A day after Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th president of the United States, Washington, D.C., is experiencing a true calm after a historical storm. Yesterday, however, that storm was raging in full force in the form of a crowd that was more than 1 million strong on the National Mall.
Of course, long after President Obama took the oath of office, and well after the inauguration parade finished winding its way through D.C., the crowd continued its inauguration celebration at parties and balls throughout the capital—where Washington meeting venues were front and center.
Among the largest was the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, which hosted six of the nation's 10 official inaugural balls on Tuesday night. Approximately 7,000 guests were expected at the convention center, where each ball was managed by its own event manager and catering manager, according to the Washington Business Journal. Collectively, meanwhile, all six balls were staffed by approximately 200 convention center employees and as many as 1,000 additional vendors and workers.
According to the Journal, last night's convention center menu—catered by Stamford, Conn.-based Centerplate Inc.—included 8,750 pounds of tortellini, 8,250 pounds of Italian chicken roulade, 850 gallons of tomato cream sauce, 1,000 pounds of carrot sticks and 10,000 bottles of wine.
Washington-area hotels were also in on the action. The 300-room Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C., for instance, was sold out Tuesday night after more than a year of inauguration preparation by 450 hotel employees, who according to the hotel tended to inauguration revelers by fluffing more than 2,500 down pillows, preparing at least 10,000 meals, purchasing $20,000 worth of flowers, purchasing 500 extra copies of Jan. 20 and Jan. 21 newspapers, and serving 300 cases of champagne.
Said Elizabeth Mullins, Marriott's vice president and area general manager, "The sum of these four days will be memorialized in history books, movies and other publications that will be read for generations to come. It is a significant time in our nation's history and we feel honored to be a part of it."