Event Recap: The National Hospice Gala 2019

Event Type: NGO Client’s Fundraising Gala 

Attendees: 500

What we did: Full-service planning, production, design, strategy, donor support, fundraising strategy, sponsor materials, staffing, programming, and executing day-of-event logistics - as well as silent auction in full

Venue: The Marriott Wardman Park, Washington D.C.

Focus: This year’s programmatic focus of the event was to shine a light on care of our aging service veterans

Biggest Challenge: The challenge when working at the Marriott Wardman Park is that the ballroom is exceptionally large. We needed to find creative and budget conscious ways to fill a room of this size elegantly in a way that felt purposeful and complete. To successfully create a natural progression for the event, our team had to conceptualize how to situate the VIP reception for the board and high level donors separate from the general session, which would include the space for the silent auction. In order to give emphasis to the stage as the focal point of the evening, we wanted to reserve our major decor for the stage. We relied more heavily on lighting around the room to decorate the space without decoration and still set a festive tone at a reasonable price point. With the sheer size of this room, we really had to dive into some inventive larger-than-life elements that would be both inexpensive yet impactful to fully transform the space for our client.

As we mark Memorial Day earlier this week on May 25th, 2020, it calls to mind the long history RGI has working hand in hand with various nonprofit organizations and partners to show our support for the nation’s service members. Working events that are dedicated to benefitting the brave souls and hearts of our country — much like our involvement with the Army 10 Miler, Luke’s Wings and countless others the last few years, — is a small way for us to express our gratitude for their mission.

Last spring, we had the honor of partnering with the National Hospice Foundation to organize a gala that focused on the service workers in hospice care for military personnel and veterans. These workers were celebrated through a night of cocktails, dinner, dancing, entertainment, and an auction to raise funds that would ensure the best care possible for their military veteran patients and their families. Through this partnership with the non-profit organization, RGI had the privilege to be involved in creating unique programmatic aspects of the evening that also helped shine a special spotlight in honoring their military veterans. We produced distinct parts of the program for the gala that was in support of those who served our country so tirelessly and with such dedication — it was finally our turn to help them.

Our team carefully crafted various different elements of the program to highlight the moment in a meaningful way for those being honored that night. We were charged to provide a complete full-scale planning experience for the non-profit organization — from venue selections and design to vendors and logistics for auction solicitation and management, along many other aspects. The evening featured a traditional honor program with a salute to service, color guard, donation pledges, fundraising, and countless inspiring stories. 

The 2019 gala was held at The Marriott Wardman Park with a little over five hundred guests in attendance. While the VIP reception began at 5:30pm in the balconies, the night didn’t officially begin until 6:30pm with doors open for cocktails, a live performance by PopCulture Strings, and a silent auction to set the ambience.

Salute to Service: The dinner then began with an honorable salute to service with the color guard to pay tribute to the service members and their families. We included a special feature on the days leading up to the event that extended out to a virtual salute, allowing guests the opportunity to submit information about a specific veteran in their own lives that they wished to recognize and thank in a slideshow later that evening. Donations could also be pledged under the veterans’ names in support of the hospice programs that are committed to caring for these members.

A Table For All: If you’ve ever been to a military ball or attended an event that celebrated military veterans, you’ve most likely noticed the small, round table that is always set but never occupied. This is the tradition of setting a separate table in honor of our prisoners of war and missing in action comrades (POW/MIA). The table is decorated with special symbols to help us remember our brothers and sisters in arms. Every single detail, from the table itself to the utensils set on top, represents something different. For this gala, we made it the head table of the event, front stage, to call attention to its significance and remind everyone of their strength.

Silent Auction: In efforts to help raise funds for the dedicated veteran community, we were tasked with conceptualizing a silent auction that integrated armed services memorabilia and a live appeal in which attendees could directly donate to the programs. We set up a space outside the reception room for the silent auction where guests could easily browse and bid for different items while mingling over cocktails before dining.

We couldn't be more thrilled that the gala was successful in raising over $40,000 on-site from these auctions and donations combined.

Being able to bring this inspiring event to life for our client was extremely rewarding in seeing the end result. We live to create these powerful experiences that take people on an emotional journey and tell a story. Amazing things happen when people come together — whether they learn, inspire, or even share ideas that may change the world. It’s thoroughly rewarding to enable people to get together and see them develop. This event is one of many reasons why we love doing what we do, and why we do our job so passionately.