How many people can the National Mall accommodate? That's the question District and federal officials are asking themselves as they gear up for what is expected to be the largest inaugural crowd in history. The Washington Postreported today that officials are now preparing for as many as 4 million people, a crowd three to four times larger than previous big events on the Mall.
The best viewing area for the swearing-in ceremony of President-elect Barack Obama will be the ticketed space, closest to the U.S. Capitol, for 240,000 people. For the masses, officials are planning extra JumboTrons on the 300-acre, two-mile-long Mall and Pennsylvania Avenue parade route. "The Mall actually may be the best seat in the house. ... It'll kind of be like the world's biggest stage and auditorium on January 20th," Mayor Adrian Fenty told The Post. In addition, they are considering opening a three-block area east of the Washington Monument to the public that in the past has been used to stage the parade.
Stephen Colbert makes fun of Washington every night on The Colbert Report, but on Friday, Beltway insiders turned the tables at the 20th annual Roast for Spina Bifida. The Comedy Central mock news anchor took abuse from M.C. Mark Shields and roasters Senator Orrin Hatch, D.C. delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, White House press secretary Dana Perino, and Representative Rahm Emanuel, President-elect Barack Obama's new chief of staff, who all joined forces for what Emanuel called a “night full of insults, snarky comments about each other, and name-calling.” In between barbs, guests watched highlights of memorable moments from the Report, including clips of Colbert’s run-ins with Holmes, Norton, and Emanuel.
READ MORE RELATED TOPICSSpina Bifida Association,
Lexus,
Stephen Colbert
The emergency preparedness event at Paramount Photo: Pedja Radenkovi/Brightroom Event Photography
FROM LOS ANGELES Last week—just ahead of the destructive fires that burned a swath through the region—BizBash gathered Los Angeles planners for a panel on emergency preparedness at events. Pivotal Events produced and sponsored the program, and BostonCoach and Cvent sponsored along with the event's host, Paramount. Among the panelists were Boston Coach senior vice president of events Catherine Chaulet; Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center chief of emergency medicine Marshall T. Morgan; Paramount fire chief and executive director of fire and emergency services Robert Lucchesi; and the Orange County Sheriff assistant commanding officer of field operations Michael Hillmann. Here are some of their top tips for being ready for anything.
1. Know the risks you own.
If an anonymous caller makes a bomb threat concerning the auditorium where your event is about to start, it's on the planner—not the police—to decide whether to proceed. "It's your risk," said Hillmann. "You—the planner—decide whether to evacuate." If you've invested in enough security ahead of time to scan for things like unattended packages, you'll be more prepared to make the choice.
The Inn at Little Washington's ballroom veranda Photo: Courtesy of the Inn at Little Washington
Patrick O'Connell, the chef and owner of the Inn at Little Washington, in Washington, Virginia, expanded the venue's capabilites in late October with the addition of an event space called the Ballroom. Located across the street from the inn in a restored 18th century building that also houses the Tavern Shops, the intimate room can seat 36 for dinner or 30 for a boardroom meeting.
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The expected crowd for the January 20 public inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama is already at 1.5 million, and Washington tourism officials are doing what they can to encourage that number, despite the scant availability of tickets to the ceremony. The potential for a four-day weekend (given that Inauguration Day falls immediately after the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday) and the town’s relatively mild winters mean the inauguration and related events will likely bring an economic boom to the city.
According to The Chicago Sun-Times, capitol tourism agency Destination D.C. advises inauguration-goers that hotel rooms are still available but booking may require a bit of savvy. Many D.C. hotels require a three- to four-night minimum stay, so room searches for anything less might appear as fully booked.
READ MORE RELATED TOPICSElection 2008,
Barack Obama,
Presidential Inauguration
As we close in on holiday party season, a pertinent question on many an employee mind is what the company holiday party will be like—provided there actually is one. In the past month, many businesses have announced massive layoffs, and several, like Viacom, CitiGroup, and American Express Publishing, have canceled their seasonal festivities. But others, such as Yahoo and NewsCorp, are still planning end-of-the-year celebrations.
For those companies going on with holiday parties, event industry vendors note that almost all hosts are scaling back on costs, as well as the number of guests, the amount of food, and the decorations. “In light of recent events, specifically what happened with AIG spending $400,000 on a junket, companies seem leery of indulging in anything not absolutely necessary right now,” says John Ierardi, owner of event production and design firm Event Energizers in New York.
But it’s not all potluck dinners and recycled bar mitzvah decor. Hospitality veterans like Walter Rauscher, the vice president of corporate sales and catering for Ark Restaurants, are still optimistic—although wary—about the current climate in the industry. “9/11 was worse for us for sure. I’m concerned, but positive,” says Rauscher, who has been working in restaurants and hotels in New York since the 1970s. “Frugality will be the new black,” he jokes.
So exactly how are companies handling the parties this year? Here are seven observations based on conversations with planners and suppliers across the industry.
FROM LOS ANGELES The economic downturn has not spared Hollywood, and Variety reports that studios' premieres and holiday parties are both being effected. Some studios have already cancelled their holiday celebrations (as we have reported), while others, including Overture, are continuing undaunted. Studios are grappling with whether to scale back premiere-party spending as well—an issue complicated by the possibility of alienating A-listers or compromising the events' promotional value. —Alesandra Dubin
Trading his usual "Hail to the Chief" for an evening of African-themed entertainment, President George W. Bush took to the stage at the Washington Hilton Wednesday night as the 2008 recipient of the Bishop John T. Walker Distinguished Humanitarian Service Award.
Presented by Africare—a Washington-based nonprofit dedicated to providing aid to Africa—the annual award dinner is the largest fund-raiser for Africa in the United States, with last year’s event taking in more than $1 million in a single evening. This year’s gala, staged in the Hilton’s main ballroom for 2,000 guests, focused on Africare’s work to provide clean water to the continent. With that theme in mind, Capital City Events dressed the room with a water motif.
Marred by a recent round of layoffs and rumors of financial distress at titles like The New Yorker and Domino, the company's announcement comes as little surprise. Spokeswoman Maurie Perl didn't refer directly to the economy but told The Post the decision is in "keeping with the times."
Since the annual Christmas party ended in 1998, media enthusiasts and junior Condé staffers have looked to the intimate Four Seasons Restaurant luncheon to gauge the temperament of chairman S.I. Newhouse Jr. The event's seating chart has long served as an unofficial barometer of who is in and out of his favor, though Condé Nast has maintained this is just hearsay. —Michael O'Connell
Plaza Hotel Las Vegas Rendering: Courtesy of Elad Properties
FROM NEW YORK The Plaza is heading to the desert. New York-based Elad Group, owners of the recently refurbished Plaza Hotel, has announced plans to open its first gaming property—a 15 million-square-foot Las Vegas resort on the site that once housed the Frontier Hotel & Casino. In partnership with IDB Group, Elad is scheduled to break ground on the project in 2010 and complete construction by 2013.
Designed in imitation of New York’s French Renaissance château-style landmark, the Plaza Las Vegas will feature more than 3,500 hotel rooms, a spa, restaurants, meeting and convention space, and, of course, a casino. And like the Plaza in New York, this Nevada sister property will also offer private residences and a retail area. The Plaza Las Vegas is expected to be the second-largest private real estate development in the world, and will create an estimated 15,000 new jobs.
