ISES DC March Program

Kick your Career into High Gear

To quote the writer Collette, our event at the Torpedo Factory was "the best of what is best." The Torpedo Factory is unique and visually stunning. The warehouse-style space has been converted into "lofts" which serve as the artists' working studio, as well as, gallery space. A wide variety of artists are represented in the spacious three-story building; much of the work is exciting and eclectic.

The festivities began with much mingling, a wine reception and hors d'oeuvres that were both visually appealing and extremely delicious. A jazz trio was the perfect backdrop for the trendy ambiance while guests roamed about the multiple levels peering into galleries.

Lynne Waymon, co-author of Make Your Contacts Count: Networking Know-How for Business & Career Success, walked us through our worst fears about networking and taught us to view the process as a creative challenge and how to manage a networking session for the highest degree of effectiveness. She was lively, engaging and interactive.

Guests then proceeded to the adjacent atrium where they were greeted by a spectacular visual display. Tall,  industrial support pillars had been up-lit in hues of orange and violet accenting the dramatic space. The floral arrangements were magnificently large, pink tulips with soft, rippled edges. Some of the tulips were placed upside down in elegant tall glass vases while others rose up toward the ceiling in some sort of twisted celebration. The tulips themselves seemed to be a piece of sculpture and were a wonderful visual juxtaposition against the stark architectural lines of the atrium.

Ridgewells cuisine and visual presentation were fabulous and characteristically cutting-edge. Servings were innovatively presented on tall, metal, catering carts as an artistic nod to the factory setting. The free-flowing arrangement encouraged guests to mingle while sampling an exquisite array of dishes. There were a variety of main course style dishes, breads and sumptuous dips, including a rather memorable one made from beets. A personal favorite was a cart devoted to seafood with calamari served on the half-shell and flavorful, shot glasses of shrimp and spicy cocktail sauce accented with cilantro. The desserts were the stuff dreams are made of. Chocolate dreams. Chocolate-covered almond dreams. Light, fluffy cake dreams. Raspberry, mango and kiwi drizzled with white chocolate dreams.

In retrospect, the evening was like a seamlessly fused puzzle, an artistic collaboration of event professionals resulting in one spectacular event.

Thank you to our generous contributors, for without them our programs wouldn’t be half as exciting. For their kindness, please remember to use them for your next special event or refer them to a client.

To view the pictures from this awesome event,
please visit the March Dinner Photo Gallery.