The PEN/Faulkner Awards for Fiction Gala After considering more than 350 novels, Sherman Alexie’s War Dances received the top prize in fi ction writing on May 8 at a gala dinner at the Folger Shakespeare Library. Previ-ous winners of this prestigious peer-juried literary prize, which comes with a $15,000 award, include John Updike, E.L. Doctorow, and Philip Roth.6. Scripps National Spelling Bee The competi-tion began with 273 spellers but only one could be named the champion, as 14-year-old Anamika Veeramani was in a live broadcast on ABC on June 4. The competition is held each year at the Washington Grand Hyatt and the 2011 enrollment begins in August.

Literary Events

1.

1. Christmas in Washington [Up from 5] President Obama and the fi rst lady, Michelle Obama, attended the 28th annual Christmas in Washington concert on December 13 at the National Building Museum. Mary J. Blige, Justin Beiber, Neil Diamond, Sugarland, and Rob Thomas performed classic holiday tunes while host George Lopez kept the crowd of 500 entertained with politically charged jokes. 2. White House Easter Egg Roll Using the same online lottery system as last year, 22,000 tickets were handed out to families across the country for the annual Easter egg roll on April 5. The White House also used the

event to promote its health and wellness initiatives, with a theme of “Ready, Set, Go.”3. A Capitol Fourth Reba McEntire, David Archuleta, Lang Lang, and Darius Rucker took to the stage on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol for the 30th anniversary of the concert that is broadcast live on PBS.

Pageant of Peace/Lighting of the Na-tional Christmas tree The fi rst family kicked off the holiday season on December 3 with a concert and a lighting ceremony on the Ellipse. Some 2,800 members of the public had the chance to watch the festivities up close and see the massive tree and the 56 smaller trees that decorate the area around the Ellipse.5. Memorial Day Concert Brad Paisley, Lionel Richie, and a variety of military bands and choruses played for a capacity crowd on May 30 on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol to celebrate and remember the service and sac-rifi ce of all the men and women in uniform.

Holiday Events

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Kennedy Center Hon-ors One of Washing-ton’s highest-profi le

events, this annual celebration recog-nizes individuals for their contributions to American culture. In 2009, the event honored Mel Brooks, Dave Brubeck, Grace Brumby, Robert De Niro, and Bruce Springsteen. The president and fi rst lady were on hand for the performance, after hosting the honorees at a previous White

House ceremony. The 2010 Honors ceremony is scheduled for December 5.2. Ford’s Theatre Annual Gala A sold-out crowd and the fi rst family took in performances from Kelly Clarkson, Renée Fleming, Lionel Richie, and Dick Van Dyke at the historic theatre on June 6. Archbishop Desmond Tutu and South African Constitutional Court Justice Albie Sachs were honored with the theater’s Lincoln Medal. 3. National Design Awards Luncheon [Up from 5] Tim Gunn offered the keynote address at this White House Luncheon on July 21 that serves as a prelude to the National Design Awards, which will be handed out in New York on October 14. Joining the fi rst lady in the East Room was a who’s who of leading designers along with the fi nalists and award winners.

4. BET Honors Awards Ceremony Black Entertainment Television’s third annual celebration of African-American achieve-ment headed to the Warner Theatre on January 16. Whitney Houston, Queen Lati-fah, Sean “Diddy” Combs, educator Ruth Simmons, and neurosurgeon Keith Black were awarded for their contributions. 5. Will on the Hill [Up from 7] Members of Congress and many senior staffers took to the Harman Center for the Arts stage on April 26 for the eighth annual Will on the Hill fund-raiser. The sold-out affair, which included a cocktail reception, dinner, and a perfor-mance of “The Play’s the Thing,” raised $267,000 for the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s artistic, education, and community programs. 6. SilverDocs Film Festival More than 22,000 attendees screened over 100 fi lms from 52 countries during this weeklong internation-ally renowned documentary fi lm festival held June 21 to 27. Oliver Stone was one of the many directors on hand to screen their new fi lms at the American Film Institute Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland.7. Virgin Mobile Festival This annual music fes-tival switched venues in 2009, taking over the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Mary-land, for a day of live music from Weezer, Blink 182, and many others. The festival also became known as the Virgin Mobile Freefest in that all tickets were free, but concertgoers were encour-aged to donate $5 to youth homelessness. The 2010 festival on September 25 will once again be a free event at the same venue.

Artomatic [Up from 10] Last year marked the 10th anniversary for Artomatic and the free monthlong art festival took over a new and vacant offi ce building in Southeast Washing-ton last May, June, and July. More than 70,000 visitors had the opportunity to see nine fl oors full of visual art as well as theater and musical performances. The next festival is tentatively scheduled for late 2010.9. FotoWeek [Up from 11] Now in its third year, this weeklong photography festival features a juried exhibition, gallery openings, book sign-ings, lectures, and an awards gala honoring pro-fessional, amateur, and student photographers across several genres. The Corcoran Gallery of Art will be the new home of FotoWeek 2010, which kicks off November 6.10. FilmFest DC Screening more than 80 fi lms at a variety of embassies, theaters, and mu-seums across Washington, this movie festival attracted nearly 25,000 attendees from April 15 to 25. The 25th anniversary of the festival is tentatively scheduled for April 2011.

