Best of Washington 2026
About the Event
Washingtonian’s Best of Washington took over The Anthem for a high-energy celebration of the people, places, and flavors that make DC worth celebrating. More than 2,500 guests packed the venue for a rock-and-roll-inspired night featuring 80 restaurant stations serving bites and drinks throughout the space. Designed as a standing-room tasting experience, the event transformed The Anthem into a multi-level playground of food, music, brand moments, and discovery – all benefiting World Central Kitchen.
Across the venue, sponsor lounges and custom activations gave guests something new around every corner. The Embassy of Qatar anchored the Main Stage experience with a photo moment, mocktail and cocktail bars, and Bar Angie, while the American Beverage Association brought embroidery, UCHI DC, and a custom Innovation Bar to the mix. General Motors put two vehicles center stage alongside custom backdrops, a license plate activation, and specialty cocktails, while United Bank, United Airlines, MGM, Tito’s, and Constellation Brands each created their own distinct experiences from an AI sketch bot and engraving to an airplane photo moment, bar takeover, and Guitar Hero.
Beyond the sponsor spaces, the night was built for exploration. Guests could stop for a tattoo, capture an aura photo, hit the Washingtonian merch station, grab something sweet from the Fantasticks ice cream cart, or sample spirits at a dedicated tasting station before heading back into the crowd. Every floor offered another reason to linger, explore, and jump back into the action, creating an experience that was equal parts tasting event, block party, and rock show—big, loud, layered, and unmistakably DC.
Scope of Services
Planning & Production
- Led comprehensive pre-event planning & project management from kickoff through show day.
- Established a consistent planning cadence with the Washingtonian team to keep priorities, timelines & decisions moving forward.
- Coordinated stakeholder communication & project updates across the planning process.
- Managed quality control across event details, deliverables & production needs.
- Identified & coordinated additional vendors and partners needed to bring the experience to life.
Vendor Management
- Coordinated & managed vendors across AV, lighting, power, staging, venue operations, décor, activations & event infrastructure.
- Integrated décor, production & activation plans into the overall event footprint to keep every partner aligned.
- Developed & managed the master event timeline, production schedules & floor plans across The Anthem.
- Defined onsite leadership roles across logistics, production, programming & guest experience for seamless show-day execution.
- Coordinated restaurant, beverage & alcohol partners, balancing the needs of 80 stations with venue operations & event requirements.
Sponsorship Activations
- Developed activation concepts & strategies that connected sponsor brands to the event’s Rock & Roll theme.
- Collaborated with Washingtonian to translate sponsorship commitments into engaging, guest-facing experiences.
- Coordinated directly with sponsor activation partners to integrate each experience into the broader event.
- Served as the onsite production lead for sponsor needs, managing execution, expectations & real-time adjustments throughout the event.
On-site Logistics & Production Management
- Led onsite production from load-in through show, overseeing technical direction, stage management, floor management & event operations.
- Managed production schedules, floor plans, rehearsals & technical needs to keep every element of the event moving in sync.
- Served as the central point of coordination between The Anthem, vendors, production partners & onsite teams.
- Oversaw the installation of décor, scenic elements, sponsor activations & other event infrastructure throughout the venue.
- Established the onsite communication systems & team infrastructure needed to support fast, coordinated decision-making throughout the event.
Registration Management
- Led onsite registration & check-in operations for more than 2,500 arriving guests.
- Managed guest flow, check-in lines & front-of-house registration logistics to create an efficient arrival experience.
- Provided & managed onsite registration technology, including a fleet of iPads to support fast, seamless check-in.