Google, Netflix, BuzzFeed, and Facebook joined MSNBC, The New Yorker, People, and Time magazines for events surrounding the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner this weekend. The gathering, dubbed "nerd prom," ostensibly celebrates the work of reporters covering the executive branch but has turned into a weekend of brand marketing through high-end event production.
The weekend's bigger profile has created more opportunity for event planners. A new event, 2.0: The New Media Party, from Event Farm and HyperVocal with sponsors including Microsoft and AOL, introduced innovative technology elements using N.F.C.-enabled credentials that guests received at the entrance. Guests could use them to receive digital swag as well as download music from US Royalty as the band played a set live.
Building on a successful debut last year, BuzzFeed hosted the "Bow Ties & Burgers" party with Facebook and Geico, produced by Los Angeles-based Pen & Public. Cheeky touches included a Zoltar fortune-telling machine that dispensed political fortunes written by BuzzFeed staffers and a saxophone player wearing a Bill Clinton mask that entertained people waiting at the entrance.
Some brands made strategic changes to their events: Capitol File switched from being a Saturday after-party to a Friday-night affair and downsized to about 250 guests. MSNBC, meanwhile, nearly doubled its guest list to 1,200 and moved to a grander venue, the National Building Museum. "Even though it's doubled in size, it still feels personal and intimate," said MSNBC executive producer Dana Haller, who worked with Dufour & Company to divide the space with a stage, chic seating areas, a central bar, and food stations helmed by four Top Chef winners. Earlier that day, Tammy Haddad's annual Garden Brunch, co-hosted by BizBash C.E.O. David Adler, had a new beneficiary, Dog Tag Bakery, a venture that will employ veterans. The event had patriotic touches such as red, white, and blue stemware and florals, including a giant ball of red carnations behind a bar.
For the weekend's namesake dinner at the Washington Hilton, President Obama brought his own decor: Before launching into the speech, staffers placed two ferns around the lectern, a nod to the president's appearance on the comedy show Between Two Ferns. He was followed by a monologue from actor Joel McHale.
Dufour & Company produced the event, which included dramatic overhead draping that brought the ceiling height down. The sheer white drapes changed with lighting from Atmosphere Lighting. Design Foundry fabricated the decor.
The White House Correspondents' Association Dinner was held at the Washington Hilton. Critics have said the weekend has become too corporate and an unethical mix of journalists and the institutions they cover. One longtime observer of the scene even hoped that this year would be more "B list." No such luck, as Hollywood stars Lupita Nyong'o, Robert De Niro, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus mixed with media heavyweights including Ariana Huffington and NBC's Today show cast, plus sports stars including Super Bowl champions Russell Wilson and Richard Sherman.
Held at the United States Institute of Peace, the event's theme was "Great Storytelling." As a canopy over the main hall, an installation of paper sculptures with die-cut letters spelled out "Story to Screen."
Two illustration artists sketched imagery from popular YouTube channels and Netflix original content, which was then projected onto the building's wall of windows.
The menu from Occasions Caterers included two buffets that had playful interpretations of food from two of Netflix's programs, House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black. The House of Cards "Freddy's Rib Shack" station was based on the barbecue joint that the fictional Frank Underwood often visits and included beef short ribs on polenta cakes, fried chicken drumettes, collard-green-stuffed mushrooms, and endive spears with an Asian jicama slaw.
Dessert, served on the outdoor plaza, included a liquid nitrogen ice cream station with flavors such as Oreo cookie, butter pecan, vanilla, and pineapple-lime sorbet.
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For the new event held at the Carnegie Library, Event Farm created disco balls embedded with tablets that lowered into the crowd during the live band's performance, allowing guests to use their badges to download a track from the group.
"The White House Correspondents weekend traditionally dominated by legacy media parties. Celebrities show up, go to parties, and go home. Everything we do is geared at being a little bit of a disrupter," said Event Farm C.E.O. Ryan Costello. "We're not just putting brands on the wall, we are experimenting with the technology."
Tablets arranged on a wall invited guests to "give yourself a gift" by hovering their N.F.C.-enabled badges over a sensor. Sponsors offered digital swag that was delivered via email. Meanwhile, a group of staffers dubbed the "Selfie Squad" took photos with event guests and immediately posted them to social sites.
