Nearly 2,000 people headed to the National Building Museum on Wednesday night for AT&T’s Best of Washington event hosted by Washingtonian magazine. The annual fete pairs with the editorial feature of the same name that spotlights the best restaurants and businesses around the city as determined by the magazine’s writers and editors. A total of 73 of the top-ranked restaurants participated, serving small bites throughout the evening.
In addition to the local Washington fare, Washingtonian took guests around the world with vintage travel-themed decor, entertainment, and V.I.P. food offerings.
“We felt like there would be a lot of ways to bring [the vintage travel theme] to life,” said Katharine Ragsdale, the magazine’s event manager. “Through our marketing campaign on our Web site, invites, in-book advertising, and production of the event itself, it could be really cohesive throughout.”
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom infused multiple travel elements into the design of the main bar covering the museum's fountain. The front of the four-sided bar had train-station-style arrival and departure updates for various cities around the world. Above, vintage clocks kept tabs on the local time in destinations like Amsterdam, Berlin, and Madrid.
Check out the gallery to see how Washingtonian pulled it together.