Trade ShowsWashington Auto Show

More than 42 domestic and international automakers showcased over 700 vehi-cles during this four-day expo at the Walter E. Washing-

ton Convention Center. Highlighting the show was the 65,000-square-foot green pavilion that displayed the latest in alternative power sources. The 2011 show is set for January 28 to February 6. 2. NBC4 Health and Fitness Expo In January 2010, Today co-anchor Hoda Kotb and Biggest Loser contestant Abby Rike joined more than 85,000 Washingtonians for the 17th annual health fair, which showcased everything from cooking demonstrations to an alpine ski simula-tor. The expo returns to the Walter E. Washing-ton Convention Center on January 15 and 16.

3. Washington Home and Garden Show [Up from 4] This year marked the 50th anniversary of this landscaping-focused event that attracts more than 20,000 people to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. Next year, the show returns to the convention center March 10 through 13. 4. Association of the United States Army An-nual Meeting & Exposition [Up from 5] Open only to active, reserve, and guard members of the Army, this annual professional development forum at the Walter E. Washington Conven-tion Center will focus on “America’s Army: The Strength of the Nation” when it gathers on October 25 to 27.5. D.C. Spring Antiques Show From antique jew-elry to decorative art, hundreds of artists display their wares for four days at the Washington Con-vention Center. Next year’s show is scheduled for early March. 6. Adventures in Travel Expo [Up from 7] More than 9,000 people had the chance to get vaca-tion advice from Arthur Frommer and author Patricia Schutz at this two-day travel show in February. The expo will return to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center on March 12 and 13.

7. Smithsonian Craft Show [Up from 8] One of the country’s most prestigious juried craft shows and exhibitions, the 2010 event at the National Building Museum had 1,300 applicants from 30 states. The next show is set for April 14 to 17. 8. Yacht Show [Up from 9] The venerable Wash-ington Boat Show canceled its 2009 outing due to the economy, but local sailing fanatics still had this second annual event to look forward to. About 10,000 people were expected for the May 29 to 30 show, held at the National Harbor com-plex in Prince George’s County, Maryland.9. Washington Craft Show [Up from 10] The work of 190 of the nation’s top craft artists is on display at this annual show, scheduled for November 19 to 21 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. 10. Washington Antiques Show [Up from 11] Now in its 55th year, the show on January 8 to 10 at American University’s Katzen Arts Center featured 44 dealers offering a wide range of fur-niture, vintage jewelry, and decorative arts. 11. Washington National Cathedral Flower Mart [Up from 12] While fl owers are the main draw, this event at the Washington National Cathedral also features a variety of local artisans and ven-dors. The 2011 event is scheduled for May 6 and 7.

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Political & Press Events 1. State of the Union Address Despite never changing venues and having one of the most secure guest lists in town—only mem-bers of Congress and a few invited guests—the State of the Union is one the most talked about events in Washington and across the country. 2. White House Correspondents’ Associa-tion Dinner Commonly referred to as “nerd prom,” the annual dinner has become a magnet for Hollywood stars as news outlets try to outdo one another with controversial and headline-grabbing guests. Comedian Jay Leno was the featured speaker at the May 1 dinner at the Washington Hilton, which garnered 2,000 politicians, journalists, and celebrities. The dinner has also gained recog-nition for the array of pre- and post-parties hosted by media outlets throughout the weekend. 3. Washington Press Club Foundation’s Con-gressional Dinner [Up from 6] Members of Congress, elected offi cials, and the diplomatic corps mixed and mingled with members of the press corps at the 66th annual congres-sional dinner on April 21 at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski served as M.C.s for the evening as Senator Claire McCaskill and Congressman Mike Pence squared off for a comedic off-the-record debate. 4. Conservative Political Action Confer-ence [Up from 7] Thousands of conservative members of congress, lobbyists, and pundits gathered at the Marriott Wardman Park on February 18 to 20 to discuss the future of the conservative agenda at this conference. C.P.A.C. returns February 10 to 12.5. AIPAC Policy Conference [Up from 8] Sec-retary of State Hillary Clinton, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and nearly 7,500 activists and lobbyists came together for the meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee from March 21 to 23 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.6. The Africare Bishop John T. Walker Memo-rial Dinner [Up from 11] John Legend was honored at this dinner for more than 1,200 guests, who raised more than $1 million in one night. The 2010 dinner, scheduled for No-vember 5 at the National Building Museum, will honor Nelson Mandela. 7. Alfalfa Club Dinner [New to the List] A members-only club that exists solely to host one annual event, Alfalfa was founded in 1913 and counts members of Congress and former Presidents among its small member-ship. Its annual black-tie gathering held each spring is off-limits to reporters and usually features a speech from the current presi-dent. Obama spoke his fi rst year but decided to skip in 2010, breaking a chain that dated back to Jimmy Carter.

