GUEST BLOG - Food Trends in the Event Industry

WHAT SHOULD YOU SERVE AT YOUR NEXT EVENT?
Food Trends in the Event Industry

The question of menu planning is always important, as it is a major component in setting the right tone for your event. Having the right food options make your event memorable. Recent trends in the culinary world can help when creating your perfect menu. Just take a look at the three major food trends that are making way in the event planning industry; comfort, health and environmental consciousness.

COMFORT
We are in uncertain times and that is when we crave comfort food. Popular comfort foods such as spaghetti and meatballs, macaroni and cheese, Sheppard’s pie, chili, and pizza are now the inspiration for dishes that are served at events. The era of pretension is over and the focus is heading to less formal, causal and simple dishes. The goal is creating a menu full of flavorful dishes that include the simple components of our favorite comfort foods while still maintaining a chic vibe.

Tip: Look for a caterer who will evoke a memory based on comfort food flavors while also creating a new memory based on the innovative components of the dish. Find out if your caterer has a chef that is passionate by asking what the chef is inspired by. The answer to this question will tell you a lot about the food you will be served. Also, try and find someone offering these comfort inspired foods while staying health conscious.

HEALTH
More people are trying to improve their health and this means more well-balanced food options with fewer calories, less sodium, and more nutritious value. Events are likely to have a variety of “functional foods” which are foods that provide a health benefit beyond basic nutrition. Functional components include carotenoids, dietary fiber, fatty acids, prebiotics, soy protein, and vitamins. “Superfood,” is another buzzword popping up in the events industry. It refers to natural or supplemented food products that contain higher levels of nutrients for the number of calories. Top “superfoods” offering super health protection include; beans, blueberries, broccoli, goji berries, oats, oranges, pumpkin, salmon, soy, spinach, tea (green or black), tomatoes, turkey, walnuts, and yogurt.

People are choosing organic options as well. These types of foods are made according to certain production standards. Using conventional non-organic pesticides, insecticides and herbicides is greatly restricted. This results in higher nutrient levels and more antioxidants in organic fruits and vegetables compared with conventionally grown products

Tip: When menu planning, keep in mind that you can take greater control of your health (and your guest’s health) through the food choices you make. Keep in mind that your attendees are more likely to be calorie conscious. Look for a caterer that offers organic, functional and superfood options to appeal to the growing health concern. Your attendees will be appreciative of your effort for leading a better, longer and healthier life.

ENVIRONMENTALLY CONSCIOUSNESS
People are becoming more environmentally friendly and conscious of those who are and those who aren’t. This can come into play when planning an event by being one of those who are! Food is being purchased based on where it is grown, how it is packaged and what impact it has on the environment.

Sustainable farms focus on a way of raising food that is healthy for consumers and animals, does not harm the environment, is humane for workers, respects animals, provides a fair wage to the farmer, and supports and enhances rural communities.

Organic foods also have an environmental impact. Compared to conventional farms, organic farms do not consume or release synthetic pesticides into the environment — some of which have the potential to harm soil, water and local terrestrial and aquatic wildlife. Organic farms are better at sustaining diverse ecosystems - like populations of plants and insects, as well as animals. They also use less energy and produce less waste - waste such as packaging materials for chemicals.

Tip: Focus on using sustainable, local and organically farmed foods for your menu. You can take the initiative to help local famers and preserve the environment by choosing a caterer that uses environmentally friendly foods.


* When planning your next event, make sure to keep these culinary trends in mind. Most importantly, take time carefully planning your menu because the food will MAKE IT MEMORABLE*



Aryn Dimas is the President of Fairweather Catering, Starfish Creative Events' official catering company, offering chef services for businesses, large and small events, and intimate personal parties. Fairweather uses local farmers market produce, all natural free range meat products, and promotes health conscious cooking. For her, catering is not just about taste; it is about evoking a memory.

ContactAryn at fairweathercatering@gmail.com or call (424) 228-4424.

What, and Who, Makes a Great Cross Promotional Campaign?

Developing cross promotions between brands is one of my favorite parts of my job. I like them because these kinds of campaigns make all parties involved really happy. Each brand is able to utilize the other brands’ resources and existing marketing campaign, plus reach their audience.

