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| EVENT REPORT 05.11.09 11:22 AM |
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| The Rain in Rome |
| For the second annual Trust for the National Mall luncheon, organizers looked to the influences of Roman architecture. |
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| FROM WASHINGTON Throwing an event in the middle of the National Mall can be a challenge, especially when the weather will not cooperate. But for the Trust for the National Mall’s second annual luncheon on Thursday, freelance planner Allison Signorelli was prepared for anything, including the rain. “We have Boy Scouts volunteering to walk guests from their cars with our signature umbrellas; we’ve come up with an evacuation plan if there’s lightning; and we laid the floor a lot later than we normally do because it was so muddy,” said Signorelli. |
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Despite the rain—which did come—the luncheon, held in a massive circus-style tent, saw a spike in attendance to 650 guests, up from last year’s 530. “We’ve been really lucky, and I attribute that to the uniqueness of having our event on the National Mall,” she said. “It’s still very new to people and exciting, and the recent press about the state of the Mall has raised awareness.” The Trust also added a black-tie ball, held Friday on the Mall, to the roster for its younger patrons. Together, the events raised more than $1 million (up from last year’s $635,000).
To keep the luncheon feeling fresh, Signorelli took a decor approach that was different from last year’s English garden look. Together with event co-chair Sally Akridge, who found a muse in Italian art on a recent trip to Italy, Signorelli looked to Roman architectural influences on the Mall as inspiration, and worked with the Trust's women's committee chair, Patricia Sagon, and florist Jack Lucky to translate that concept into the decor.
So for his abundant arrangements covering each table, Lucky used Roman-style vessels, such as short white amphoras and three-foot-tall Corinthian column pedestals, to hold irises, yellow roses, and blue hydrangeas. Other vases took shapes from the Mall itself, including mini greenhouses that evoked the U.S. Botanical Garden and obelisks that mirrored the nearby Washington Monument.
Garden elements also made an appearance, with wrought-iron gates at the entrances, vignettes of potted plants and sculpted trees set around the space, and two three-tier fountains flanking the podium. Signorelli also changed the entryway carpet to a tan color (from last year’s black) to reference the Mall’s sandy walkways.
During remarks, which included comments from Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, guests dined on a tomato mozzarella cellini amuse bouche, peach-glazed duck with asparagus, spinach gnocchi, and popovers, and strawberry panna cotta for dessert, provided by caterer Design Cuisine. And as soon as the event was over, while still keeping an eye on conservation, Signorelli rushed to switch over for Friday's 600-guest Ball on the Mall, hosted by the Trust for the National Mall's L'Enfant Society and sponsored by Washingtn Life magazine. “It’s important to do as little damage to the turf as possible, and we took care not to let any trucks on the grass,” she said. “We’re presenting other organizations with a good model of how to do an event here and just making a concerted effort to be pro-Mall.”
—Danielle O'Steen |
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RELATED TOPICS
Trust for the National Mall, L'Enfant Society, Washington Life
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