Human Rights Campaign National Din-ner [Up from 14] President Obama was the featured speaker at this gay rights group’s fund-raising event, which also welcomed the cast of Glee, Lady Gaga, and nearly 3,000 guests. The 2010 dinner is set for October 9 at Walter E. Washington Convention Center.9. Radio and Television Correspondents’ Association Dinner Rounding out the trio of journalist-and-politician dinner dates, the R.T.C.A. dinner moved over to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in 2010. Vice President Joe Biden stole the show with a host of somewhat controversial one-liners. 10. Gridiron Club Dinner Former President Bill Clinton fi lled in for President Obama at the 2010 white-tie dinner on March 20 at the Renaissance Hotel. Obama remains the only sitting President not to speak at the “singe, not burn” comedic dinner for several decades. 11. Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference [New to the List] Recognized as one of the most impor-tant gatherings of African-Americans leaders in the U.S. , the 2009 event at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center included more than 70 workshops on issues pertinent to African Americans. The 40th annual con-ference takes place September 15 to 18. 12. National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation Celebration of Service to America Award Radio and TV stations from around the nation will be honored for out-standing community-focused programming at this annual ceremony, slated for June 14, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency Washington.13. America’s Future Now! Conference Hundreds of progressive leaders and activists came together at the Omni Shoreham Hotel from June 7 to 10 for four days of debates, planning sessions, keynote speeches, and a gala event awarding top progressive thinkers.14. Atlantic Council’s Dinner Awards [New to the List] The non-partisan international affairs organization honored Bill Clinton and Bono at its annual dinner awards at the Ritz-Carlton on April 28, awarding them for their humanitarian work around the globe. 15. National Governors Association Winter Meeting First lady Michelle Obama urged governors to get serious about the issue of childhood obesity during their three-day meeting February 20 to 22. The 2011 meetings are scheduled for February 26 to 28.16. U.S. Conference of Mayors Winter Meet-ing The fi rst lady also spoke to 250 of the na-tion’s mayors about childhood obesity at the 78th annual gathering, held each January at the Capital Hilton Hotel.

Sports EventsLegg Mason Tennis Classic Tennis superstars like Andy Roddick and Lley-

ton Hewitt have headlined this U.S. Open Series tennis event at the William H.G. Fitzgerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park. More than 72,000 fans took in the action from July 31 to August 9.2. Washington Kastles Tennis [New to the List] Joining the World Team Tennis League in 2008, the Washington Kastles are the newest franchise in the 10-team league, which plays a four-week schedule in 10 cit-ies during July. Venus and Serena Williams anchor the Washington squad and are consistently the biggest draw at Kastles Stadium, a 2,020-seat temporary stadium built on the site of the former Washington Convention Center.

Marine Corps Marathon [Up from 4] Although the race is limited to 30,000 runners, more than 100,000 spectators line the 26.2-mile course that begins in Northern Virginia and winds through Northwest Washington, Foggy Bottom, and the National Mall before concluding at the Marine Corps Memorial in Arlington. 4. Preakness Stakes More than 100,000 people made the pilgrimage to Baltimore’s Pimlico Race Course on May 15 for the 135th running of the Preakness Stakes, the second leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown. Hometown rockers O.A.R. and country act the Zac Brown Band headlined the pre-race concert. 5. SunTrust National Marathon The only marathon fully run within the District of Columbia, this annual race has grown each year to attract more than 12,000 runners in its fi fth year. This year also marked the fi rst half-marathon competition. Next year’s race is set for March 26, 2011.

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Benefi ts1. The Opera Ball [Up from 2] On May 21, the Washington National Opera’s signature benefi t took over the Embassy of the Russian Federa-tion for the fi rst time. The black-tie affair raised $1.5 million for the Opera and was the talk of the social year with its themed rooms that became a journey through Russian culture and history. The 2011 ball is scheduled for June 3. 2. Knock Out Abuse and Fight Night Gala For this two-party event, 1,500 men started out the evening at the Fight Night gala at the Wash-ington Hilton, while just a few miles away 650 women gathered at the Ritz-Carlton for the Knock Out Abuse gala, which has raised more than $5 million since 1993. The two groups joined up at midnight for a dance party at the Ritz-Carlton. The dual fund-raisers for anti-domestic-violence causes and the health care nonprofi t Fight for Children return November 11.

Corcoran Ball [Up from 4] Unlike the past two-

years, the 55th annual Corcoran Ball on April 17 had no overall theme, but each of the eight spaces was designed to refl ect a current exhibit within the gallery. Close to 900 people attended the event, which benefi ts the Corc-oran and the College of Art & Design. Next year’s ball is scheduled for April 29.

4. The Leukemia Ball [Up from 6] Jackson Browne and comedian John Pinette entertained the crowd of 2,000 on March 27 for this ball at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The event, put on by the National Capital Area chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, raised $3 million for continued research.5. John F. Kennedy Center for the Arts Spring Benefi t [Up from 7] This year’s benefi t was a cel-ebration of Kennedy Center founding chairman Roger Stevens, hosted by Liza Minnelli. More than 1,500 guests attended the May 2 dinner and concert, which raised more than $2 million. Performances from the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater and Broadway stars rounded out the evening. 6. Fight for Children’s School Night Benefi t [Up from 8] Queen Latifah pulled double duty as headliner and M.C. for this 10th annual fund-raiser, held on April 23 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. The event raised $800,000 for education programs for low-income children in Washington.7. Prevent Cancer Foundation’s Annual Spring Gala [Up from 9] More than 700 guests gath-ered at the National Building Museum on March 12 for the 16th annual gala, which raised $1.3 million. Inspired by a different country each year, the event’s theme was “Indelible Impressions of India” and was again designed by David Tutera. 8. National Italian American Foundation Gala Jimmy Kimmel served as master of ceremonies

