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1. MSNBC and Rodale Fete Jeff Corwin's New Book and Documentary at the Occidental

2. 8 New Venues for Washington Holiday Parties That Won't Break the Bank

3. P.C.M.A. Honors Wardman Park, Fairmont at First Nighttime Annual Meeting

4. How Do You Make Staffers Feel Appreciated—at Little or No Cost?

5. Poll Results: Informal Nights Out Make Most Appropriate 2009 Holiday Parties

6. New Moon Premiere Beckons 10,000 People and 2 Live Wolves

7. MoMA Gets Suitably Whimsical and Macabre for Tim Burton Tribute

8. Masked Raconteurs Tell Tales at Moth Ball, and I Have a Blast

FROM NEW YORK

Masked Raconteurs Tell Tales at Moth Ball, and I Have a Blast

Gap, Banana Republic, American Eagle Open Stores With Musical Performances

MoMA Gets Suitably Whimsical and Macabre for Tim Burton Tribute

3 New Hotel Restaurants for Business Entertaining, Private Groups

Nintendo Launches New Mario Game With Look Back at Franchise History

Scripted Models Play Up Key Notes at Victoria's Secret Fragrance Preview

Ad Age Looks to Boost Conference Interaction With Beer Tasting, Lounge Seating

More Photos From Louis Vuitton's Garden-Style Launch: Life-Sized Trees, Mounds of Mums

A Forest of Flora Marks Launch of Louis Vuitton's Saks Boutique

4 Made-in-New York Sweets for Gift Bags

FROM LOS ANGELES

Us Weekly Takes to Voyeur With Scantily Clad Models, Burlesque Feel

6 New Venues for Los Angeles Holiday Parties

New Moon Premiere Beckons 10,000 People and 2 Live Wolves

$4 Million MOCA Gala Breaks Fund-Raising Records

Chrysalis Benefit Cuts Ticket Prices in Half, Draws Same Crowd

MOCA Gala Spawning Arty Online Auction—Including Gehry's Hat for Gaga—Through November 30

Wende Museum Closes Wilshire for Cold War Anniversary Celebration

3 Ideas for Stylish, Eco-Friendly Events

3 New Restaurants for Autumn Alfresco Dining

With Help From Lexus, Cedars-Sinai Gala Breaks Fund-Raising Record

News Archive for Alpha Kappa Alpha

NEWS 09.03.08 8:00 AM

Destination DC: 2007 Was Strong for Washington; Conferences Helping in 2008

Destination DC announced last week that Washington saw an increase in visitor spending for 2007, with 16.2 million travelers bringing $5.54 million to the area—up from 15.1 million visitors who spent $5.24 million the previous year. Lodging spending went up 5 percent to $2.0 million, while the average daily hotel rate increased 7 percent to $204. The number of international visitors rose by 13 percent to 1.2 million people, who represented 27 percent of all spending for the year.

Visitation figures are not expected to rise in 2008, due to the difficult economy, but two months so far have seen record hotel occupancy for the city—89 percent in April and 85 percent in July. The bumps are partially due to recent citywide conferences at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, such as Alpha Kappa Alpha’s centennial celebration and the National Education Association annual meeting, which have seen more than 520,000 rooms booked so far for 2008—a 22 percent increase over 2007. MORE >>

National Education Association, Alpha Kappa Alpha, AARP

EVENT REPORT 07.18.08 8:00 AM

Alpha Kappa Alpha Dresses Dinner (and Fireworks) in Signature Pink and Green

The Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority National President's dinner
Photo: BizBash

Pink and green flowers and linens were a given for the National President’s dinner for Alpha Kappa Alpha—the nation’s largest and oldest African American-founded sorority—on Wednesday night at the Mandarin Oriental. After all, the group’s signature colors could been seen around D.C. all week, thanks to the sorority's 25,000 members in town for the Centennial Convention. But the 14-minute pink and green firework finale over the Washington Canal was a bit more unexpected.

“We tried to bring the wow factor since we’re celebrating the first 100 years of our organization,” said JoAnn Brown, chairman of the AKA conference planning committee. “It’s good to be coming home where we were founded 100 years ago,” she added, noting the group’s origination at Howard University in 1908. “We made history then, and we’re making history now.” (The convention's closing night dinner on Thursday was expected to break a record for the Walter E. Washington Convention Center with 17,600 seated guests.) MORE >>

Alpha Kappa Alpha

NEWS 07.15.08 1:39 PM

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority to Host D.C.'s Largest Seated Dinner Ever

On Thursday night, the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority is breaking ground at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center with a seated dinner for 17,600 people—the largest in the city's history, according to the group. The dinner closes the sorority's centennial convention, which opened on July 11 and garnered more than 25,000 members.

To accommodate the event, the convention center is using Ballrooms A, B, and C as well as Halls B, D, and E. The site's catering partner Centerplate NBSE estimates it will be bringing in 300 additional chefs, 46 managers, 65 captains, and 1,200 waiters for the event. MORE >>

Alpha Kappa Alpha

NEWS 06.27.08 11:44 AM

Big Conventions and Meetings Heading to the District This Summer

This week Destination D.C. announced the lineup of conventions hitting Washington this summer. “The summer months are often a slower period for meetings and conventions in D.C., but this year we’ve helped to level out the calendar by securing some high-profile July and August gatherings,” said the organization's president and C.E.O., Bill Hanbury, in a press release.

Starting next week, the Walter E. Washington Convention Center is home to the National Education Association's annual conference and expo for 17,000 from July 2 to 6. The convention center is also on tap to host the 100th anniversary conference of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority with more than 20,000 members from July 11 to 18, as well as the A.A.R.P. convention from September 4 to 6, which will mark 50 years for the Washington-based organization with 25,000 attendees, presentations from Gene Simmons, Cal Ripken, and Magic Johnson, and musical performances by Chaka Khan and Natalie Cole. MORE >>

National Education Association, Alpha Kappa Alpha, American Association for Clinical Chemistry, American Association of Diabetes Educators, G.E. Healthcare, United Latin American Citizens, National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association, Barack Obama, John McCain, Hillary Clinton

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