Tiny robots called Blabdroids contained N.F.C. readers that allowed them to recognize guests and have a personal interaction based on questions the guests answered during registration about their gender, marital status, occupation, and political affiliation. "Guests wonder, 'How the hell does the robot know that?'" said Event Farm C.E.O. Ryan Costello.
The red and blue logos for BuzzFeed and Facebook, respectively, worked well in a political context at their Bow Ties & Burgers. Both logos were splashed along a banner that wrapped around the Jack Rose Dining Saloon. The signage also included the event's hashtag.
Photo booth props included oversize bow ties in Faceook's signature blue hue, which was as close as some guests came to formal attire. Pen & Public produced the event, which creative director Liam Smith said had a mandate to be an "anti-White House Correspondents' Dinner."
Evoking a carnival, the dessert bar used stacked rolls of tickets to hold platters. Pen & Public produced the event.
Capitol File held its Friday-night party at the residence of the British ambassador, and the decor from Syzygy Events international incorporated British accents such as Union Jack-inspired bar fronts. "We look forward to having fun this weekend," said Syzygy's Hillary Maki. "People in D.C. usually have an agenda—it's a fund-raiser or a gala—but this weekend there's more flexibility to be creative."
The catering, provided by the venue, included mini versions of classic British and American dishes: shepherd's pie and burgers.
Syzygy created two versions of metal café tables, one covered in British slang and the other with American slang.
At a reception held before the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner, Dufour & Company created a garden party atmosphere in a meeting room at the Washington Hilton. The seating areas included pillows in the media company's orange hue.
Jimmy Eat World was the headlining entertainment. Maryland Sound provided the sound, and Creative Video provided video services.
Outside, the Ciroc Cigar Lounge had a different decor, featuring black leather couches, black flooring, and shaggy white throws on barstools. Cigar Row hand-rolled cigars for guests.
The menu from Occasions Caterers featured dishes arranged around an ingredient, and they were brought out in "flavor waves" throughout the evening. For the bacon theme, dishes included Swedish pancakes filled with bacon-maple jam.
One of the dishes for the coconut theme was coconut fried shrimp. Each dish was served on a tray that reflected the theme.
Occasions debuted a new concept at the event, a pour-over coffee station with beans from Intelligentsia. Guests could choose from four flavors, and staff would then make individual cups.
MSNBC debuted the AT&T Departures Lounge, where guests could arrange for a ride home from Uber as well as charge their smartphones. "Everyone leaves and stands out there with their phone, so why not bring them together?" MSNBC executive producer Dana Haller said.
The gold-toned step-and-repeat featured the evening's sponsors.
The Bloomberg and Vanity Fair after-party on Saturday moved venues this year to Villa Firenze, home of the Italian ambassador. Decals from both publications decorated clear café tables.
In a custom studio built for the event, photographer Mark Seliger shot portraits of high-profile guests such as MSNBC host Ronan Farrow and Scandal actress Bellamy Young. The portraits were then posted to Vanity Fair's Facebook page.
David Bradley hosted his annual welcome dinner Friday at his home; Susan Gage Caterers provided catering and design. The classic black, white, and silver decor was intended to pay homage to the White House Correspondents' Association's centennial anniversary, and the tent included black-and-white photos from throughout the association's history.
Politico's Sunday brunch, held in the backyard of publisher Robert Allbritton, had a Moroccan theme. Copper lanterns and strings of flowers hung from the tent. Syzygy produced the event.
Color-blocked floral arrangements came in bright tones.
At the annual Garden Brunch, held Saturday at the Beall-Washington House in Georgetown, the menu from Design Cuisine Caterers included a bacon bar in flavors such as maple and jalapeño. Individual slices were served on skewers.
The menu also included savory dishes such as an Asian slaw served in an ice cream cone.
Four competitors from past seasons of Top Chef served dishes at Thomson Reuters's brunch Sunday at the Hay-Adams hotel rooftop. Washington-based chef Bart Vandaele served "pig and egg on a bun."
Covers of Time and People magazines flanked the bar backdrop, which was covered in boxwood. The Friday-night event was held at the St. Regis and designed by Syzygy.
LMT Inc. president and C.E.O. Lani Hay hosted the seventh annual Rock the Vote "Off the Record" event Friday, which honored distinguished women in the media. Guests gathered for a performance from singer Michelle Branch in the living room, where they could sit on ghost stools set around highboy tables topped with gray and white chevron-patterned linens.
The Creative Coalition held its Celebration of Arts in America benefit gala Friday in the Supper Suite at the newly opened STK.