at N.I.A.F.’s 2009 gala, which celebrated Italian Americans Janet Napolitano, Lidia Matticchio Bastianich, and Carla Gugino and raised more than $1 million. The 2010 gala is slated for Octo-ber 23 at the Hilton Washington and will feature E News anchor Giuliana DePandi Rancic as M.C. 9. Washington National Opera Midwinter Gala [Up from 11] Due to budget consider-ations, the opera’s seventh annual mid-winter gala switched formats and venues this year to bring nearly 400 people to La Maison Francaise in the French embassy (instead of the Mellon Auditorium) for an “Evening in Paris” cocktail reception with tasting stations (rather than a seated dinner). 10. Cystic Fibrosis Foundation Breath of Life Gala [Up from 12] The 2009 gala at the National Building Museum on November 14 drew 750 guests. The three-part evening included a silent auction and cocktail recep-tion, a seated dinner and live auction, and “Club Breathe,” a temporary nightclub for after-hours dancing. The 2010 gala returns to the same venue on November 13th.11. Gourmet Gala Benefi ting St. Jude Chil-dren’s Research Hospital [Up from 13] St. Jude’s largest Washington event featured tasting sta-tions from 37 of D.C.’s top chefs at the National Building Museum on February 16. Over the past 12 years, the event has raised more than $2 mil-lion for the hospital.

Washington Bal-let Spring Gala

[Up from 14] The an-nual gala on May 13 took over the Swed-ish Ambassador’s residence and at-tracted 500 guests, including a variety of diplomats, members of congress, and well-heeled admir-ers of the ballet.

13. Trust for the National Mall Luncheon and Ball on the Mall Gala [Up from 28] More than 850 people raised $1.5 million at the May 6 lun-cheon for the nonprofi t organization dedicated to preserving and restoring the National Mall. The next night, the trust’s young professional branch, the L’Enfant Society, hosted the Ball on the Mall, an 800-guest gala that raised an ad-ditional $350,000.14. Washington Ballet Jeté Society Dance Party [New to the List] Held at a different embassy each year, this fashionable party is hosted by the Jeté Society, a group of young professionals dedicated to raising funds for the Washington Ballet. The April 23 event at the House of Swe-den raised $500,000 from about 500 attendees. 15. Heart of America Foundation’s Sweet Char-ity Benefi t More than 60 local chefs showcased their talents by creating sweet and savory bites for 900 guests at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on June 21. The fund-raiser benefi ts the Heart of America Foundation, which provides books to at-risk children.

16. Sibley Memorial Hospital Hope and Prog-ress Gala [New to the List] Local sportscaster George Michael was the keynote speaker last year, just six weeks before he died of cancer. Mi-chael helped raise $1 million that night. The 10th anniversary gala is scheduled for November 6 at the National Building Museum.

Artrageous More than 500 guests descended on the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Kogod Courtyard on February 27 for this annual benefi t. Special guests included for-mer Project Runway contestant Nick Verreos and artist Karen LaMonte. 18. March of Dimes Gourmet Gala Thirty Mem-bers of Congress and their spouses served their best recipe at this annual congressional cook-off at the National Building Museum on April 14. The event raised nearly $1 million for the March of Dimes. 19. Ambassadors Ball The unoffi cial kickoff for the fall gala season, this 2009 ball attracted nearly 750 attendees and raised more $700,000 for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. The 32nd annual event is planned for September 14 at the JW Marriott Hotel.20. Meridian Ball After dining at 25 embassies and diplomatic residences around Washington, more than 600 guests gathered at the historic Meridian House on October 3, 2009, for this 41st annual ball that raised $900,000 for the center. Designer David Stark drew inspiration from Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and deco-rated the party with a variety of red, white, and black polka dots and stripes.21. N.F.L. Players Gala Fifteen past and current professional football players were honored for their off-the-fi eld service at this 2010 gala at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel on April 14. The event raised close to $1 million for the Special Olympics. 22. Harman Center for the Arts Gala This gala on October 25, 2009, raised more than $900,000 and featured a performance of Shake-speare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream along with a special ceremony honoring Sir Ian McKellan. The 2010 gala on October 3 will honor Annette Bening at the Harman Center, followed by din-ner and dancing at the nearby National Building Museum.

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National Cherry Blossom Festival From restaurants to museums, almost the entire Washington community celebrates the 3,000 cherry trees that decorate the tidal basin. And nearly one million visitors come to the capital region each year to experi-ence the hundreds of events and exhibits during the two-week festival in late March and early April. Next year’s festival kicks off March 26.2. Smithsonian Folklife Festival The Smith-sonian’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heri-tage sponsors this festival on the National Mall that attracts nearly one million specta-tors. The 2010 event, which ran June 24 to 28 and July 1 to 5, focused on the bicentennial of Mexico’s Independence .3. National Black Family Reunion For its 25th anniversary, the National Council of Negro Women elected to compress its

typical two-day event into a one-day mega festival on September 11 on the Na-tional Mall. The event is set to attract close to 250,000 people. 4. Capital Pride Parade and Festival With the theme of “You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet,” this 10-day celebration of gay pride in early June at-tracted nearly 200,000 peo-ple to more than 60 events throughout Washington.5. Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure More than 40,000 runners and walkers took to the 3.1-mile course

around the Mall on June 5 to raise more than $4.5 million for women battling cancer. Registration is already open for the 2011 race on June 4.6. Rolling Thunder On Memorial Day weekend, more than 400,000 veterans and supporters gathered in Washington to raise awareness of American prisoners of war. Events included a candlelight vigil, a wreath-laying ceremony, and the “Ride for Freedom,” a motorcycle ride that begins at the Penta-gon and ends at the Lincoln Memorial.7. Smithsonian Kite Festival Thousands of kites fi lled the air on March 27 for this 44th annual event. Though many come out just for fun, awards are handed out in 36 categories, including people’s choice and aerodynamics. The event coincides with the National Cherry Blossom Festival that kicks off on March 26, 2011.

