Q: How
do I go about contracting with Dumbarton House for my event?
All parties interested in renting Dumbarton House are required to
schedule a visit with the Marketing and Events Manager before contracting
for an event. To schedule a site visit, please call 202-337-2288
x230. Once you have visited the house and indicated a desire to
rent it, you will be asked to fill out an event client information
form and submit a security deposit in the amount of $500.00. This
deposit is fully refundable, once the event has taken place. Once
the contract has been drafted and signed by the Dumbarton House
representative and the contracting party, 50% of the rental fee
is due within two weeks. The final payment is ultimately due three
weeks (or twenty-one days) prior to your event.
In addition
to the security deposit and rental fee, all parties renting Dumbarton
House are required to provide event insurance to cover guests while
present at their event. Coverage is often included in a home owners
or corporate policy, or can be acquired from the insurance provider
listed on our vendor list.
Q: What
is your cancellation policy?
If written notification is received by the Marketing and Events Manager at least six months in advance, your entire deposit will
be refunded. If written notification is received between six months
and one month in advance, all but your security deposit of $500.00
will be returned. No refund will be issued if an event is cancelled
one month or less prior to the event.
Q: What
do the rental fees include?
The rental fees at Dumbarton House include private touring of the
museum and use of the Belle Vue Room and all outdoor terraces and
gardens. For every event, two facility staff persons are on duty
for the duration of the event and four docents are scheduled to
be in the museum rooms throughout the cocktail hour. It is also
assumed that for every event, clients will schedule at least two
site visits with the Marketing and Events Manager.
Rental fees
do not include any catering, tenting, transportation or valet services,
or equipment (tables, chairs, linens, etc.) Please review our list
of vendors for help with these services.
Q: Am
I required to use only the vendors on your preferred vendors list?
The only vendors on our list that you are required to use are our
tent companies, as tenting is very particular to each individual
event space. This requirement only guarantees that you will receive
excellent service for all your tenting needs.
Otherwise, you
are welcome to use vendors not yet on our preferred vendors list,
if they complete a prior site orientation visit with the Marketing
and Events Manager, have a current DC commercial license, and provide
evidence of required insurance coverage.
Q: How
do people generally deal with parking and transportation to Dumbarton
House?
Dumbarton House has a very small parking lot onsite; however, this
lot cannot be used by guests at events. This lot is generally filled
by your vendors, house staff, and occasionally a space or two may
be reserved for the contracting party or a designated VIP.
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