For a group that had enjoyed decades of incredible incentive trips to places like South Africa, the destination management company CSI Washington, DC, had to knock their socks off in the nation’s capital (oh, and the group had done a D.C. trip already). For Amberlee Huggins, president, CSI DC, and Rachael Katkocin, senior creative services manager, CSI DC, meeting the challenge required all their experience and creativity, plus lots of communication and a willingness to try the (seemingly) impossible! Other key CSI DC team members were Mitch MacGregor, event manager; Peggy Latniak, event manager; and Mai Nguyen, event manager.
We got a behind-the-scenes look at what it took to create five nights of events, each building on the last, right up to the blasting cannons of Revolutionary War reenacters at the final banquet at Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington.
For the third evening, not pictured in the gallery, CSI DC managed a dinearound at 16 restaurants. The entire CSI DC staff was called into service to ensure a smooth evening at all locations. The clever twist: In order to get the guests in one spot and ready for transfer, CSI DC planned a cocktail reception at the Smithsonian Museum of American History, then shepherded everyone onto their (red, white, or blue!) coaches for transfer.
