The holiday party business may be in the doldrums, but event professionals in one town are going into high gear. Hoteliers, caterers and production pros in Washington are pinning down details of the range of festivities surrounding the inauguration of U.S. president-elect Barack Obama on Jan. 20. The sweeping change that the Obama win brings for the political landscape is also bringing a new wave of clients, events and energy to the D.C. scene.

B. Scott Button, director of catering and convention services at Washington's Fairfax at Embassy Row Hotel, says his guest rooms sold out "in about 20 minutes" on Election Day, Nov. 5. "As far as events go, I've had the ballroom booked since 2004 for [socialite] Buffy Cafritz's inaugural eve gala that she's been hosting since the '80s." He describes his bookings for next month's inaugural events as "much better than 2004. It's about the same as 2001, but we're getting a much higher rate on all fronts."

Due to heavy demand, the Ritz-Carlton, Washington DC will likely be completely booked not only for Inauguration Day events but the two days before as well, notes director of social catering Annie Boutin King. "Due to both an administration change and the historic nature of this event, there are many more events in previous years, and people have started booking earlier," she says.

Halethorpe, Md.-based production company Showcall USA has had the veteran Texas State Society Black Tie & Boots Inaugural Ball booked "for months," says company cofounder Ajay Patil. Even better, "We continue to receive calls every day for events all across the city." He praises the organization of the Obama team: "The Obama camp really has their act together, in that they put together RFPs and bid business out. They are very organized, which is unusual during the madness and short turnaround time of a presidential campaign."

ONE BIG BASH?

Specifics for official inaugural balls, planned by the Presidential Inaugural Committee, are not yet final, but the event industry is buzzing about what shape the events might take. Dale Harmon, special events coordinator for Silver Spring, Md.-based event-foliage provider Plants Alive!, notes, "The major topic of conversation is that there will not be six or seven separate inaugural balls but rather one huge tented event on the mall so many more people can attend. We shall see what plays out."

As for private events, the dour economic outlook is--predictably--putting a pall on some parties. Harmon notes that some of his longstanding clients won't be hosting events next month. "Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, for example, have totally canceled their events," he says. "And I don't plan on much from the auto industry and major insurance companies for the obvious reasons." Even so, "There are other large events, like MTV [Be the Change Inaugural Ball] and Google," he says, "and new entries, like Oprah Winfrey, planning large events."

Susan Lacz, head of veteran Bethesda, Md.-based caterer Ridgewells, is hoping to land just such a new client. She is at work to close a deal for a three-course, sit-down party for 7,000 guests. The host organization "typically would never entertain on this scale," she says, but the fact an African-American will become president has changed the event landscape.