In this Issue |
What
were you doing twenty years ago? In 1988, Bobby McFerrin was telling
everyone "Don't Worry, Be Happy" as CDs outsold vinyl
for the first time. Roseanne and Murphy Brown premiered. Prozac
debuted as an anti-depressant. Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie,
Scotland and Rain Man and Who Framed Roger Rabbit were the biggest grossing
movies. And many of us were starting new careers, wondering how to channel our creative talents. I had recently graduated from college and the only options available to me in the hospitality industry were hotel management or restaurant service. The special event industry didn't even exist - that is, until ISES was formed in 1988.
Since then, we've developed industry standards, a professional designation, and an international network of 6000+ event professionals who are changing the way people celebrate and commemorate. The Washington, DC chapter was among the first to be chartered and now, we're the largest chapter in the world with more than 600 members.
This year, our chapter has been celebrating the gains we've made in these twenty years. This year we exceeded all our expectations and:
- Posted our first Pod cast for our March education session.
- Initiated the Decades Committee consisting of our 10+ year members, six of whom told incredible event crisis stories at our May education session and discussed lessons learned.
- Honored our chapter's 20 years with a tribute video at our Capital Awards Gala in April.
- Held Idea Labs, the start of our program to provide focused education sessions.
- Launched a new website and newsletter design.
- Developed our chapter's 3-year strategic plan.
- Launched the Hospitality Industry President's Panel (HIPP), an initiative to form strategic alliances with the area's hospitality industry associations.
- Provided excellent monthly programs at consistent sell out capacity.
- Increased our sponsorships for the chapter by almost $10,000
Kelley Gillespie
President
ISES Greater Washington, DC Chapter
Dale Harmon of Plants Alive was named the 2008 ISES Lifetime Achievement Award Winner. Dale has been a member of ISES for over 20 years with the Greater DC chapter. Dale has held most board positions over the years and was chapter president in 1996. He has been a member of the president's circle advisory board since it was created in 2002. Dale served almost 10 years on the international board of governors and was elected ISES international president for the 2005 term. Learn more about Dale, his service to the industry and community service online, here.
Click here for a list of 2008 winners.
Click here for a list of 2008 nominees.
Click here to see a list of the 2007 Gala Award winners as well as our winners from past years.
The evening also featured recognition of several individuals for their contributions to ISES DC. Chapter Leadership Award Winners included:
- Rising Star : Wendy Siminski, O'Keefe Communications
- Volunteer of the Year: Denise Thorne, InStyle Caterers
- Leadership Award: Pat Richitt, Entertainment Exchange, Inc.
- President's Award: Alysha DiGiorgio, Digital Lightning
Thank you to the 30+ sponsors of the event. View the sponsors names online, click here.
And a Very Special Thank You to the extraordinary efforts of the Gala Steering Team who made all this possible:
| Gala Team | |
Gala Co-Chairpersons Susan Katz, Distinctive Events Terri Bergman, Distinctive Events Debra Berkelhammer, Distinctive Events |
|
Sponsorship Chairpersons Robin and Rick Gordon, Radio King Orchestra David Markowitz, Advantage Marketing |
Volunteers/Event Staff Jennifer Fontine Mandy Mitchell Norma McAuley |
Entertainment Chairperson Andy Kushner, Sound Connection/AK Bands |
Registration Denise Thorne, Instyle Catering |
Reception Chairpersons Dominic Sanchez, Mayflower Hotel Thy Parra, Jodi Moraru & Associates |
Gala Advisor Pat Richitt, Entertainment Exchange |
Awards Ceremony Chairperson Travis Lee Moore, Functions Group |
Publicity Chairpersons Marc Wilner, Bialek's Music Martin Andrews, Blue Sky Productions |
Ceremony Advisor Pam Burton, Cast of Thousands |
Archive Chairpersons Bill Bowen, Suburban Video Cara Bowen, Suburban Video |
Event Design Chairpersons Janet Flowers, Janet Flowers Wedding & Event Design Julie Shanklin, Syzygy Events Rick Davis, Amaryllis |
Photography Chairpersons Monica Vidal, Washington Talent Jack Hartzman, Washington Talent |
Program Chairperson Geoff Chesman, MBK & Associates |
Technical Chairpersons Tom Bowen, Thomas Bowen Video John Farr, John Farr Lighting |
Photography and Graphics Clay Blackmore, Clay & Co. |
Rental Chairperson Rose Rabin, Party Rentals |
Award Entries Chairperson Dale Harmon, Plants Alive! Inc. Alysha DiGiorgio, Digital Lightning |
Security Vince DiGiorgio, Digital Lightning |
Graphic Design/Invitation Chairperson Tracy Bloom Schwartz,CSEP, Creative Parties, Ltd. |
Transportation/Valet Carrie Jones, KEG Bus |
Proofing Kelley Gillespie, GEM Events Renee Stake, Troutman Sanders LLP |
|
How Are the Capital Awards Judged?
