After enduring the formality of the April 21 White House Correspondents Association dinner—and Rich Little’s dated comedic routine—400 media and political types headed to Capitol File’s carnival-themed post-party at the Colombian embassy. (We’re talking Latin festival carnival, not suburban fair carnival.)
Capitol File associate publisher Jayne Sandman gave the venue—six blocks from the Hilton Washington—her “stiletto heel test” and decided to have a fleet of white and silver Volvos do loops from the hotel to the embassy throughout the evening. “We intentionally chose white and silver cars, because when you exit the Hilton, it’s a sea of black town cars, and it takes forever to find yours,” said Sandman, who also mentioned that Volvo was—naturally—a sponsor. Another under-the-radar marketing-integration tactic: placing Nexus hair products in the bathrooms for much-needed touch-ups.
Sandman consulted the embassy’s current resident, Colombian ambassador Carolina Barco, in planning the event to make sure it was authentically Colombian, not generically Latin American. “When we sat down with the ambassador, she had these amazing photographs of street festivals, and we wanted to use those concepts and colors—but on a very elegant level,” said Sandman, who worked with event consultant Andre Wells to produce the event. “The ballroom is normally all white, and we completely covered it in a wash of colors.”
Desserts were the focus in one of the residence’s more traditional rooms, featuring a long, orange-clothed table piled high with trays of sweets that even Marie Antoinette would have appreciated. “The inspiration for the [dessert] table is the last feast of Jesus,” Wells said. “We really wanted it to be alive and very decadent and cool.”
In the open-air courtyard, Sandman’s gamble with the weather paid off, thanks to the weekend’s 70-degree temperatures. (She had planned for a tent but cancelled the order on Thursday.) Actress Kerry Washington and model Petra Nemcova were on hand to host the event, and guests included Tim Daly, Wendie Malick, Isaiah Washington, and recently ousted American Idol contestant Sanjaya Malakar (with bodyguard in tow). By 1 a.m., the dance floor was full, thanks to DJ Malik (who spun from the ballroom balcony) and Colombian hip-hop artists the Castoffs.