23. Phillips Collection Annual Spring Gala Four hundred art lovers raised $520,000 on May 7 at this modern art museum during their yearly chance to dine and dance among the masterpieces.24. Washington Humane Society Bark Ball [Up from 32] The only black-tie event in Washington that welcomes man’s best friend brought 600 people and 400 dogs to the Hilton Washington on June 5 for an evening of cocktails, dinner, and dancing that raised $283,000 for the Washington Human Society.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre Gala The dance company celebrated the 20th anniversary of artistic director Judith Jamison’s tenure with a special opening night perfor-mance on February 2 at the Kennedy Center. The 2011 gala is scheduled for February 1. 26. Muscular Dystrophy Association’s Heart-songs Gala Typically held in the spring, the eighth annual Heartsongs Gala, which raised more than $800,000 for the Muscular Dystro-phy Association in 2009, has moved to Novem-ber 13 at the Ritz-Carlton, Washington D.C. 27.Washington Performing Arts Society Gala Broadway star Chita Rivera headlined the 41st annual gala on May 8 at the Marriott Ward-man Park Hotel, attended by over 600 guests.28. Corcoran 1869 Society Fall Fete [New to the List] The Corcoran went with a nautical theme for its 2009 fall fete, held October 24 at the gallery. The sold out, black-tie affair at-tracted almost 900 young people with nearly $90,000 in proceeds going to the Corcoran’s ArtReach program. 29. Folger Shakespeare Library Gala Inspired by the Folger Theatre’s spring production of Hamlet, the April 20 gala celebrated Shake-speare’s famous work with a special perfor-mance, followed by a dinner in the library’s el-egant reading rooms. The gala raised $250,000 and will return in 2011 on April 13.30. Capital Area Food Bank Blue Jeans Ball One of the few casual dress events in Washing-ton, the March 28 Blue Jeans Ball brought more than 500 to the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. Breaking previous records, the event raised $217,000 for the Capital Area Food Bank.31. American Red Cross Fire and Ice Nearly 600 guests made their way to the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium on October 17 for this black-tie/mess-dress fund-raiser for the American Red Cross of the National Capital Area.

25.

Washington Humane Society Fashion for Paws Runway Show [Up from 3] Local celebrities and society types took to the runway at the Italian Embassy for the fourth annual people-and-pets fashion show. The lively event for 1,2000 people raised $372,531

for the Washington Humane Society.2. Nordstrom’s Designer Fall Preview Nor-dstrom hosted its annual designer preview at its Tysons Corner location on June 17. The

event welcomed more than 350 V.I.P. guests, including Vogue Euro-pean editor-at-large Hamish Bowles, who got an up-close look at new styles from Jason Wu, Missoni, Versace, and many other top designers.3. D.C. Fashion Week [Up from 4] Now in its 12th year, this bian-

nual fashion event brings together local and international designers for two weeks of runway shows and networking events. Designers will showcase their fall/winter collections September 20 to 26 at a variety of locations throughout Washington.

Parades, Walks & Festivals

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Fashion & Beauty Events

2010 bizbash national venue guide 151

New York

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By ANNA SEKULAThe High Life

Standard New York

ON BIZBASH.COM/NEWYORK

To share your success via the BashFlash program, contact your BizBash sales representative or Robert Fitzgerald at 646.839.6840.

Where Event Professionals Announce the Who, What, Where, and Wow of the Events Industry

Party Rental Ltd.is pleased to announce that the company has handled the Rentals for

Gershwin Prize for Popular Song Gala Dinner and Concertin Washington, DC, June 1, 2010 301.931.4580 www.partyrentalltd.com

CORT Event Furnishings is pleased to announce that the company has handled the Furniture Rentals for

ISES Table Top Design Challengein Washington, DC, June 28, 2010 888.DRAPE.ME www.cortevents.com

Classic Party Rentalsis pleased to announce that it donated a calling card to a GI oversees for each order received during the month of July, in celebration of our nation’s birthday.

Happy Birthday to us all!!!

212.752.7661 www.classicpartyrentals.com

Renaissance Mayflower Hotelis pleased to announce that it hosted the

White House Correspondents After Partyin Washington, May 1, 2010 202.776.9150 www.renaissancemayflower.com

Occasions Caterersis pleased to announce that the company has handled the Catering for

The Washington National Opera BallMay 21, 2010 in Washington, DC 202.546.7400 www.occasionscaterers.com

Holly Heider Chapple Flowers Ltd.is pleased to announce that the company has handled the Flowers for

Celebrating America’s Heritage With Madeleine and T. Boone Pickens

in Washington, DC, May 20, 2010 703.777.8227 www.hollychappleflowers.com/

Capital Party Rentalsis pleased to announce that the company has handled the Tenting for

The Washington Ballet Purple Rain Ballin Washington, DC, May 13, 2010 703.661.8290 www.capitalpartyrentals.com

