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FROM NEW YORK Early in his remarks at the Moth Ball, host Garrison Keillor told the guests that he had recently suffered a stroke. The room fell quiet. He went on to say that his was a mild stroke, “the best kind to have.” Then he admitted that telling New Yorkers about it had a surprise benefit. “In the world of New York City conversationalists, it’s like having a handicapped parking permit.” Rather than being interrupted within 10 seconds, as is our city’s norm, he said, leading with the stroke news gave him a “fighting chance” to last, say, “20 to 30 seconds.”
It was his way of congratulating the 12-year-old organization on its surprising success in the city that “doesn’t sleep and certainly doesn’t listen.” The Moth is a not-for-profit group that holds story “slams” for anyone with a story to tell, now also in three other cities (Los Angeles, Chicago, and Detroit). People line up around the corner, sometimes waiting for an hour to pay and listen to (mostly) amateur storytellers. Hundreds of people at dozens and dozens of events, each with a different one-word theme—who knew?
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The Professional Convention Management Association's Capital Chapter hosted its annual meeting on Wednesday evening at the Hilton Washington and doled out six awards. Produced by co-chairs Christina Childs and Annette M. Suriani for the third year in a row, the event saw a major format change: Traditionally a lunch, the awards moved to the evening for the first time.
"We thought if ever there was a year to change things up, this was the year," said Childs, whose day job is senior meeting planner for the National Telecommuincations Cooperative Association. Added Suriani, who is the director of meetings for the Meetings Management Group, "We wanted to see if this event is better as an evening event. And apparently it is, as our numbers are up from 300 last year to 340 this year." MORE >>
The premiere for The Twilight Saga: New Moon in Westwood Photo: Line 8 Photography
FROM LOS ANGELES Westwood, being a college town, is accustomed to groups of young people roaming about—but Monday night was no ordinary night in the village. The young people were out, for sure, but many weren't yet old enough to drive, and they were pressed behind barricades on closed streets for the premiere of Summit Entertainment's new installment of the Twilight series, New Moon.
Summit's Eric Kops oversaw the hotly anticipated event, tapping ELS for big-time tasks like crowd control and security, and Chad Hudson Events for roles including theater management and R.S.V.P.s, plus production of the after-party at the Hammer Museum.
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Holiday parties are about to kick into full swing, and according to our latest poll, they shouldn't be too over the top. Half of the participants in last week's survey think that informal nights out at bars or restaurants feel appropriate this year. Only 13 percent of readers think that full, catered affairs are in order, but even fewer—8 percent—think festivities should be kept inside the office. Still, another 29 percent feel that parties should be judged on a case by case basis, by the performance of the company.
This week we'd like to see what kind of entertainment you've booked recently. What did you do the last time you needed cocktail party music? Let us know by partipating in the poll on the left column of the home page.
Leo Burnett's employee art gallery Photo: Courtesy of Leo Burnett
In a year of cutbacks and salary freezes, perhaps now more than ever, hard-working employees need to feel valued, even in small ways. Jennifer Savica, TD Bank’s vice president of event management, rewards her staff with little perks throughout the year, like taking everyone out for ice cream in the summer, treating people to their favorite drinks at Starbucks on a cold day, and occasionally allowing casual Fridays. “I try to show appreciation for my team every day by creating a true democracy—asking their opinions, including them in many of the department decisions, and empowering them to do their job,” she says.
Boston Beer Company has a gift policy that prevents employees from keeping items valued over $10 given to them by clients and event sponsors. “If someone gets something over that amount, we raffle it off to the office as a thank you,” says Kristen Smith, the company’s travel and event planner. Past items have included tickets to charity events the company has sponsored, movie screenings, and Red Sox tickets. “It’s nice to raffle these things off and make them available to anyone—and at no cost to the company,” says Smith.
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The main dining room of Againn gastropub Photo: Powers & Crewe
Whisk Group, a new Washington-based restaurant management and operations company, opened the gastropub Againn on October 27 in Penn Quarter. Designed by Peter Hapstak of D.C.-based design firm CORE, the 5,600-square-foot venue has a modern, industrial look with the traditional British pub accents. Bright and spacious, Againn features floor-to-ceiling exterior glass walls that open onto the street.
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Earlier this year, Georgetown's Café Milano opened a full-service catering offshoot called Embassy Row Catering. Fabio Salvatore, Café Milano's executive chef, creates custom menus with an upscale Italian feel, similar to the restaurant. Dishes include a trio of heirloom tomato soups with crispy phyllo spoons, risotto alla Milanese, pasta with sage butter sauce, and tortino di mocha, chocolate cake topped with dark chocolate, mocha mousse, and mocha custard. Embassy Row serves the metro Washington area and can also provide rentals, staffing, decor, audiovisuals, and other event-related needs. —Lisa Cericola
A table designed by Mario Pinto with Scott Heuvelhorst Interiors Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
FROM CHICAGO "This looks like a serial killer's home. There should be conspiracy theories written on the wall," said one guest at Thursday night's Cocktails by Design event, which served as a kickoff for a three-day Dining by Design benefit hosted by Design Industries Foundations Fighting AIDS. The event filled the eighth floor of the Merchandise Mart with 42 dining environments decorated by design-industry professionals ranging from painters to architects to fashion designer Maria Pinto. With so many creative professionals behind the tables, the environments ranged from a wooden box tacked with newspaper clippings and bathed in an eerie blue light—which inspired the serial-killer comment—to a cozy gazebo setting filled with fairy lights and plush Ralph Lauren pillows.
Though there were tables that defied categorization, some dining environments illustrated popular design trends; one theme was "dark and sexy atmospheres, which we're seeing everywhere this year," said Diffa's director of special events, Peggy Bellar. At an installation from Interior Investments by Gensler, black moving blankets hung behind a table surrounded with dark leather chairs; a chandelier made of painted black cardboard crowned the scene. Hermes glasses in deep purple hues spruced up place settings at a table that Herman Miller by Richard Bliss and Solomon Cordwell Bunez designed; and lacy black napkins dotted the table that Maria Pinto decorated with Scott A. Heuvelhorst Interiors. Artist Francine Turk's design also created a dark, moody ambience with black chalkboard walls, charcoal sketches of crows, and framed paintings of gold Gothic crosses.
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Fight for Children celebrated the 20th anniversary of its marquee event, Fight Night, with a bevy of boys on Thursday, while across town, Knock Out Abuse held its female-friendly gala on the same night. Per tradition, the two groups met up for a late-night dance party, joining two of the most production-heavy annual benefits in town. As a follow-up to our story, here are a few more images from both events and the after-party.
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Fight for Children’s annual Fight Night has boys' night out down to a science: Guests expect cigars, professional boxing, hostesses in slinky dresses, and 16-ounce New York strip steaks. Thursday’s event at the Hilton Washington continued the tradition to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Fight Night, which raised $2.2 million for nonprofits that provide education and healthcare services to low-income children in D.C.
While a mostly male crowd of 1,500 smoked cigars in the Hilton’s International Ballroom, the girls had their own fun at the female-only Knock Out Abuse gala, held simultaneously at the Ritz-Carlton. The benefit for victims of domestic violence drew 650 guests for a ’60s-themed dinner produced by André Wells. The two galas unite each year for a late-night after-party, which earned them a joint No. 1 ranking on BizBash’s 2009 list of Washington’s top benefits.
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