When I worked for Konami Digital Entertainment I partnered their mega-hit video game Metal Gear Solid 4 with Anheuser Busch’s non-alcoholic drink , 180 Energy Drink. Demographically it made perfect sense, so we came up with creative ways to integrate both brands into a marketing campaign that appealed to males ages 18-34. There were quite a few elements that went into the campaign, but here are the highlights:

We came up with a great sweepstakes promotion on the nation’s top radio stations in which callers could win the game, cases of the drink, and an amazing home entertainment system, for a “Boys Night In” package. We designed co-branded window clings that were hung on all convenience stores refrigerator doors. And we incorporated specialty 180 drinks and recipes into many video game events, including the launch of Metal Gear Solid 4 at the Virgin Mega Store in Times Square. So we hit the consumers from many different angles, and really drove home the partnership and the brands in the audience’s heads.

When determining the scope of your campaign, remember to consider these questions:

Who is your potential partner’s audience? You should partner with a brand that shares a similar target demographic, but not quite the same. The idea here is to gain a wider audience base, not market to the same audience that has probably already heard about you because you’ve been tirelessly targeting their demo. Just last week I was getting a frozen yogurt at Red Mango, a popular frozen yogurt chain, and I noticed that they are offering a new pomegranate flavor using POM Wonderful juice. While both Red Mango and POM Wonderful are part of the food and beverage industry, therefore sharing similar goals, they have different primary targets – Red Mango targeting teenagers, POM Wonderful targeting an older 20-30 crowd. Yet their target ages are so close that it makes sense to partner to reach others’ market.

Take a look at Ford & Eddie Bauer. They share a similar demographic, but market completely different products, ensuring that there’s no built in competition. Instead they joined forces and developed an Eddie Bauer style Ford truck.

Is this a mutually beneficial alliance for the both of you? Both of you have to enter this deal feeling lucky you found each other (sort of like a romantic relationship J ). A good friend of mine, Clara, who is the head of strategic partnerships at a major corporation, gave me some great advice which I am now passing on to you: align yourself with brands that are just as, or more, popular than you. This can go many ways – while one of you maybe more popular with the mass market, what the other brand might bring to the table is a more industry-only following. Regardless, remember that this partnership has to be equal, or else there will be some sense-of-entitlement power struggles going on.

Can you effectively track the progress of the campaign? There has to be a way for you to track data as this campaign commences – whether it is driving your audience to a website or a phone number via a sweepstakes where they submit their contact info; or if your promotion is run on consumer packaged goods (such as on the box of Nabisco Triscuts like the Rachel Ray cookbook recently did) record the number of goods sold; or noting the number of hits your website received once the promotion went live - However you CAN capture data, do it!

How can you hit consumers through many different touch points? For those loyal readers out there, this may sound familiar because in an earlier blog post I talked about different ways to do this. For those who just happened to miss the posting, check it out on the February 12th posting entitled “Strategic Partnerships – The Best Kind of Marketing”

Is this campaign buzz worthy? You should always aim to generate PR. Gain eyeballs and awareness organically – I believe to be one of the most effective forms of advertising - by developing a campaign that’s either the first of its kind, or is relevant to a major issue or hot topic of the times. In today’s times, a campaign revolving around winning a huge cash prize, or one giving financial advice, hits home to many because of the state of the economy. Or one that promotes childhood exercise is another good one, since the country’s obesity rate is the highest it’s ever been.

So go out there and find someone that makes you happy, and then make a beautiful campaign together!

Gail

EVENT RECAP – Shaimus Record Release Party

Last Wednesday evening, Starfish Creative Events had the pleasure of assisting our good friends –and fellow Boston Alums—from the awesome rock band SHAIMUS (http://www.shaimus.com/) launch their sophomore album with a release party at The Mint in Los Angeles.

The band packed the venue with music press, industry peeps, enthusiastic fans and long-time friends for an energetic evening of music and merriment.