DC Rentalis pleased to announce that the company has handled the Rentals for

The Washington National Opera BallMay 21, 2010 in Washington, DC 703.671.7300 www.dcrental.com

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bizbash.com may/june 2010 55

BARS & LOUNGESBUDDHA-BARThe Washington outpost of Buddha-Bar opened in May.The 9,500-square-foot restaurant and lounge in Mount Vernon Triangle has 22-foot ceilings and an 18-foot-tall signature Buddha sculpture in the center of its 170-seat main dining room. In addition to sushi, the Pan-Asian menu includes curry shrimp in banana leaves and wok-fried beef. The bar stocks 27 sakes. The lounge seats 50, as does a recently added outdoor café. (455 Massachusetts Ave. NW, 202.377.5555)FUNXIONLoaded with high-tech eye candy and modern decor,the 1,800-square-foot health-conscious bar and eatery FunXion opened downtown in March. A fl ight of stain-less steel steps takes guests to the rear mezzanine, where seating includes low red and white banquettes and composite-stone-topped tables. The menu’s health-con-scious burgers, pizzas, sandwiches, and salads contain no added salt, butter, oil, or sugar. FunXion is available for full buyouts for as many as 150. (1309 F St. NW, 202.628.8820)ONE LOUNGEThe 6,300-square-foot One Lounge opened in December2009. The bilevel venue’s fi rst fl oor has four fl exible rooms and a small eight-seat bar area adjacent to its larg-est space, a long and narrow 60-seat atrium. The upstairs study can hold 55 for receptions. The small-plate menu brings together dishes from central, eastern, and southern Europe. There is a 35-seat terrace, and the entire lounge holds 250. (1606 20th St. NW, 202.299.0909)RECESSEvent promoters Fisayo Esconsay and Brandon Howardopened this 1,100-square-foot lounge on the lower level of an offi ce building in December 2009. The cozy space, dominated by a DJ booth constructed from a massive walnut slab, has dark wood fl oors and rod-scheme panels on the walls. In addition to nine stools at the black tiled bar, fl exible seating options include love seats and contemporary cocktail tables. Full buyouts are available for 200 guests. (727 15th St. NW, 202.637.7667)TWISTED VINESOpened in early March, Twisted Vines is a 1,100-square-foot wine bar and shop in the redeveloping Columbia Pike Town Center neighborhood, south of the Pentagon in Arlington. This 45-seat venue includes dark wood dining tables and highboys and a 10-seat granite-topped bar. More than 20 wines from small producers around the world are available by the glass, and more than 100 are sold by the bottle. Twisted Vines is available for full buyout. (2803 Columbia Pike, Arlington, 571.482.8581)

HOTELWASHINGTON HILTONAfter undergoing a three-year $150 million renovation,the Washington Hilton reopened in June, north of Dupont Circle. The upgrade included new guest rooms, meeting spaces, common areas, restaurants, and health club. Two new function spaces were added. On the terrace level, the 30,000-square-foot Columbia Hall features a series of movable walls that allow for the space to be tailored to a variety of group sizes. The nine-room Heights Executive Meeting Center offers groups dedicated meeting space. (1919 Connecticut Ave. NW, 202.483.3000)

INDEPENDENT EVENT SPACESFATHOM GALLERYThis 1,865-square-foot Fathom Gallery opened as a bilevelevent venue in early January near Logan Circle. The lobby of this restored redbrick building consists of a 450-square-foot room with three fl oor-to-ceiling pivoting glass doors that open onto the street. The upper level gallery has reception space for 100. There is also a 2,000-square-foot roof deck and garden. Fathom Gallery is available for a full or partial buyout. (1606 20th St. NW, 202.588.8100)SUNSET CREST MANOROpened in late 2009 near Dulles Airport, the 82-acreSunset Crest Manor offers a 6,000-square-foot barn

surrounded on three sides by 5,000 square feet of land-scaped terraces and sweeping country views. The main level has a natural stone fi replace and can seat 100. The lower level includes a catering area with a refrigerator and freezer. Total capacity for indoor receptions is 180. (42169 Mayhew Lane, Chantilly, Va., 703.967.9148)

PRIVATE CLUBVETROOpen since spring 2010, Vetro is a 1,400-square-footmembers-only lounge and event venue on the mezza-nine of the Tower Building. The space features a 12-seat stainless steel bar on one side and Barcelona sofas, chairs, and adjustable cocktail tables on the other. Audiovisual capabilities include a wall of fi ve projection screens with overhead projectors, a powerful sound system, and a DJ booth. Vetro holds 200 for a reception, seats 80, and can be combined for full buyout with Lima Restaurant to accom-modate more than 800. (1401 K St. West, 202.789.2800)

