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.

A dozen volunteers were on hand to individually escort guests to the first stop: a reception and silent auction area offering everything from one-on-one time with Katie Couric via private jet to backstage passes for a Dave Matthews concert. Purple—the evening’s signature color—washed the space, from the silk-tufted bars to the three-foot-tall hydrangea and rose arrangements perched atop glass cylinders.

PassionFish's location offers more than 9,600 square feet, with 35-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, a main dining room, an upstairs balcony, a bar, and the River Room private event space. The River Room, which is separated from the main space by a glass divider, can accommodate as many as 85 people for receptions, and offers audiovisual capabilities. The space also features a private bar.

Layla, which debuted in August, recently opened its space to events, and hosted a gala for Black Entertainment Television (BET). Co-owners Ahmad Ayyad and Anthony Jones used design company New York Sound to create two different looks for the two-story space. A door designed to resemble a bank vault opens up to the 1,800-square-foot downstairs space, which is accented by orange leather couches, cherry-wood tables, and custom-made leather panels. “This is more like your neighborhood bar with a lounge feel,” Cathey said. The space can accommodate 300 people. 

Following a similar design to the Chinatown location, the National Harbor restaurant, which opened on September 30, features traditional Oaxacan wood carvings, an electric blue tiled water feature, clay pottery, Mayan Indian textiles, and imported folk art masks. The venue's unofficial mascot, the "Avocado God," is painted on the front windows to welcome guests inside. New menu items include jalapeños rellenos and albondigas (Mexican meatballs).

Tara de Nicolas, director of marketing and communications for the Washington Humane Society, recommends Volanni. “No matter your budget, if you are able to convey the scope, mood, and character of your event to owner Michael Lanni, he will create floral masterpieces that set your event apart from others,” says de Nicolas. For a less expensive alternative at this year’s Fashion for Paws event, Volanni created tall screens of then-seasonal cherry blossoms that cost $500 each. “We had a very limited budget, so instead of us spending money on lots and lots of small arrangements, we realized it was more effective for us to spend less money and only do four large screens of flowers, which in the end was most memorable and beautiful.”

Audiovisual Production: “IEP has been a partner of the foundation for years, and continues to support the gala and work with the chapter to ensure the best cost and best service. It, too, is a big part of our success and keeps our expense ratio under 9 percent.”

Six sponsors, including Capitol File, Harper's Bazaar, and Veuve Clicquot, are hosting teams, while the Mandarin Oriental is setting up the official after-party for 200 Cup guests. We talked to Smithsonian Associates program manager Brigitte Blachere about last-minute preparations, this year’s Miami-themed decor, and navigating the National Park Service.

The second annual Smithsonian Young Benefactors Polo Cup is less than a week away. What are you working on now?
We’re finalizing the volunteers and any last-minute coordinations. We're working with the National Park Service to confirm the schedule and to make sure officers are in place to babysit everything for about four nights while we’re not on the field. We’re also finalizing last-minute details on the lunch menu with Ridgewells.

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.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee for the 44th president of the United States has not yet been established. But already one still-unsanctioned ball has embraced an Hawaiian theme and sold-out all 750 tickets. Organizers of the Hawaii State Society Ball, with a budget of $250,000, have booked a ballroom at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Southwest Washington, The Washington Post reported. Ball chairman Micah Kohono Mossman, a consultant for Booz Allen Hamilton, has requested Asian-Pacific foods and island music. Planning is still under way for leis and, perhaps, a waterfall.

Steps away from the U.S. Capitol at the Hyatt Regency Washington, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee held its "Election Watch Party," featuring Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi on stage with U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida. Some 800 guests—mostly Democratic insiders and members of the media—converged in the Hyatt's ballroom, where a patriotic stage was festooned with flags and flanked by two projection screens with continuous voter returns coverage. Blue lighting and star-shaped gobos cast a glow on the ballroom walls and ceiling, while an all-American menu included bite-sized burgers and pizzas from the Hyatt's in-house catering team.

However, D.C. is not without its celebrations, albeit without the presidential candidates' presence. Events ranging from public parties to exclusive V.I.P. affairs will take place in town tomorrow night as the results of the historic campaign roll in.