The 2008 Capital Awards Committee was comprised of 8 ISES members from a variety of disciplines. To ensure that the rules were properly followed, the prejudging committee for the 2008 Capital Awards carefully reviewed all entries submitted by Greater Washington, DC ISES members. Prior to this pre-judging, each entry was assigned a number to ensure its anonymity and create a fair, unbiased competition during the judging process. Points were deducted for each infraction of the rules. This information was placed on the Judges Score Sheets. As part of the pre-judging rules, no committee member was able to judge the books in his or her own discipline.
Entries were then shipped to another ISES chapter outside of the Northeast Region for judging which was accomplished by 12 event professionals divided into teams. The three entries with the best scores in each category achieved nominee status. The scores were then sent to the secret keeper (this person and their company may not enter any award books for the judging year).
When the score sheets are returned to the secret keeper in a sealed envelope, they are re-tallied and compared to the results sheet to confirm accuracy.
To be nominated and to maintain a level of entry quality, entries had to attain a minimum score. The entry with the highest score in each category was honored as the Best of the Best with a 2008 ISES Capital Award!
May Dinner Re-Cap
 |
May Dinner Wednesday, May 14th St. Regis Hotel 1667 K Street, NW Washington, DC |
The lessons learned were "listen to your gut feelings about how difficult a client will be" (Carol Nissenson), "follow up on the small details" (Lori Hill, whose volunteer left the van but forgot to leave the keys), "develop a really good Emergency Response Plan (Bob Miklovitch, who whisked a heart attack guest back stage minutes before doors), "be calm and positive and guests will never know about the problems" (Bonnie Schwartz) and "put a fail-safe plan in place" (Denis O'Regan, an especially good lesson when fireworks are involved!).
Current President, Kelley Gillespie, distributed 10+ year membership pins to the Decades members during a special pre-event reception for our long-term members. Our Decades members make up 10% of our membership. May is our yearly President's Circle meeting where all past presidents are invited as our guests to be honored and share in ISES successes. This year, we hosted past presidents Alice Conway, CSEP (our inaugural chapter president), Bonnie Schwartz, Pam Burton, Lori Hill, Ray Bialek and Alysha DiGiorgio.
After a year of being closed for total renovation, the St. Regis Hotel hosted the ISES May event. The outdoor terrace held the reception, just in time for perfect weather. The classic ballroom, complete with original ceiling detail, was the site of the dinner and education session. The hotel served a beautiful 4-course meal and featured a wonderfully-presented trio of chocolate desserts, a sweet ending to a fabulously entertaining education program.
Special thanks to our sponsors including:
Eventworld Scholarship Available
Click here for details.
Member Spotlight
- Ambassador of Photography, Explorer of Light and renowned portrait artist
- 2007 winner of ISES Corporate Photography and Graphic Design categories and the Photo and Video member of the Best ISES Team
Clay
Blackmore has established an international reputation as an innovator
in the world of wedding photography and portraiture and he is traveling
the world, inspiring other photographers to reach for their dreams with
camera in hand. So far this year, he has been an ambassador of
photography to enthusiastic crowds in the UK and Moscow, and in the next
few months will be in Japan and the Philippines. As an elite Canon
Explorer of Light, he also coaches the top photographic professionals
in the US at all of the leading national conventions.A celebrity and society favorite, Clay just photographed Tiger Woods for the second time at the AT & T tournament, and he's had contracts with the PGA and USGA to document prestigious tournaments and signature golf courses. Other celebrity clients include Hollywood's Forrest Whitaker, Jenna Elfman, and tennis great Maria Sharapova.