RESTAURANTSAGAINN TAVERNOpen since June, this gastropub fromTheWhisk Group is a Rockville outpost of Againn in D.C. Refl ecting its Maryland location, the 8,100-square-foot space, formerly a Houston’s restaurant, serves items such as a crab cake sandwich. The tavern features two semiprivate rooms and can be reserved for receptions of 50. The entire venue seats 215. (12256 Rockville Pike, Rockville, 301.230.9260)AGORAOpen since May, this 170-seat restaurantand bar offers Turkish and Greek dishes prepared in a wood-fi red oven or over a charcoal grill. Brick archways separate the 76-seat main dining room from the bar and lounge. An upstairs expansion can seat 48 for private dining in this 960-square-foot eatery. A patio seats an additional 34 guests. (1527 17th St. NW, 202.332.6767)BISTRO PROVENCECreated by Yannick Cam, the Frenchmanwho introduced Washington to nouvelle cuisine in 1979, Bistro Provence opened in April. The 34-seat restaurant in a still-under-renovation town house offers a menu of classic dishes from the south of France. A 40-seat private dining room with its own kitchen and terrace is on the second fl oor, as well as a trellis roof. It is available for partial or full buyouts. (4933 Fairmont Ave., Bethesda, 301.656.7373)BOND 45In January, Fireman Hospitality Groupopened this 7,500-square-foot, 275-seat Italian steak and seafood house on the waterfront at National Harbor. For private dining, Bond 45 offers four glass conservatories, including the chef’s table, which seats 12. Three additional conservatories each accommodate up to 28 and a separate wine room seats 30. There is also patio seating. Bond 45 is available for full buyout. (149 Water St., National Harbor, 301.839.1445)OPENING SOON CUBA LIBRE RESTAURANT & RUM BARIn September, Penn Quarter will welcome the morethan 9,000-square-foot Cuba Libre Restaurant & Rum Bar, which features 1950’s Havana decor and live enter-tainment. Staff will serve innovative Latin cuisine in a 200-seat dining room decorated with murals of Cuban life. Plans call for a 50-seat bar and lounge with an exten-sive rum selection and a 66-seat sidewalk café. (801 9th St. NW, 202.408.1600)

EQUINOXClosed after a devastating fire in 2008, this award-winning restaurant reopened in April with lighter, more modern decor and a recalibrated menu. Chef Todd Gray and his wife/co-owner, Ellen Kassoff Gray, have replaced the dark paneling in the private 12-seat wine room with frosted glass walls for an airy look and feel. This space includes a 100-seat dining room, and an outdoor area holds 40. (818 Connecticut Ave., 202.331.8118)GALILEO IIIChef Roberto Donna was slated to open Galileo III inthe former Butterfi eld 9 space in August. The 80-seat restaurant will include a fl exible 45-seat private dining room. Decor details in the 6,100-square-foot space involve a fi replace in the entry and an open kitchen. In addition to the chef’s seasonal menu of traditional Italian fare with a modern, lighter touch, 100 pre-order dishes, such as suckling pig, will be available on the restaurant’s Web site. (600 14th St. NW)IL CANALEOwned by Sicily native Giuseppe “Joe” Farruggio, IlCanale, a 95-seat Italian pizzeria, opened in February. This 1,200-square-foot bilevel venue is modern in design and has the look of an art gallery. In addition to the oven, the main dining room has an open kitchen, an eight-seat bar, and a textured stainless steel staircase that leads to the 50-seat private dining level and 40-seat terrace.

The menu includes pastas, risottos, steaks, and seafood. Il Canale is avail-able for full buyout. (1063 31st St. NW, 202.337.4444)KUSHIOpen since March, the 96-seat Kushiis a casual Japanese gastropub in Mt. Vernon Triangle. The 4,000-square-foot venue is divided into three areas: a bar with more than 30 kinds of sake; a 30-seat open-kitchen robata bar that serves up charcoal-grilled meat, fi sh, and vegetables; and a 14-seat sushi counter. The design is Tokyo infl uenced and features reclaimed-wood bars, large paper lanterns imported from Japan, and 18-foot ceilings. Kushi is available for full or partial buyout. (465 K St. NW, 202.682.3123)MUSSEL BAR BY RWChef Robert Wiedmaier (Marcel’s,Brasserie Beck, Brabo, and Brabo Tasting Room) expanded his empire to Bethesda with Mussel Bar by RW in July. Guests will fi nd a 130-seat interior composed of rustic wood with polished cement fl oors in this 4,000-square-foot Flemish gastro-pub. The menu consists of delicacies such as mussels four ways, wood-fi red savory tarts, and more than 40 Belgian beers. (7262 Woodmont Ave., Bethesda, 301.215.7817)PING PONG DIM SUMPacking plenty of steam power andmodern in design, this 238-seat restaurant and bar opened in December 2009 in Penn Quarter. The 6,100-square-foot venue is the fi rst U.S. outpost for the British chain, which has 14 locations in the U.K. Best suited for sharing, the menu focuses on sweet and savory Cantonese-style steamed buns, dumplings, and tradi-tional shu mai, all cooked in an open

kitchen. There is a semiprivate room that holds 50 for receptions and seats 36. (900 7th St. NW, 202.506.3740)SEASONSLong hailed as the city’s top spot for power breakfasts, Seasons restaurant in the Four Seasons Hotel became available in January 2009 for afternoon and evening events for the fi rst time since its inception in 1979. The 4,200-square-foot space can seat 100 or accommodate 350 for cocktails; an adjacent terrace can hold 40. (2800 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, 202.342.0444)

New Venues

The DirectoryA selection of resources from our comprehensive online directory of event and meeting suppliers and venues

Where to...Get Out of TownReopened in April under new ownership and after a full renovation, the Blue Rock Inn is a cozy hilltop restaurant, bar, and guesthouse on 80 acres of Rappahannock County farmland near Washington, Virginia. Both the decor and the menu are contemporary French country. With a capacity for 150 guests, the converted early 1900s farmhouse has a 36-seat main dining room, a 12-seat private dining room, and a 25-seat bar, all with wood-burning fi replaces. French doors from all three rooms open onto a spacious, partially covered fl agstone terrace with sweeping views of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The inn’s fi rst level also has a small library and an adjacent meeting room. Upstairs, there are four guest rooms. (12567 Lee Highway, Washington, Va., 540.987.3388)

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The other day I threw a little party in a fashion showroom for a luxury leather line called Aeon New York that I am helping to launch. Mostly it was people I know really well, but I had in-vited a few fashion editors and social-ites, too. I wanted it to be simple but chic, and I wanted people to have fun, let their hair down. A party in a show-room can be deadly if it is too fussy: items sitting neatly but forlornly on little shelves, people afraid to touch anything. I was hoping people would take a drink, eat a chocolate, and fi n-ger the merchandise with abandon.