Genevieve Lopez (http://www.myspace.com/genevievelopez) and Brian Titus opened for a jovial crowd, and eased in the night with an acoustic set of supple pop-folk melodies.
The band gave their fans an inside look into the musician life with a “Making Of” video chronicling what it took to produce their newest album, The Sad Thing Is, We Like it Here. They also showcased their newest music video of their catchiest song yet, “Turn the Other Way”.

Host Adam Kerpelman raffled off door prizes of coveted band merchandise before, finally, SHAIMUS took the stage. They played the entire album through and through, ending with an explosive encore performance of their hit song from Guitar Hero (and my personal favorite), “All of This”. The crowd went wild.

Featured drinks throughout the night included band member favorites – Jameson shots, Jager Bombs, Guiness pints, Appletinis and Coke with Ice. Can you tell which drink is who’s? Attending press included joystiq.com and Coin-Op TV, who reviewed the event on last Thursday’s webcast. Check it out here: http://www.thestream.tv/watch.php?v=1257

More incredible photos from the event can be found on the photographer’s website -- http://thephotobar.com/shaimusfavorites/. After seeing what he can do at this event, SCE officially recommends Mike Tabolsky for all your photography needs.

For more information on Shaimus, or to buy their newest album , visit their website at http://www.shaimus.com/.

Thanks to everyone who came out for the event!

Until next time,
Stephanie

St. Patty's Day Party Ideas

Whether you're Irish or not, St. Patrick's Day is one of the most highly anticipated party holidays of the year. So, if you want to throw a party your guests will be talking about for years to come, take some tips from an event professional who's spent many a St. Patty's Day in Boston - where they know how to do it up right. Here, my top 5 party ideas for March 17th:

1.) Your St. Patty’s Day celebration should start as early as possible (the Irish don’t mess around), so throw a “Kegs & Eggs” party in the morning hours, featuring bottomless cups of Guinness and Green Eggs & Ham (Dr. Seuss was Irish too, you know).

2.) If you have a big enough backyard, throw an “Irish-Fest” at your very own house! Like the official one in Dublin, but on a smaller scale, your party should feature the following:

**Beer, beer and more beer (Murphy’s, Guinness, Smithwick’s, Harp, etc)

**Upbeat, Irish band music (think Dropkick Murphy’s)

**Traditional cuisine (corned beef, potatoes, stew, soda bread, shellfish)

**GAMES: Set up a horseshoe pit, rent a moon-bounce for the kids, play pin the top hat on the leprechaun, water balloon tosses, corn hole, and more. The possibilities are endless, and how many games you have depend on how much space is available. If you want to go a step further, develop a point system and make score-cards for guests to tally their totals throughout the day. Then, at the end announce a winner, who gets the “pot ‘o’ gold”, or a grand prize. What the prize is will be completely based on your budget, but should include items that are green, Irish-centric and lucky (ideas include shamrock party favors, Irish music CD, DVD of Boondock Saints,scratch-off lotto tickets)

3.) Reserve a table or rent out a room at your favorite local Irish Pub, and let the shenanigans ensue.

4.) Host a Scavenger Hunt Irish Pub Crawl. Choose 5 or 6 of our favorite local bars (preferably in the same general area) and create a schedule for the day. DO NOT tell your guests where they will be going; instead, send them a clue to the first bar in the invitation. You may want to note on the invite that a requirement to get the second clue is to wear green. This is an “Audience Participation Required” event! Those who are clever enough to make it to the first bar and ARE wearing green, will be given the clue to the next locale. At each location, create another task for your guests to complete before they get the next clue (i.e. drink an Irish Car Bomb). At the last bar, hide some kind of prize (see “Pot ‘o’ Gold ideas, above, for examples) – whoever finds the prize first is the winner! This sparks a sense of competition and mystery to the day and makes it fun for everyone involved. FYI, I HIGHLY recommend contacting all the bars before St. Patrick’s Day and giving them a heads up – If they know you’re coming with a large group, they may let you bypass the lines.

5.) Attend your local parade or festival, and dress up with pride. Gather your group and make hand-made matching t-shirts (break out the puffy paint!). Use face paint, temporary tattoos, green beads, top hats and more to show your support of all things Irish!


Happy Frolicking!


-Stephanie