Holiday Party Recap

ISES DC’s 2006 Holiday Party:
The Gift That Keeps On Giving

By Alison C. Lynch, Two Gals & A Gala

So, I am new to the industry and EVERYONE keeps telling me that I absolutely must become a member of the DC chapter of ISES. I filled out the form, wrote a check and on December 12, I attended my very first event as a member, the holiday party held at the Westin Arlington Gateway. All I can say is: “When is the next event?”

Registration was quickly followed by Kelley Gillespie gathering a group of us neophytes for a crash course in ISES 101. We started to get comfortable, learning more about the benefits of our newly-found membership and then our small group started to grow, and grow, and grow some more. I was surprised and impressed by the number of people who had recently joined or were interested in joining this chapter! As we started to see familiar faces, the networking began in earnest. Wandering around the hotel meeting new people and expanding my horizons also provided me an opportunity to explore the brand new Westin Arlington Gateway. I love the simple décor and large open spaces. The food was a delicious and the staff was extremely friendly and attentive. If you haven’t tried their house-made flavored Elixir water, sneak into the lobby when you get a chance, they always have a fresh thermos waiting for their guests.

As the evening got into full swing, The Pat Richitt Project (PRP) supplied the musical entertainment for the evening. Two entertainers, with their hybrid brand of live vocals coupled with highly produced back-up tracks, kept the crowd in great music and some even braved the dance floor. Is that a requirement of membership? PRP provides a unique product at a price point just above the traditional DJ.

PRP took a quick break for our educational speaker, life coach and self-published author Dedra Faine. Dedra has created a personal approach to event planning through her book Celebrations from the Soul. She has designed a unique standard for understanding clients’ needs and offers a variety of methods to prepare a distinctive and personal experience for your guests. Her method delves in to your clients’ desires and the way they want to be treated. Celebrations from the Soul also encourages us to create opportunities to share cultural and family traditions in order to make guests feel truly welcome.

Pleasant surprises were every where and one of the highlights was decorating gingerbread men for the Children’s Inn at NIH. Design Cuisine generously donated 100 gingerbread men and all the fixings for this private, non-profit residence for children suffering from serious illness. As the evening progressed the gingerbread men, and in many cases gingerbread women, became more and more elaborate with each decorator outdoing the other to create the best looking cookie with the most amount of frosting.

And finally, what ISES event would be complete without a Silent Auction produced by our own Kelley Gillespie? Thank goodness Santa made a surprise appearance to help pass out treats and keep the merriment flowing.