The Future of Event Planning on the National Mall: 2013 Guide to New Event Rules & Regulations

EVENT INDUSTRY, PERMITS
The National Mall has just completed their first renovation of the grounds in 30 years. To protect the new grass and the new irrigation systems, new event planning rules have been issued governing where on the National Mall events can be held, and where tents and structures can be pitched. The Decibel team has created a comprehensive chart to clarify the new regulations for the event planning community.
The New National Mall Grid: Mall Turf Panels
Under the new system, the National Mall is broken up into numbered panels. Each panel has been assigned a designation of turf area or non-turf area . Turf areas are panels covered by grass, while non-turf areas are covered either by trees, or by gravel or cement, like walkways and hardscape panels.
Each panel is assigned its own rules in terms of event capacity and event type. If you re planning to hold an event that involves structures, such as exhibits, tables or tents, be aware that these may not be set up on every panel, and you ll need to book a panel which allows structures.
The below numbered chart shows which panels are considered turf areas and which are considered non-turf areas . Click on the chart to see a larger version.
Turf-Area Events: Assessing the Event Location
The National Mall prefers that events are held on non-turf areas, especially if you plan to pitch tents or use other structures in other words, they d really like it if you d keep off the grass. That doesn t mean that grassy areas cannot be booked for events, just that there are additional rules and costs associated with holding an event on the turf. Before any event begins and after any event is over, the event planners must walk through the event site with a turf manager who will evaluate the pre- and post-event condition of the grass and the irrigation systems.
Event planners will be held responsible for:
- Putting up enough protective turf covering (like a deck) to keep the turf from being trampled.
- Fencing off unprotected areas.
- Paying for new sod if there is a damaged area larger than one square yard.
- Trash removal.
- Paying for damage to curbing and irrigation.
Holding a Turf-Area Event: What s allowed on the grass?
The below items are never allowed on the turf:
- Vehicles of any kind shouldn t be driven or parked on the grass
- Back of house, trailers, generators, boneyards, portable toilets, etc.
- Vehicle-mounted equipment such as signs, LED screens, media towers and light towers
- Plywood or landscape fabric material
The below items are sometimes allowed on the turf, with approval from the National Park Service:
- Seating, pedestrian surfacing, bike racks, cardboard recycling or trash containers
- Equipment that does not exceed 10 pounds per square inch in weight
- Structures less than 500 square feet
- Structures more than 500 square feet, if weight does not exceed 10 pounds per square inch
Non-Turf Area Events
Even if you hold your event in a non-turf area, the traffic your event generates may effect the turf. For this reason, the National Mall will require that:
- While setting up the event, you keep set-up equipment five feet away from the curb
- Tents, stages, tables, exhibits and other structures set up on non-turf areas must not be so large that vehicle and foot traffic is forced onto the curb or turf.
The Active Wear Index
The Turf Manager will assess your event on the Active Wear Index , a scale designed to assess how much wear and tear your event will place on the turf, and how much recovery time the National Park Service should allow before permitting another event to be held in the same spot. If your event s Active Wear Index exceeds 250, there may be additional fees associated with your event.
Letting the Grass Heal: Recovery Times
Grass must be given an opportunity to rest and recover. For that reason, not all panels will be open at all times.
Weather conditions & Seasonal issues
Certain weather and environmental conditions can make the grass temporarily more susceptible to long-term or permanent damage. Because of this, the National Park Service reserves the right to cancel any turf-area events during times where weather forecasts or soil moisture indicate the turf would be more likely to sustain damage.
During winter (November 15 March 14), only one event may happen per turf area for the whole season. During Spring (March 15 May 15), Summer (May 15 September 14) and Fall (September 14 November 14), each turf panel will need a period of rest between events, depending on how many attendees your event.
If your Spring, Summer, or Fall event had:
- Less than 25 attendees, no recovery time is necessary.
- 26-199 attendees, recovery time is 3-5 days.
- 200-4,999 attendees, recovery time is 5-10 days.
- 5,000 50,000 attendees, recovery time is 2 weeks.
- 50,000-249,999 attendees, recovery time is 3-4 weeks.
- 250,000+ attendees, recovery time is 4-5 weeks.
Recovery time from structures (stages, tents, etc.)
If your event included structures, like tents, stages, booths, or mounted signage, additional recovery time may be needed. There are also restrictions on how long you can leave structures up (this includes set-up and take-down time) times vary per season.
- In Spring, structures can stay up 5 days. Recovery time is 5-10 days.
- In Summer, structures can stay up 2 days. Recovery time is 2-3 weeks.
- In Autumn, structures can stay up 5 days. Recovery time is 5-10 days.
- In Winter, structures can stay up 7 days. Recovery time is 5-10 days.
Where to Pitch Your Tent: No Stake Zones
In the new renovation, the National Park Service is detailing where the irrigation system will be buried. For the center turf panels, there is a 10 no stake zone setback around the entire panel, and a 20 zone going east-west in the center of the panel. On the tree panels, there is a 10 no stake zone on the interior path side of the panel. These are detailed in the image below.
Closing Thoughts:
These are just a few of the many new permitting rules that govern events on the National Mall. We have done our best to highlight the biggest changes, but there are many more details not covered here. Feel free to call or email with any questions on the details.
Whatever

