| EVENT REPORT 10.14.09 4:16 PM |
|
Human Rights Campaign Dinner Returns With Obama, Lady Gaga, and Text Messaging
|
 | Lady Gaga at the Human Rights Campaign dinner
Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images |
|
Although the unusual double bill of Lady Gaga and President Barack Obama got all the media spotlight at Saturday’s sold-out Human Rights Campaign National Dinner (one of our Top 100 events) at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, the 3,000 guests also had the chance to garner some attention of their own. During downtime at the dinner, they could send text messages to be displayed on large screens near the stage as part of the dinner’s “Speak the Truth” theme. Everything from “Table 170 is sooooo fun! Come meet us,” to “Ryan and Ian together for 14 years! Married in Canada, why not here?” popped up on the screens.
The 13th annual dinner probably marked the first time anyone said the names Gaga and Obama in the same sentence, and it seemed like a toss-up as to who the audience was more excited about. Even Obama joked in his remarks, “It is a privilege to be here tonight to open for Lady Gaga.”
MORE >>
RELATED TOPICS
Human Rights Campaign, Barack Obama, Glee, Lady Gaga |
 |
| NEWS 09.08.09 10:43 AM |
|
Fall Preview: What Washington Event Pros Are Working on This Season
|
With the unofficial end of summer now behind us (that would be Labor Day), event professionals are looking to the fall—a traditionally busy time—to see how the economic recovery will help the industry rebound from what has so far been a pretty slow year. We asked a group of local planners and vendors what they have in the works for the coming months. Here are some highlights.
"We're looking forward to an extraordinary fall. Highlights for us include the Pittsburgh G20 Summit, scheduled at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in late September. World leaders from more than 30 countries will convene to discuss global challenges with more than 3,000 journalists scheduled to cover the event. We and our partner Showcall will provide extensive general contracting, audiovisual, decor, and production services. A variety of events focused on the environment also figure prominently in our schedule this fall, including the Solar Decathlon, to take place in mid-October on the National Mall. The event joins 20 college and university teams in a competition to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house. Our calendar includes a diverse customer base, ranging from the 13th annual Human Rights Campaign National Dinner to the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference. Finally, with several exhibit pavilions at the Association of the U.S. Army show held annually at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, expos for the Marine Corps Marathon and Army Ten-Miler, and general contracting services for Modern Day Marine, we are geared up and ready for an exciting fall."
—Lana Ostrander, director of marketing and public relations, Hargrove Inc.
MORE >>
RELATED TOPICS
G20 Summit, Human Rights Campaign National Dinner, Human Rights Campaign, Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference, Association of the U.S. Army, Marine Corps Marathon, Fight for Children, Fight for Children Fight Night, The Green Magazine, Washingtonian, PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction Gala, Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, Blue Note Records, Harman Center for the Arts, One, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, National Air and Space Museum, Fall Preview 2009 |
|
| FEATURE 06.22.09 11:44 AM |
|
Washington's Top Political & Press Events 2009
|
 | Rush Limbaugh
Photo: Courtesy of CPAC 2009 and Panoramic Visions |
|
1. State of the Union Address
The president’s big annual speech is the only time the entire federal government gathers in one place. Although a new president’s first-year address to Congress bears all the trappings of this gathering, it’s technically not considered one, so President Obama’s first official State of the Union takes place January 2010.
2. White House Correspondent’s Association Dinner
Comedian Wanda Sykes hosted this May 9 event, traditionally attended by the president along with some 2,000 politicians, journalists, and celebrities. Dinner at the Washington Hilton is preceded by a maze of pre-parties hosted by media outlets. For the first time, Bloomberg and Vanity Fair co-hosted an after-party this year.
3. Gridiron Club Black-Tie Dinner
President Obama bucked tradition in March, skipping this 125-year-old event in favor of a family vacation. The 600-plus guests at the Marriott Renaissance Hotel consoled themselves with barbs from Vice President Joe Biden and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
MORE >>
RELATED TOPICS
Washington's Top 100 Events, State of the Union, Barack Obama, White House Correspondents' Association, Wanda Sykes, Bloomberg, Vanity Fair, Gridiron Club, Joe Biden, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Radio and Television Correspondents' Association, Presidential Medal of Freedom Ceremony, George W. Bush, Tony Blair, Washington Press Club Foundation, Mitt Romney, American Israel Public Affairs Committee, National Governors' Association, U.S. Confernece of Mayors, Bill Clinton, Rahm Emanuel, National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation, America's Future Now!, Human Rights Campaign, Hillary Clinton |
|
 |
|
| ASK BIZBASH 06.23.08 9:30 AM |
|
How Do You Keep Annual Events From Getting Stale?
|
 | Planners for Casey House's annual SnowBall keep things interesting with decor.
Photo: Gary Beechey for BizBash |
|
“We hear from people during gala season who go to a lot of galas that a lot are boring and formulaic,” says Elaine Bowen, director of development for the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, which has hosted its annual Downtown Dinner in New York each May for the past four years. She and other planners of annual gatherings know that to ensure guests come back, each year has to be better than the last. So how do they keep their yearly rituals fresh?
Though the cultural council gala follows a typical formula—cocktail reception, dinner, and award ceremony—the event is anything but. Guests have come to expect the unexpected, like guerilla dancers infiltrating the crowd, an M.C. dressed as a clown, and a huge string art installation covering the dining room. “There are always spontaneous things happening,” says Bowen. Celebrity guests are also a draw—this spring, Mayor Michael Bloomberg was an honoree, as were playwright Edward Albee and artist Kiki Smith.
MORE >>
RELATED TOPICS
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, Human Rights Campaign, Casey House |
|
| EVENT REPORT 10.10.07 11:35 AM |
|
Thousands Attend HRC Dinner
|
 | More than 3,000 guests attended the Human Rights Campaign dinner.
Photo: Colin Laughlin for BizBash |
|
This year’s Human Rights Campaign dinner, which ran under the theme “Inspire,” was held in the Washington Convention Center’s 19,000-square-foot ballroom on Saturday night. Some 3,000 attendees came out to support the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender communities.
The event, the group’s 11th annual, was the culmination of a yearlong planning effort headed by HRC senior event manager Camille Rodriguez. “Our goal was to provide an all-star production within the limitations of a conservative budget,” she said, noting that the convention center was the only space in the city that could hold such a large event.
While colorful, the decor was crisp, and on the conservative side. The ballroom took on a light-versus-dark setting, thanks to hundreds of circular tables draped in black tablecloths and topped with bundles of bright pink, red, and yellow roses by Royce Flowers. The white walls around the room’s perimeter were tastefully lit in blue and yellow, the colors of the HRC's logo, by GLP, in conjunction with the convention center.
MORE >>
RELATED TOPICS
Human Rights Campaign |
|
|