Another recent project was a critically acclaimed book, Extraordinary Women. Clay photographed 58 prominent women - from actress Linda Carter to former secretary of state Madeline Albright --in a style that portrayed their childhood dreams. The project highlighted Clay's strength as a portrait artist. "I love to capture amazing people with a strong portrait, and the work in this book is simple, direct, and makes a powerful statement about these women's achievements."
Carrying on the charitable work of his mentor, the late Monte Zucker, Clay works with troubled teens to help them find a vocation they can grow and prosper in. "We have eight kids at the Metropolitan Center for Visual Arts, and we're teaching them digital imagery and Photoshop. We're showing them how they can make a difference with their images and possibly find a way out of their current environment." Working out of the Washington D.C. area, Clay's favorite portrait subjects are his wife Lilia and their two-year-old son Daniel.
Movers and Shakers
Hats Off To ISES Volunteers
We hope that you will continue to dedicate a portion of your time to making the coming year even more successful than the last. Please take a look at the lineup of the 2008-09 committee and volunteer offerings http://www.dcises.org/main/volunteer.shtml to see where you might best utilize or develop your talents. If you have questions regarding any of the committees, please feel free to give the chairperson a call. If you have comments or suggestions regarding your past volunteer experience, please send those to us too at normamcauley@msn.com.
Again, we thank you for your continued support. We look forward to working with you again or for the first time this year. Our hats are off to you!
ISES DC Announces 2008-09 Board of Directors
President - Renee Stake
President-Elect - June Ring
Immediate Past President - Kelley Gillespie
VP/Membership - Karen Bridges
VP/Education and Programs - Amy Guthridge
VP/Communication - Pat Richitt
Director of Archives - Taylor Strimple
Director of Programs - Jenifer Fontine
Director of Students - Angela Lee
Director of Newslettter - Lindsay Barber
Director of Education - Monica Vidal
Director of Membership - Dave Fritz
Director of Sponsorship/Strategic Alliances - Dave Markowitz
Welcome New Members
Thanks for taking ISES DC over the 600 mark! We are the largest ISES chapter in the world and represent about 10% of the ISES International membership.
Michael Bonfigli |
Bonfigli Photography |
Cara Bowen |
On Line Suburban Video, Inc. |
Chana Brissett |
RSVP Catering |
Holly Chapple |
Holly Heider Chapple Flowers LTd. |
Caroline Cook |
Cvent, Inc. |
Maria Cooke |
Ritzy Bee Events LLC. |
Chris M. Dunn |
Classical Guitar Ceremonies Inc. |
Robin Fienberg |
Bialek's Music |
Sara H. Franklin |
Social Scene |
Gloria P. Goldman |
WOW - Networking Divas |
Pablo Grabiel |
Grabielismo Productions - Music & Entertainment |
Darcy Gurganous |
Gannett Co., Inc. |
Linda Jung |
UMUC Inn and Conference Center by Marriott |
Andrew Larris |
Andy Kushner Entertainment |
Geomyra Lewis |
Exceeding Expectations |
Stacey Manning |
The Webster Group |
Meagan McKechnie |
RSVP Catering |
Ricky Mitchell |
Videos By Design, Inc |
Erika Parkhurst |
Catch the Moment |
Amy Regeti |
Regeti's |
Srinu Regeti |
Regeti's |
Alan Rein |
MorningStar Photography |
Anne Schwab |
Creative Management Services |
Larry Scott |
New York Entertainment |
Catherine Stanish |
Chocolate Graphics |
Midory Takeda-Ragonese |
BBJ Linen |
Charlie Tucker |
Live Events Unlimited |
Christopher Walters |
LCA Videomakers |
Chris Wang |
American Event Mangement Institute |
Jerry Werthman |
Cameo Video Productions of Washington |
Laurie Williams |
The Weston Tysons Corner |
Vernethia Williams |
WOW - Networking Divas |
Mark Your Calendar for Upcoming Events
| July Breaker |
| July 16 |
Do popcorn, peanuts and hot dogs sound like summer
to you? Well then, come party with ISES at the site of America's
favorite pastime! Please join us on Wednesday, July 16th at
the new Nationals Stadium for a private run of the cutting edge new
facility. Doors open at 6pm just for us. The evening
will end with a spectacular show of fireworks. It'll
be a home run event! Click
here for details. |
| Eventworld |
| August 21-23 |
St. Petersburg, FL - Click here for
details. |
© 2008 ISES DC, All Rights Reserved. |