The Bellevue Conference & Event Center

Reviews 3

CH

Christina Abdallah

Last night I attended a Lebanese concert at the Bellevue Event Center with my family. We were a party of 10, seated in the VIP section, where each ticket was priced at $175. I had heard so much about the Bellevue and seen beautiful photos, so I was very excited knowing that Id get to see the place for myself. Unfortunate for them, our experience there was far from beautiful. All guests paid $10 for parking. A VERY tacky move on whoever decided to do that. This wasnt a hotel or a venue in the city where parking was limited. This place had a large open parking lot specifically for it... Why would you collect money from all of the guests whove already paid to attend an event at your venue? The hall was totally overcrowded making it extremely difficult to get to the bathroom, walk outside, dance or simply stand behind your own chair. Our table was supposed to accommodate 10 people, however it was so tight that we had to move chairs to the side just to make enough to room to eat off our plates. The food that was catered was nothing more than ordinary. They only brought out salad and hummus and our main course. This isnt a full mezza and is definitely not a VIP dinner, not to mention the $4 charge for soft drinks that wasnt included in our ticket. There was no dessert and no tea or coffee. The knives at the table were awful. Their design was not practical at all and would not lay properly on the plates. Almost half the tables knives fell over because of their stupid design. The servers who brought out the food were not properly directed on how to serve the guests. It was a MAJOR clusterf**k. The VIP booths were occupied by employees and affiliates/vendors of the venue (which I KNOW did not pay for their tickets) who the DJ/host kept raving about at the beginning of the party. He basically spent a few minutes on stage standing there promoting the venue to everyone for their future events. I had never been to a tasteful concert where the hotel or venue was being promoted during the actual event. Tacky! The entertainment however, was amazing. The singer was on point, which I had no doubt about coming into this. Fares Karam is a phenomenal singer and every one of his performances are amazing! The venue does not get credit for that though. Long story short, this was not what I expected from this place. Its beautiful, yes, but after our experience, I would never recommend this place to anyone. The owner shouldve known better than to have things handled the way that they were. You cannot totally blame the promoters of the party, because this wasnt their venue. There shouldve been order and major organization in place, which this whole event lacked. Not to mention the RIDICULOUS fees we had to pay in addition to our pricey tickets, which shouldve included it all! After this, I could never trust that the Bellevue or any of its affiliates would give me an honest deal for an event I wanted to plan with them. For some, these points may not be major, but these simple things say so much about the people who manage and own this place. By the end of the night I could not help but feel like they did whatever they could to make the most money, discounting the comfort of the guests and the opportunity to leave a somewhat good impression. The feeling was mutual among the whole group. Shame on you Bellevue!

SA

Sarah Sahalee

My family and I also attended the Fares Karam concert at Bellevue Conference and Event Center in Chantilly, Virginia. I was very excited about seeing the singer and equally excited about being at the Bellevue. Like many others, I have seen some of the prettiest and classiest pictures of the venue. While the venue itself met and exceeded my expectations, the concert fell a little short. As I read some of the other Google reviews, I have to agree that the seating arrangement was tight and the service was not fully prepared. While it seemed like most people were having a great time (dancing on tables, chairs, speakers, stage, etc), I became frustrated, partly because this venue was at the top of my choices for my daughter’s wedding. I approached one of the employees and expressed my frustration. The employee (not sure what role he had) was very receptive. In fact, he told me that the Bellevue was rented out by the promoters and that almost everything was under their control. He also stated that for future events, they would work more closely with promoters to ensure this does not happen again since their reputation was at stake. He assured me that they are striving towards offering the best service and venue for events. I believed him so I scheduled an appointment to meet with the Bellevue staff to discuss holding my daughter’s wedding there. In regards to the food, it was good but again, this was not the Bellevue’s decision. I also inquired about the parking charge when I called back to schedule the appointment. They indicated that they had to charge for parking for security and maintaining order purposes as parking attendees were hired. The parking fee didn’t bother me since most places charge parking fees for concerts and events…not sure why this is described as “tacky” by the other review. It’s unfortunate that people attacked the venue as it was not their fault. They clearly explained that the seating arrangement was designed by the promoters. It seems like the one review is trying to unfairly shift the blame on the venue. Additionally, It’s not anyone’s business whether or not the Bellevue family and friends received free tickets. If I owned a business, I would certainly not charge my family and friends. Again, there was an ulterior motive to the review posted by the other attendee. Regardless, I feel blessed to have had the chance to attend the beautiful and rockin ethnic event. Fares Karam was phenomenal as was the DJ. I highly recommend the Bellevue to anyone and everyone. I can’t wait to have my daughter’s wedding there!!

SO

Sonia Boustany

This venue is by far the most stunning and elegant venue in Northern Virginia. I was mesmerized by how beautiful this place actually was, the lightening, the decor, the sound system, everything was beyond my expectations. I was there to attend the Fares Karam concert and had an amazing time. The wait staff seemed a bit unorganized and overwhelmed how ever being part of the hospitality business, I would not blame the owner, I would blame the manager since she did not seem to have had her staff ready for such an event. In addition, I wouldnt say it was overcrowded - as someone below had mentioned - the venue was easily accessible and getting to/from the restrooms or smoking area was not difficult what so ever. The organization of the tables couldve been better planned to accommodate a better dance floor area. The food was catered but still delicious and was the best that Ive had compared to any other Arabic concert that Ive attended. Yes, parking was $10 but in regards to that, whether the concert was held in DC or at well known hotel, you would be expected to pay for parking regardless so I do not think that should put a bad taste in your mouth, especially if you have the money to spend $175 on a ticket, $10 shouldnt be something to complain about. Overall, this place is magnificent and does not deserve less than 5 stars especially with the fact that you wouldnt be able to top any other place in the area above it. Its new and still being established so I can only imagine how much better this place will become in time. I will definitely be back to this place and highly recommend it to anyone that wanted to have an elegant function in a gorgeous setting. I would dismiss the 1 star review since I was at the same event and it wasnt even close to being how bad as that rater made it sound and Im not surprised to see such a review since thats the typical stereotype you deal with at such an event. With that said, I would want to know where else you could experience the same experience you did last night in our area - no where. This new venue is the best in the area from what Ive seen (being born and raised in the DMV) and will only get better in time.

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