Thursday, November 27

The University will release 1,200 additional Inaugural Ball tickets this week to people on a wait list which has swelled to more than 1,500.

Officials secured additional space at the Omni-Shoreham Hotel for the Jan. 20 event, which already has 4,000 confirmed guests. In addition to four ballrooms, they have booked the hotel’s exhibit hall to accommodate a majority of the students, faculty, parents and alumni on the wait list.

University spokeswoman Tracy Schario said everyone on the wait list will be assigned a confirmation number and contacted via e-mail in stages, beginning Monday, Dec. 1, based on the order that they signed up.

Roughly 100 people who signed up on Election Day will be offered two tickets at the $85 sale price. Those who signed up after Nov. 4 will be offered two tickets at $100 each. Everyone must purchase their tickets within two business days of receiving their offer or risk losing their ticket to another person on the wait list. A news release stated that GW expects to distribute all of the 1,200 tickets before winter break.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the Marvin Center TicketMaster office or by phone with a confirmation number.

GW secured the additional space because of “the enthusiasm and interest in the inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama and Vice President-Elect Joseph Biden,” according to the news release. More information is available at gwired.gwu.edu/inauguralball