Cohera creative agency produced an FICP reception at Washington National Cathedral that was postponed five years due to Covid.
A vaulted spectacle pushed aside by Covid was achieved five years later thanks to persistence and strong relationships. The result was a sophisticated activation of Washington National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., as a symphony of tastes and sounds for an FICP Annual reception that will long be remembered.
We asked Melis Feingold, DES, Cohera vice president of creative partnerships, for the back story on a journey that had more transformations and turns than the butterfly performer swinging on a pole under the clerestory that evening.
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When the FICP 2020 event was postponed due to a global pandemic, CSI DMC reimagined the planned reception in a virtual format that allowed guests to explore the Cathedral interactively. The experience included navigable spaces, live performances, mixology segments, storytelling and lounge layouts placed into the virtual environment. “It demonstrated creativity under constraint and preserved partner relationships through a difficult moment in the industry,” Feingold said.
The event was rescheduled for November 2025 with a plan to finally realize the original concept. But a lot had changed in five years. CSI DMC merged with 360 Destination Group and rebranded as Cohera, a creative agency. FICP Annual 2025 was being planned by a different committee with new goals and priorities. The theme went through three iterations, according to Feingold. The result honored the core of the original creative concept while introducing a refreshed visual identity that aligned with the new board’s priorities.
On Nov. 3, attendees disembarked to dramatic projection art on the exterior of the neo-gothic church. Inside, the vestibule opened to an array of arches lit from above, leading the eye past the central bar to a stage where an orchestral quartet performed. Elevated culinary offerings such as tender short ribs with corn souffle and branded espresso martinis awaited in the wings. Later, a choir turned up the energy as flower tea and chocolate gems were served.
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“Seeing the experience realized in person was a full circle moment. It reflected not only the creative arc of the program, but also our brand’s evolution and the continuity of our approach to partnership,” Feingold concluded.
But What Is Cohera?
As satisfying as that transcendent moment was for the team, it was just one of the activations under way for the global company.
Cara Pratt, CMP, DMCP, DES, chief business development officer with Cohera, explained how the merged company came up with the new name and how the new brand blends parts of both companies to bring a new value proposition to corporate events.
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The word “cohera” didn’t exist before. It is a derivative of cohesiveness, collaboration, community and creativity. The “era” suffix denotes the next era of destination and event management, she explained. “We’ve evolved from the mom-and-pop roots of DMCs a million years ago,” she said.
What does that mean for corporate meeting professionals looking to create their own dramatic moments? “We are building something more strategic with our partners,” she said. National team leaders have an ongoing relationship with a limited number of clients rather than being the last call after everything has been booked. “We are able to get to know our accounts and their needs and help them plan ahead. We are much more hands-on connecting people, moments and ideas,” she said.
Cohera operates a design studio to create fresh ideas. “We love taking something in art or culture and applying it in a different format people have never seen before so they interact differently,” she said.
In addition to the national resources, local teams still live in-market so they are the local experts but they just have support from specialists across the company. “Destination experts are the backbone of what we do. We aren’t going away from that,” she said.
In fact, Pratt saw the full-service operation as a relief valve for planners struggling with lean teams and stagnant budgets. A contractor can help if a full-time hire isn’t in the cards and a strategic advisor can find places to shift dollars and get more impact from the same spend. “We’re asking a lot more open-ended questions than before to find solutions,” she said.
Pratt was proud of the care the merged company is taking to keep the staff from both companies in place in the 46 remaining offices. “We vowed to not eliminate positions in the consolidation and make a home for everyone in the organization,” she said.
