When the U.S. Travel Association hosted its 49th annual IPW conference in Washington earlier this month, it brought 6,400 travel professionals, including nearly 1,600 international delegates, to the Capitol for five days of events and meetings aimed at increasing tourism to the country.
In addition to the official opening- and closing-night events on June 4 and 7, destination management organizations from around the country utilized the free evenings in the conference schedule to host their own, more intimate, events throughout Washington. These events all had a focus on guest engagement through on-site branding, catering setups, and entertainment.
Here’s a look at 14 ways to utilize catering, decor, and entertainment to promote guest engagement.
Twelve harpists from the American YouthHarp Ensemble lined the teal-carpeted entrance leading guests into the cathedral for dinner.
Photo:Â Courtesy of CSI Washington, DC
On Saturday night, Visit Maryland hosted a progressive event coordinated by Capital City Events at multiple venues within National Harbor, beginning with a cocktail reception the Gaylord National Resort serving traditional Maryland dishes like sautéed soft shell crab with corn relish.
Photo:Â Sardari Group
After leaving the opening reception, guests walked down the boardwalk where they stopped at three bars, each one serving a different element of a Black Eyed Susan cocktail, a traditional Maryland drink, beginning with ice, followed by a choice of pineapple or orange juice, and finishing with the liquor.
Photo:Â Sardari Group
Models from the Tanger Outlets promoted the mall’s shopping event taking place that evening, which included bus service to the mall on the other side of the National Harbor property, champagne cocktails upon arrival, and more than $250 in discounts from retailers at the facility.
Photo:Â Sardari Group
An artist drew a chalk drawing live, which guests photographed throughout its creation, incorporating the Maryland flag and IPW logo on the walkway of the east pier during the second portion of the three-venue event.
Photo:Â Sardari Group
For the final stop of the progressive Visit Maryland event, guests headed to the MGM National Harbor for a private concert by KC and the Sunshine Band. The band’s signature style of performance included guest interaction and commentary from lead singer and keyboardist KC.
Photo:Â Sardari Group
MGM set-up an extensive candy bar in the theater, along with a late-night food station of pizza, soft pretzels, hot dogs, crab-cake sliders, and grilled cheese.
Photo:Â Sardari Group
The U.S. Travel Association & Brand USA hosted an evening reception and dinner for 200 at the National Cathedral on June 3. Inside, Atmosphere Lighting illuminated the building in blue and red to accent the long mirrored tables from DC Rental, which CSI pushed together to create long king tables seating 20 to 24 people each.
Photo:Â Courtesy of CSI Washington, DC
Chocolate and cheese dessert stations from Occasions Caterers fostered engagement and networking among guests who were not seated together during dinner. The chocolate station featured pave au chocolat, dark chocolate yuzu bonbons, seven textures chocolate cakes, lace lollipops, and more. The cheese station came with a mix of sweet and savory accompaniments like dried fruit, toasted walnuts, and jams to pair with the four cheeses.
Photo:Â Courtesy of CSI Washington, DC
For Destination DC’s welcome party at the Howard Theatre on June 3, the night before the official opening-night ceremony, entertainment company Pelonkey brought along LED poi dancers who entertained from the main stage in coordinating LED T-shirts with the logo for Destination DC's #MyDCCool social media campaign, which highlights things to do around Washington.
Photo:Â Washington.org
Destination DC also hosted the inaugural L.G.B.T.Q. party during the conference at Town Danceboutique, in coordination with the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association. Hargrove created oversize glow sticks and props with the event’s hashtag “#IGTLApride” to encourage social media sharing of the event, which raised money for the association’s scholarship program benefiting gay and lesbian students interested in entering the travel industry.
Photo:Â Washington.org
Marriott International got fully into the pride celebration with a rainbow-colored macaron bar and servers in painted bellhop uniforms wandering throughout the party, and often posing for photos, with the colorful desserts.
Photo:Â Washington.org
OrcaVue’s 360-degree photo booth incorporated scenes from Pride celebrations and rainbow headbands, boas, and crowns for guests to wear.
Photo:Â Washington.org
Visit St. Petersburg/Clearwater and the Lee County Convention and Visitors Bureau partnered to host a thank-you event for 250 of their clients attending the conference. Coordinated by District Experience, the event at DAR Constitution Hall featured all red, white, and blue furniture and decor from AFR Event Furnishings, flowers by Devers Design Group, and Atmosphere Lighting.
Photo:Â Courtesy of District Experience
