The Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C., recently hosted what it says was the largest-known banquet-style dinner in the history of conventions worldwide. The dinner, organized by the Chicago-based and Howard University-founded Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) sorority in commemoration of its centennial anniversary, drew more than 17,600 guests.
In order to accommodate AKA, which is the country's oldest Greek-letter organization founded by African-American college women, the convention center's catering partner, Centerplate/NBSE, had to supplement its existing staff with an additional 300 chefs, 46 managers, 65 captains, 32 distribution assistants and 1,200 servers, all on loan from as far away as New York, Denver and Dallas.
"The staff at the Convention Center has spent several months preparing for the Sorority's arrival," Washington Convention Center Authority CEO and General Manager Gregory A. O'Dell said in a statement prior to the banquet, which was held the evening of July 17. "Our goal is to serve those attending this conference with the same high level of service that Alpha Kappa Alpha has extended to its communities over the past 100 years."
Because it was so large, the AKA banquet was held within six separate spaces inside the convention center; Ballrooms A, B and C were set for 3,000; Halls D and E for 8,000; and Hall B for 6,600. In addition, the nearby Grand Hyatt Ballroom was on hand to accommodate overflow of up to 3,000 guests. Served were 3 tons of beef filet, 2.25 tons of mashed potatoes and 1,800 gallons of pink lemonade.