| EVENT REPORT 02.02.09 11:54 AM |
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Last Look at the Inauguration: More Photos From Google's Party
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 | Giant plastic igloos at Google's inaugural party
Photo: Courtesy of Google |
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Our coverage of the inaugural festivities went online quickly after the events, but some new photos just came in from Google's bash at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, considered by some to be—style- and spectacle-wise, at least—one of the highlights of the week. Here's a look at the gleaming white Obama-influenced fete, overseen and designed by Google's group marketing manager of events, Lorin Pollack-Platto.
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Inauguration 2009, Google |
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| NEWS 01.28.09 1:06 PM |
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In the News: Somber Times Kill Davos Party, Guerrilla Marketers Help Inauguration-Goers Make Friends
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Here's are a few stories grabbing our attention this week:
Financial Forecast Calls for Subdued Davos: The World Economic Forum's annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, is taking an unsurprisingly somber tone this year. C.E.O.s of corporations like Citigroup and Sony have opted not to attend; the celebrity contingent is all but nonexistent; and the opulent parties of the past seem to be long gone. Goldman Sachs is among the biggest names ditching their perennially hot ticket parties, and although Brit bank Barclays is said to be going ahead with theirs, company president Bob Diamond just canceled his trip yesterday. [FT]
HuffPo and Meetup Help Obama Fans Network: By using street teams to hand out branded name tags in Washington, the Huffington Post and community organizing Web site Meetup attempted to introduce half a million strangers to each other at last week's inauguration. Creative agency Interference Inc. enlisted about 180 people to pass out the tags, and trucks had to deliver the 500,000 stickers two days in advance because of closed street traffic. [BrandFreak]
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RELATED TOPICS
Inauguration 2009, Davos, Huffington Post, Meetup, Condé Nast, Goldman Sachs, Barclays Capital, Citigroup |
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| NEWS 01.27.09 12:59 PM |
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With Inauguration Over, Vendors Reflect on Giant Crowds, Security Constraints, and Last-Minute Cancellations
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For planners and vendors alike, the festivities surrounding the presidential inauguration last week made for one of the most stressful series of events ever staged here. Many workers in the industry are still recovering from the grinding intensity. The crowds, security sweeps, street closings, staffing issues, equipment procurement, and magnitude of expectation were unprecedented. And for some, the lack of a crowd even caused problems, with a few last-minute ball cancellations causing turmoil.
Hargrove, the official event planner designated by the Presidential Inaugural Committee, executed 44 events in 34 venues over six days, including all 16 official inaugural events. The effort required 200 trailer trucks of equipment and staging decor and 600 to 700 staff members who worked in three shifts for 19 days. For the company’s 16th inaugural, security was the biggest issue.
“It took six of our people five full days just to do the Secret Service credentialing,” said Hargrove C.E.O. Tim McGill. Float drivers and handlers had to be on site at 2 a.m. on Inauguration Day for the parade that started at 2 p.m. Bomb-sniffing dogs were sometimes in short supply, causing drivers long waits.
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RELATED TOPICS
Inauguration 2009 |
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| TED KRUCKEL 01.21.09 4:08 PM |
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On Inauguration Night, Purple Ball Had Color But Lacked Authenticity, and American Music Balls Were a Bust
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On Tuesday night, as my taxi inched down M street to the Georgetown inaugural ball, held in two venues alongside the Georgetown Shops Mall, one shop owner had posted a hastily made but hard-to-ignore suggestion: “Why not go home already: Take it all in on your TV!” I wish I had.
Let it be known that this mostly jaded reporter was down with the oneness, surprising everyone who knows me by hopping the metro yesterday at 11 a.m. and, with careful planning, arriving on the mall in time to hear Barack’s speech, call my sister, take a picture, etc. It was touching and all that.
But a night of overly commercialized, under-organized (or failed) party planning reminded me that even the noblest of causes or movements are not free from shameless exploiters and profiteers. It's been a long trip.
So as I rush to Union Station—I decided to forego my business class reservation and early return to the calm and cool oasis that is Manhattan—herein are my parting observations.
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Inauguration 2009, Purple Ball |
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| EVENT REPORT 01.21.09 2:30 PM |
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Inauguration Balls Feature A-List Performers, High-Tech Touches, and High- and Low-End Decor
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 | The Obamas at the Neighborhood Ball
Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images |
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After a day of inaugural festivities held outside amid biting winds and clamoring crowds, last night the masses descended onto a slew of balls celebrating President Barack Obama's swearing in. The 10 Presidential Inauguration Committee-sanctioned parties—the official bashes graced with planned appearances by the new president and first lady—were the tickets to land, with most going to politicians, Hill staffers, and donors. Private functions also dotted the event landscape, with first-ever parties from BET at the Mandarin Oriental and Google at the Mellon Auditorium.
Obama's popularity among the Hollywood set was more evident than ever before, as an award show-worthy roster of performers entertained around town. On the slate at the televised Neighborhood Ball were Faith Hill, Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Alicia Keys. Other rosters included Sting and Elvis Costello at the Creative Coalition fete at the Harman Center, Wyclef Jean for BET, and Patti LaBelle at the Africa Ball at the Gaylord.
Street closures, freezing temperatures, and the ongoing taxi shortage made ball hopping a challenge, but as revelers showed throughout the weekend, little could dampen the spirits of those in town for the celebration.
Here are some highlights from the evening's biggest events.
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Inauguration 2009, Google, BET, Creative Coalition, Hawaii State Socity, Pennsylvania State Society, Congressional Youth Leadership Council |
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| NEWS 01.21.09 1:34 PM |
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Chicago's Inauguration-Night Balls Range From Canceled to High Tech
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 | The Bronzeville inaugural ball
Photo: BizBash |
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FROM CHICAGO
A line of news trucks stood outside McCormick Place last night, where the Chicago Inaugural Committee hosted its official ball. There were more lines inside, where two cash bars—each staffed with a single bartender—catered to a crowd of roughly 700 guests.
Last week, planners expected the evening to draw a crowd of about 600, but the sudden cancellation of an inaugural ball that was to take place at the Aragon Ballroom led to a last-minute spike in attendance at McCormick Place. According to Alan Cottrell, who headed up planning efforts for the Chicago Inaugural Ball, organizers of the Aragon Ballroom event didn't sell enough tickets to hold the space, so he and his fellow committee members agreed to honor tickets to the Aragon event at their own ball. (Those with tickets to the canceled event who didn't go to McCormick Place got refunds.)
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Chicago Inaugural Committee, Inauguration 2009 |
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| TED KRUCKEL 01.20.09 2:57 PM |
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Texas Black Tie & Boots Ball Had Winking Cowgirls, Giant Rooms
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In Texas, you should know, they go big or they stay home ... where it is big.
So for the Texas State Society’s 11,000-person party on Monday night, organizers chose the Gaylord National Resort across the Potomac in Maryland. Yee-ha!
If you like greeters, and I do, the Black Tie and Boots Ball was your party. First, a dozen or so wannabe Dallas Cowgirls obeyed their matron, took the gum out of their mouths, passed it forward, then marched, two by two to the escalator, to get in position at one of the many entrances. Every third gal greeted me and every fifth winked.
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Inauguration 2009, Texas State Society Black Tie & Boots Ball |
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