(McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- The details make the difference when it comes to planning a gala, said Terri Sanders, owner of TD Sanders and More in Omaha.

The considerations include the room arrangement, linens, decorations, food, entertainment, crowd control.

"And there's always something you didn't anticipate," she said.

The stakes are even higher when planning a historic event at an unfamiliar venue hundreds of miles away. That's exactly what Sanders has been doing for the last few months as she prepares for the Believers Ball in Silver Spring, Md.

The event is one of many inaugural balls to be held in the Washington, D.C., area Jan. 20 to celebrate the inauguration of President-elect Barack Obama.

Sanders will have one day to transform a Hilton hotel into an elegant setting for about 600 guests. The hotel is holding an unrelated event the night before, so Sanders will rely on D.C.-area event planners to help her on the day of the ball.

"This is my global debut," said Sanders, who said this is the first time she has planned an event outside Omaha.

Affinity Partners International, a professional staffing firm for minorities and the host of the Believers Ball, asked Sanders to plan the event. Sanders' brother is a partner in Affinity Partners International, which is based in Colorado Springs and Las Vegas.

She started her business, which is at the Omaha Small Business Network at 24th and Lake Streets, in 2003 after working almost 20 years as a seamstress. The Greater Omaha Chamber of Commerce named Sanders the 2008 Minority Business Owner of the Year.

She is a certified balloon artist and has decorated venues for events such as the Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE:BRK A) annual stockholder meeting and the 100 Black Men of Omaha gala. She also created a pink balloon arch for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure.

Sanders said she jumped at the chance to be a part of the inaugural celebration and to gain national exposure for her business.

"This is a big opportunity for me. I want to take the show on the road."

Sanders is responsible for planning, promoting and decorating. She promoted the ball and marketed the $150 tickets through online social networking.

She relied on photographs and room measurements to design a layout. She will see the hotel for the first time on Friday, when she arrives in the nation's capital.

The ball will take place in three rooms, and Sanders has booked a DJ and a live jazz band. She selected the menu and came up with signature drinks named after Obama and his family members. She had to order the champagne a month in advance, because demand was so high.

Five million people are expected to visit Washington for the inauguration, she said.

Party favors, including wineglasses with a star-shaped base and commemorative posters, already have been shipped.

One of the biggest challenges of planning an event taking place halfway across the country is making sure all materials arrive at the venue, she said.

Sanders will construct the table centerpieces and tweak arrangements when she arrives.

Preparation is key to the success of any event, but especially for one of this size, she said. "I always believe in a Plan A, B, C and D."

"But I have to be flexible and go with whatever the flow is without them seeing me sweat."

Sanders said she has learned to expect the unexpected in her five years as an event planner.

She hopes the Believers Ball leads to more national and international jobs, which would be a major step for her one-person business, Sanders said.

In addition to galas and large events, she also plans birthday and retirement celebrations for "2 to 2,000."

With most of the preparations for the ball completed, Sanders now is working on a national education conference to be held in Omaha this week. She will decorate 15 schools the night before she leaves for Washington.