| EVENT REPORT 06.22.09 5:12 PM |
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| After the Radio and Television Correspondents' Dinner, MSNBC threw a late-night party across the street, with ice cream, sugary treats, and drink stations—one tended by Rachel Maddow. |
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Guests at the 65th Radio and Television Correspondents' Association Dinner on Friday shouldn’t have had any problem finding the after-party hosted by MSNBC. They simply walked across the street from the dinner at the Washington Convention Center to the Historical Society of Washington, D.C., where giant light projections of the MSNBC logo on the building’s exterior lit up the night sky.
The annual dinner, which was held at the convention center for the first time and included a speech by Barack Obama and a performance by Sweet Honey in the Rock, ended at around 10:30 p.m. As the journos and politicians on the guest list made their way across the street to the party, music pumped from speakers outside and red and blue rotating LED lights cast a glow on the society’s classical building. “We wanted to make an impact and put our imprint on the city,” explained Dana Haller, producer of strategic marketing for MSNBC, who worked with producer Philip Dufour of Dufour & Co. and lighting production company Atmosphere to design the look. |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
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 | The evening's DJ was perched on the staircase landing overlooking the main floor. Adhesive signs and arrows on the stairs pointed guests to Maddow's bar.
Photo: Tony Brown/Imijination Photography for BizBash |
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 | In the upstairs lounge, a bar dedicated to Rachel Maddow served drinks like the Hearst, made with gin, sweet vermouth, and bitters.
Photo: Tony Brown/Imijination Photography for BizBash |
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 | | Event sponsor Starbucks set up two wooden coffee bar lounges at the event. |
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 | Blue and red lighting uplit the Historical Society's facade, visible from the outdoor lounge, which had two glowing bars, cocktail tables, and banquette seating.
Photo: Tony Brown/Imijination Photography for BizBash |
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 | Located directly across the street from the convention center, the Historical Society was decked with a blue entry carpet and projections.
Photo: Tony Brown/Imijination Photography for BizBash |
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“The work they’ve done outside makes the place pop and sets the tone,” Haller said. “You see it when you’re walking by and say, ‘What’s going on in there?’ As soon as people walked in, they got the vibe and flavor of the party. We wanted people to know that we wanted them to have fun. We wanted to immediately hit them with that.”
Planned in a little more than a month, the 600-guest party was the biggest event that MSNBC has ever hosted, and served as a celebration for MSNBC’s recent success in the ratings. Inspired by the network's blue logo, guests walked a blue carpet to the Historical Society’s entrance. Inside, the party’s futuristic look included blue accents in everything from floral arrangements to the throw pillows in the outdoor lounge area. The MSNBC logo motif continued, with rotating light projections displaying logos from shows such as Andrea Mitchell Reports, The Ed Show, and The Rachel Maddow Show. And the network brought in its personalities and newscasters, like Mika Brzezinski, Joe Scarborough, and David Schuster, who mingled with White House advisers and staff, including Valerie Jarrett.
But radio and television personality Rachel Maddow was the party’s most accessible MSNBC star, jumping behind the bar—a glowing version dubbed “Maddow’s Bar"—to serve drinks for guests (including Obama senior adviser David Axlerod) in the upstairs lounge. Maddow tested her mixology skills by devising the evening’s drink menu of throwback cocktails, such as the Hearst, a concoction of gin, sweet vermouth, and bitters.
Sponsor Starbucks also set up two bars, one in the upstairs lounge that gave away Starbucks VIA Ready Brew coffee, and another full-service bar downstairs that offered every drink available in Starbucks stores. Occasions Caterers provided plentiful food options—in addition to macaroni and cheese bites, mini milk shakes in shot glasses with straws, and a chocolate fountain, guests could also whip up their own Cold Stone Creamery sundaes. The sweets continued with an old-fashioned candy bar (suggested by a senior executive at MSNBC) stocked with apothecary jars filled with Pop Rocks, Good & Plenty, rock candy, Candy Buttons, and other classic candies.
At 12:30 a.m., servers passed trays of mini breakfast foods including challah French toast, croissants with eggs and bacon, and hash browns served in wooden cones. When guests finally left at 2 a.m., they were set for breakfast the next day, thanks to the reusable Starbucks gift bags that included a $50 Starbucks card.
—Adele Chapin
RELATED TOPICS
MSNBC, Rachel Maddow, Radio and Television Correspondents' Association, Starbucks
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