EVENT INDUSTRY, LIVE EVENTS, PERMITS
We have been watching with fascination the Whatever USA advertising campaign, event, experiential activation, promotion and commercial film shoot from Anheuser Busch. Most of us have seen the commercials from Bud Light about the fictional town Whatever USA. The brand marketing team launched a series of commercials about the town, and held a contest for 1,100 lucky winners to visit for three days of fun- all expenses paid.
Permitting:
Whatever USA was built in the actual town of Crested Butte, CO. From the beginning, there were challenges reported about the permitting process. The Town Council ended up approving the event, but it was after heated debate from the citizens of the town. The standard permitting fees start at $10,000 here, and to secure the special event AB originally offered $250,000 to the town. After the debate began to build in late August, Bud Light upped the offer to $500,000, including a promise to fix any damage and restore the town to its original condition.
The Controversy:
The controversy began with the build of the event. The event team began construction of the fences and infrastructure prior to getting the official approval from the Town Council. After an 8.5-hour debate at the town council, the meeting ended with a temporary permit for construction to begin. Once locals began seeing the extent the complaints started rolling in. Citizens felt a lack of communication, even though the marketing firm and Anheuser Busch have been working with the town since last spring, including producing a 100 page operational plan, however residents did not learn about the extent until weeks before the event.
The Build:
So what did the build include? In addition to the full concert build, the main avenue in Crested Butte was painted blue, the iconic avenue was adorned with blue paint, blue light poles, Bud Light branded fencing, custom archways and signs, as well as a host of other branding elements. This also included a giant blue gorilla, Bud Light Blue busses, oversized props, etc. In addition, local retail establishments were only serving Bud Light throughout the event.
Issues and Cleanup:
Many issues were compounded when Bud Light ran out of wristbands for local residents to attend. In fact, they had to distribute permission slips for people to go to work. After the event, heavy rains caused the paint to run, and plans had to change for the resurface. In fact, they had to spend an extra $40,000 to remove an 1/8 of the road to re-pave Elk Avenue.
Final Thoughts:
I am a fan of this event, and applaud the marketing team and the client for pushing the boundaries with this event. Were there issues? Could communication be better? Will there be a host of key learnings coming out of this activation? Cost overruns? Yes to all, but it looks like an overall win, especially for content and the advertising that will come out of this activation for the next year. As always, content is king.
It s the most wonderful time of the year . at Decibel!

BACKSTAGE, COMPANY NEWS, EVENT INDUSTRY, EVERYTHING ELSE, LIVE EVENTS, PERMITS
Decibel Management has been very busy since September and we are happy to finish out 2013 with an exciting amount of events we were fortunate to be a part of during the fall months!
National Book Festival, SHIRE Mobile Tour, National ATI Day, Glass Packaging Institute s Annual Meeting, Clorox Caroling with Busy Phillips, NextGen Climate Action Summit, Raleigh Christmas Parade, London Financial Forum, just to name a few.
We have already told you all about the National Book Festival in our last post, but we have lots more to share with you.
We worked with SHIRE to produce a mobile tour that went to two different cities to promote awareness about ADHD. Both the client and the participants had great feedback and we are looking forward to travelling again in 2014!
National ATI Day took place at the Newseum in October. We worked with our longtime client FleishmanHillard to produce the event that focused on the Made by Me National Challenge which brought a student made video idea to life with a professional video producer to create the new Above the Influence commercial.
Of course we loved working the 2013 Glass Packaging Institute s Annual Meeting- especially because it was held in Sonoma, California. Attendees participated in an Annual Golf Tournament, association meetings over three days and of course, a Wine Tasting Reception. Really, when in Rome!
Earlier this month Clorox launched their new campaign Bleach it Away for the Holidays. Clorox selected Busy Phillips to endorse their campaign. She joined the Clorox Carolers at two locations in New York City to sing about holiday s bleachable moments to people passing by.
NextGen Climate Action gathered at Georgetown University to host a summit discussing the Keystone Pipeline. Decibel assisted with registration, production, and logistics behind the summit to ensure a successful event for the client.
WRAL TV in Raleigh, NC gave us a call about a week before the Annual Christmas Parade with a potential rainy weather situation. Since we couldn t change the weather they asked if we could provide a tent for their on-air talent to be covered in case of rain during their broadcast. We provided a custom tent that fit perfectly on top of their scaffold and everyone remained dry throughout the parade.
Decibel also went international this year! Dave Sonntag was tapped by Linder and Associates as the producer for the Financial Inclusion 2020 Global Forum in London. We worked with a great team to produce a great event.
Phew. We have a few weeks to enjoy the holiday season and then we are gearing up to launch a tour in January! Stay tuned for Blog posts, Facebook Updates and Tweets about everything happening at Decibel.