Events: This or That Fruit Displays

Happy Friday everyone! It's been a crazy past couple of weeks.  I'm looking forward to a little downtime this weekend.

We just finished up an event on Wednesday at the Santa Clara Marriott.  We've done this event for 3 years in a row at the same location.  Each year, I challenge the catering staff as well as our team to come up with unique ideas for the menus.  The group arrives just before lunch and we've done box lunches in the past.  We didn't want to do them this time around so we decided on Street Tacos and Burritos and a market style fruit display.  

I didn't want your basic whole fruit display - boring!  It needed to have spark.  I wanted people to look at it and feel like they were in a market selecting their fruit.  I mean really, take a look at the picture below.  Would you want this? or THAT?

The chef was so excited to be working on these menus.  We didn't want the norm, we wanted unique (did you see yesterday's post?).  Everyone was talking about the food and how great it was and I really believe it was because the chef and his team were excited about getting out of the typical hotel catering box and their love of food really shined through.

The hotel knocked it out of the park.  I couldn't have been happier with the way it turned out.  What do you think?

Events: Simple Flower Arrangements

How many of you are familiar with Joyus?  It's a shopping website, but they have some really great videos about styling.  I came across this one about simple flower arrangements that anyone can do.

When styling a tables for an event, flowers can get really expensive.  In the video below, Kelley shows how to make some simple arrangements that won't break the bank.  My personal favorite vase is the $18 geometric vase.  This one is great for adding height to any table.

One Event Complete, Time for the next

I'm at the airport heading home.  We just finished a tradeshow and advisory dinner for a client in Washington Dc.  Now we're shifting gears and getting ready for a conference with another client next week.  This time I get to pack a smaller bag because it's local.

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Hotel Wanderlust: Public Chicago

One of Ian Schragers newest properties is Public Chicago.  Chicago Magazine calls it "Dazzling."  I was chomping at the bit to stay there when I was in Chicago a couple of months ago - but unfortunately for me - it was sold out.  I've been lusting after the property since I first laid eyes on it.  I'm in love with their "no color" concept for their sleeping rooms.  Walking in - you just feel a sense of calm.

With 285 sleeping rooms and 8600 square feet of meeting space (including a stunning terrace), this is the perfect hotel to have a little fun (or a meeting) with a group of 50 of your closest friends or colleagues.

Public Chicago is a complete transformation of the Gold Coast's famed Ambassador East hotel and its historic Pump Room restaurant.  James Beard award winning chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten whips up amazing delights not only in the Pump Room, but also customized banquet menus for groups.

This is hotel is definitely on my bucket list to stay.  What about you?

{All images from Public Chicago website}

Events: Branding Fruit

Branding Fruit - kind of a strange title for a blog post don't you think? 

But how many times have you ordered whole fruit at an event for a break?  Tons - right?

When you're at the grocery store and your cruising down the produce aisle, you stop and pick up a banana.  What do you see on the banana?  A sticker to identify the brand of banana.  When you swing by the apple section - same thing.

This could be a huge branding opportunity for a company, and it's so easy and inexpensive (besides the cost of the fruit of course).  Just print out stickers with company logo or marketing message and slap it on the fruit and voila - instant branding.

Absolut Vodka did it with apples when they were launching their Absolut Orient Apple Vodka.

Simple, out of the box and unexpected which makes it even better!

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