I called ahead to make sure the showroom had Wi-Fi. My latest party-music trick is, I load a bunch of music videos onto a YouTube playlist and then just hit autoplay. You get a cus-tom mix, plus a little visual entertain-ment. I throw in some live versions and old TV segments (my favorite is the medley Tina Turner did with Cher as a guest on the latter’s variety show) so that it doesn’t feel like an MTV throwback.

Of course, at the last minute, the Wi-Fi didn’t work, so one of the girls helping lent me her iPod. At fi rst I tried to work with her list, but I just couldn’t, so I ceded the whole music

thing and hoped for the best. The party went well: the editors and the socialites showed, the friends and family drank and ate, the merchan-dise got fi ngered as hoped for.

A few times during the evening I would hear the music—I remem-ber the Beatles wafting by and liking it—but I never cranked the volume. I couldn’t get behind the vibe.

For me, a party isn’t a real party unless the people dance and break a few glasses. Everything else is just foreplay.

I went to my friend Laura’s wed-ding a few weeks ago. She used to be a professional “party motivator.” She and her troupe were hired to attend big events and get people to dance and participate. So she brought along an M.C., a tall, handsome guy with a top hat who danced and worked the mic from the fl oor, along with a sax player who accompanied the music with a tiny wireless mic clipped to the rim of his instrument. I had never seen this particular combo before, and I write about parties for a living. It could have been a disaster, but they were both so good, there was never a dinner break, you just ate when you were tired.

We’ve all been to events where the opposite happens. The saddest are charity benefi ts when they have a big dance fl oor in the middle of the room but they let the speakers go on too long. As soon as they can, guests bolt for the door, except for the hand-ful who don’t have to work the next day. Crestfallen event organizers have to listlessly mill about the clueless gyrators, wishing they could just break down the tables while the band soldiers on through its play list. Or worse, they just go ahead and do.

I was going to write about my favorite DJs, like Victor Calderone and Mark and Samantha Ronson. I used to love Dimitri from Paris, and played his A Night at the Playboy Mansion CD until every song skipped. One sum-mer on Fire Island, we lived next door to Susan Morabito, and she would come home at 5 a.m. from spinning at the famous Pavilion and—too wound up from her set—she’d do a cool-down mix for about two hours at 20 decibels. We liked it, I guess, but then we didn’t really have a choice.

I even toured with Prince once. Long story. His thing was to do a big concert, and then he’d do a word-of-mouth set at some hole-in-the-wall the same night that kicked off at 4 a.m. And after that, he liked to chew the fat with some serious background sounds. Exhausting.

Whenever I like the music, I go and introduce myself to the DJ, who invariably proffers a sample CD. But when I play them in my car, they have nothing to do with what I remember and I get all confused. Maybe I don’t know what I like. Or what’s good.

That’s because great party music

is lightning in a bottle: You can’t catch it twice. That doesn’t mean that you can’t play the same songs. One of the best DJs is Tom Finn. He is known for being able to get people to dance and keep them dancing. He often starts with Barry White. It works.

Here’s what works for me:1. Lots of small speakers are better

than two giant ones.2. Most bands play too loudly.3. An imperfect singer often ben-

efi ts from a little more reverb.4. Music bullies—that is, guests

who move in to control the sound—have to be dealt with quickly and di-rectly. “I won’t try to control the music when I come to your house” is often my opening salvo. Once, I had a music bully’s car towed.

5. I honor requests only when they come from a guest of honor or the life of the party. I make the policy clear to prevent grousing.

6. Start with a consistent lead-in vibe. At the beginning of an event, don’t go all choppy-changey. I like a low-key lead-in. My favorites are Grace Jones, the Style Council, and Art of Noise.

7. Club music only works in clubs. Many gay friends have a hard time understanding this.

8. Plan a moment. Just because an evening isn’t big-time produced doesn’t mean you can’t plan a mo-ment. Dim the lights. Open a door to a new room or area. Pass something fl aming. Then play your go-to song.

9. Thanks to The Marriage Ref, the reign of Madonna is fi nally over, right? Lady Gaga is now queen. Long live the queen. But I still sneak in Ray of Light once in a while.


Ted Kruckel

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The Archeological Institute’s servers wore painted masks. Oooooh.

Lilly Pulitzer textile designers provided lovely and interesting entertainment at the Museum of Natural History’s Museum Dance. Later their works were auctioned off.

The fl ock descending the stairs was quite the scene at the Central Park Conservancy’s 28th annual hat luncheon. Let the preening begin!

Where Ted’s Been

Music Is the Answer What’s your question?

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Washington Fall 2010

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