George and Martha Washington toasted the guests as they were served a farm-to-table feast. The menu included ingredients and dishes that the Washingtons might themselves have eaten, using locally sourced foods to the greatest extent possible. 

Guests at the final-night dinner at George Washington’s Mount Vernon Estate were served under a grand tent with Declaration of Independence scrolls sweeping the ceiling. Following dinner, guests were treated to a fireworks display over the Potomac. 

Guests dined on selections that Americans of the 18^th century might have enjoyed, served on china that was used for the George W. Bush Inaugural lunch in Statuary Hall after his swearing-in ceremony. Traditionally, the china used for the inaugural lunch has a theme—in this case, it commemorated the 200th Anniversary of the Lewis and Clark Expedition.
Pictured, the appetizer was a ragout of wild mushroom with garden peas, corn flan, shaved radish, and Virginia ham.

CSI Washington, DC, had the challenge of wowing a well-traveled group of 900 attendees for five straight nights. But if they wanted to ramp up to a big finish, they couldn’t go all out on day one. On the other hand, the opening event still had to be up to this group’s standards. “The welcome reception was intended to be a relaxed gathering and a way for guests to come together after traveling, enjoy some delicious food and drinks, and then meander back to the hotel in anticipation of the rest of the week,” says Rachael Katkocin, senior creative services manager,
 CSI DC. The outdoor “street festival” reception on Woodrow Wilson Plaza included food stalls, food trucks, beverage stations, and “entertainment pockets” with aerialists, tight-rope walkers, and contortionists. The décor created walking paths lined with trees, lampposts, benches, and cocktail rounds, leading guests past the entertainers and the food.

With the second evening planned at Washington, D.C.’s Newseum, CSI DC had newspaper boys passing out papers as guests boarded motor coaches to the venue. On board, the CSI DC team guided guests through the paper, which was actually an important part of the setup, says Rachael Katkocin of CSI DC. With a six-floor building that couldn’t fit all 900 guests on a single floor at one time, event organizers needed a way to ensure a continual flow throughout the space. The newspapers helped by detailing which food stations and which exhibits were featured on each floor.

“With a lot of staff, well-placed bars, and décor items, we were able to send groups of guests to different floors to start their evening, maintaining a great flow as they filtered to various floors at a well-balanced ratio,” Katkocin says. “We had staff on each level, and floaters too, all with headsets to confirm service was excellent and capacity was comfortable.”  

An aerial view of the Newseum, which providing a stimulating setting for a dinner event as guests flowed among the six floors and the varied exhibits and food stations. “We strategically placed décor to maximize movement, staged varied entertainment on different floors, served heavier food options away from the entrances, and put less seating on floors where we knew guests would hover, such as the sixth floor with a magnificent view of the US Capitol,” says Amberlee Huggins, president of CSI DC.

Snacks packed in newspaper cones at the Newseum dinner event.

From a logistics standpoint, planning and executing a dinner event for 900 people at the Washington Navy Yard was probably the greatest feat CSI DC accomplished for this incentive program. The event venue was created from scratch in a carpark, on a highly secure military property—and with restrictions that originally allowed only one full day on site. As Rachael Katkocin recounts: “We were advised that the event, setup to tear-down, would need to happen within 24 hours. However, we knew that an event of this nature requires a minimum of 72 hours. As soon as we received the confirmation to move forward on the event, our president/program lead began meetings in person and by phone with the ‘powers that be’ to lobby for more time, amongst other considerations to facilitate logistical success.

“The Navy Yard personnel were wonderful, doing all they could, and we also looped in our vendor partners early so that all had shared awareness of changes, needs, requirements, etc., as the designing of the event progressed," says Amberlee Huggins. "Planning, problem-solving and teamwork with a mix of great professionals was truly at the crux of this event.”

For the Navy Yard event, CSI DC’s tent vendor brought in a structure that included flooring to even out the concrete under foot, solid walls with doors that kept in the air conditioning (it was about 90 degrees while vendors needed to set up that day), and solid ceilings. There also were catering tents, “executive restroom trailers” (which included water), and exterior carpeting. Generators were brought in to handle all the air conditioning, lighting, AV, and power needs for the entertainment. 

That's Secretary of the Navy, for those who don't know. “There was a lot of organizing and logistics, as well as coordination of SecNav vetting of staff and vehicle security checks. And since this was a working naval base, we had to be conscientious of the patrons and employees that had to go about their normal business during the setup day prior and the day of the event,” says Rachael Katkocin. “In addition to all the needs for the event, we also brought in large portable dumpsters to make sure we respected the space, and everything was cleaned and cleared from the base after the event.”

Just a few of the people involved in bringing the Washington Navy Yard event to life for a 900-person incentive program.