Inauguration

So as our inauguration discussion comes to an end, I have to ask the most important question of all:

What did you think of Michelle Obama's dress???? This obviously has nothing to do with our industry, but it seems to be all people can talk about.
Happy Hump Day,
Alex

Countdown to Inauguration

Here is a list of the upcoming Inauguration events, starting in Philadelphia!!!

SATURDAY, JAN. 17

_ President-elect Barack Obama and his family ride the train from Philadelphia to Washington, stopping in Wilmington, Del., for Vice President-elect Joe Biden and his family. Train will stop in Baltimore for speech before heading south.

_ BET Honors, an awards ceremony, at the Warner Theater.

_ People's Inaugural Gala Celebration at the Grand Hyatt Hotel.

_ Will.i.am "Yes We Did" concert.

_ Concert with Mary J. Blige, Common and Nelly at nightclub Ibiza.

SUNDAY, JAN. 18

_ Obama will kick off inaugural activities with a welcome event on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Sunday afternoon. The event begins at 2:30 p.m. Beyonce, U2, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Usher, Shakira, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban and James Taylor are among the musicians scheduled to perform.

_ Presidential Inaugural Luncheon and Fashion Show at the Ritz-Carlton.

_ EMILY's List Inaugural Luncheon with scheduled guests including Cabinet appointees Hillary Rodham Clinton and Janet Napolitano, Sens. Kay Hagan and Jeanne Shaheen, and North Carolina Gov. Bev Perdue.

_ African-American Church Inaugural Ball at the Grand Hyatt Washington.

_ 2009 Latino Inaugural Gala with Marc Anthony at Union Station.

_ Aloha Inaugural Ball, organized by former Obama campaign workers, held at the Wardman Park Marriott Hotel at 7:30 p.m.

MONDAY, JAN. 19

_ National Day of Community Service event: To honor Dr. King's legacy, Obama, Biden and their families, joined by Americans across the country, will participate in activities dedicated to serving others in communities across the Washington, D.C. area.

_ Black Tie & Boots Inaugural Ball, sponsored by the Texas State Society, at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center.

_ Green Inaugural Ball at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture. Ball hosted by former Vice President Al Gore.

_ Huffington Post preinaugural ball at the Newseum.

_ Hip-Hop Inaugural Ball at the Harman Center for the Arts. Hosted by the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, Russell Simmons, LL Cool J, among others.

_ A children's evening concert at the Verizon Center honoring military families. Event hosted by Michelle Obama, who will attend. Miley Cyrus, the Jonas Brothers are among the entertainers.

_ Obama to attend three private dinners to honor former secretary of State Colin Powell, Biden and Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, for their public service. Dinners at the Hilton Washington, National Building Museum and Union Station.

TUESDAY, JAN. 20 (INAUGURATION DAY)

Gates to the Inaugural Ceremony open at 8 a.m. The inaugural festivities are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol. They will include:

_ Musical selections of The United States Marine Band, followed by the San Francisco Boys Chorus and the San Francisco Girls Chorus.

_ Sen. Dianne Feinstein provides call to order and welcoming remarks.

_ Invocation by the Rev. Rick Warren.

_ Musical selection of Aretha Franklin.

_ Biden will be sworn into office by Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens.

_ Musical selection of John Williams, composer/arranger with Itzhak Perlman, (violin), Yo-Yo Ma (cello), Gabriela Montero (piano) and Anthony McGill (clarinet).

_ Obama will take the Oath of Office, using President Lincoln's Inaugural Bible, administered by Chief Justice John Roberts. Scheduled around noon.

_ Obama gives the inaugural address.

_ Poem by Elizabeth Alexander.

_ Benediction by Rev. Joseph E. Lowery.

_ The National Anthem by The United States Navy Band "Sea Chanters."

After Obama gives inaugural address, he will escort outgoing President George W. Bush to a departure ceremony before attending a luncheon in the Capitol's Statuary Hall.

The 56th Inaugural Parade will then make its way down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House.

Later that day, the Presidential Inaugural Committee will host 10 official inaugural balls:

_ Neighborhood Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center.

_ Obama Home States (Illinois and Hawaii) Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center.

_ Biden Home States (Pennsylvania and Delaware) Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center.

_ Midwest Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center.

_ Mid-Atlantic Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center.

_ Western Inaugural Ball at the Washington Convention Center.

_ Commander in Chief's Ball at the National Building Museum.

_ Southern Inaugural Ball at the National Guard Armory.

_ Eastern Inaugural Ball at Union Station.

_ Youth Inaugural Ball at the Washington Hilton.

Unofficial balls include:

_ Congressional Black Caucus Inaugural Ball at the Capitol Hilton.

_ Creative Coalition Inaugural Ball at the Harman Center for the Arts.

_ Recording Industry Association of America's ball for Feeding America.

_ BET's Inaugural Ball at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel.

_ Africa on the Potomac inaugural celebration at Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, Va.

_ American Music Inaugural Ball at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.

_ Inaugural Purple Ball at the Fairmont Hotel.

_ Human Rights Campaign's Equality Ball at the Renaissance Mayflower Hotel.

_ Inaugural Peace Ball at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.

_ Impact Film Fund ball.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 21

_ The president, vice president and their families will participate in a prayer service at the Washington National Cathedral.

The Inauguration

With the Inauguration coming up, almost every news article is dedicated to it. The funny thing about these articles, is that there seems to be a ridiculously strong emphasis on the portable toilets. What you say??? Yes, the portable toilets.

Almost every article states that there won't be nearly enough portable toilets for the crowds. The capital is expecting over a million people and I have heard that around 5000 portable restrooms will be on site. The general rule of thumb is one toilet to every 100 people. As there aren't 10,000 portable toilets available, I would predict very, very long lines.

On top of that, there is the cold weather, lack of hotel rooms, major road closures and ban on food or drink on the mall. That all adds up to me watching from home. How about you??

I love the title of this article!

Inauguration the 'Super Bowl' for
Portable Toilet Providers

WASHINGTON - For Ariel Gonzalez and her brother Raul, the owners of Jiffy Johns in Capitol Heights, Md., "[t]his is the Super Bowl of toilet events." The company has supplied portable toilets for many mega events in Washington, including the Million Man March, Fourths of July on the National Mall and previous inaugurations. Those events required between 250 and 300 units. The National Park Service hasn't publicly released any numbers for this coming Inauguration, but Jiffy Johns says it will be big.

"From the figures ... I was going over with them, they're estimating they're going to need at least 4,000 to 5,000 portable toilets," said Raul Gonzalez.

"I love being in the portable toilet business," added Ariel Gonzalez.

Jiffy Johns has a big inventory, but it says they have nowhere near enough for this event. The company is partnering with other providers that are part of national chains.

"They do have other offices in the country that they can get portable toilets from, have them trucked in here and we can work with them, delivering to different sites in the District, where the National Park Service would instruct us to place them," said Raul Gonzalez.

D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton has called for both government and private buildings to open areas to the public 'for cold weather and access to restrooms.'

Some area churches, such as Capitol Hill United Methodist, also plan to stay open on Inauguration day.

"You can walk on in here," said Rev. Alisa Lasater. "We will have something warm for you to drink and a place where you can watch the festivities."

The National Park Service's Web site says it requires one portable toilet for every 300. Estimates for the number of inaugural attendees have ranged between 1.5 million and 5 million. According to the Park Service's requirements, the estimates would require between 5,000 and 17,000 units.