perks...

There are some major perks to my job. The biggest? Free food. Well that, and the event industry is of course in charge of helping people have fun, right? Today I attended the NACE (National Association of Catering Executives) monthly meeting. It was held at the Sheraton Minneapolis West. It started at 11am, and we were greeted with butler passed hors d'oeuvres and mini shooters. I picked the bloody mary shooter thinking it would be...well a virgin bloody mary. I mean, it's 11am people, right? It wasn't...pretty sure there was a whole shot of Vodka in that bad boy. As I finished it, I realized I had created my first 'work buzz'...shame shame. Thank goodness lunch followed.

But of course, there was a wine pour....with lunch! hmm...strange...don't mind if I do. Everyone at all of the other tables must have been on my train of though too...everyone passed on the lemonade and iced tea. There's something about being a little innocently sinful in professional situations! We had a wonderful southern themed lunch with upside down iceberg salad (very cool...hard to explain), chicken & waffles (ha!), and the most amazing peach cobbler with vanilla bean ice cream. Roll me outta there. There was a great presentation on the latest food & beverage trends.

I walked away with lots of ideas on fun new trends for events. Here are some that really excited me:

-Servers waiting at guest tables to greet people as they are seated for dinner & offer them a glass of wine. (a low cost way to add a lot of wow to your wedding or event).

-'His' and 'Hers' specialty drinks. The groom picks a drink of his choice to feature & so does the bride. Make a cute 'wine tag' for each specific drink that states their names or congratulations wishes.

-Using the standard decor at the facility to display food or beverage. My favorite: using an outside fountain, draining it and adding ice to hold drinks as a beverage station. Use one tier and cover with a clear plexi glass to hold the glassware or plasticware.

-One Bites: Food that is served in smaller portions on spoons, unique one-service wear, etc...so people can sample a little bit of everything.

-Signage. Use your food signs, bar signs, table signs, place cards as an element of your decor. Make them fun & tie their theme into your original invitation. Use your colors, text and detailing all together to thread the evening together.
-Personalized Favors. My friend Alicia did a great job of this at her wedding. Her favor? A mini lucky bamboo with mini rocks in a double shot glass with their names & wedding date printed on the outside. A living favor & soooo cute to take home!

Today is a long one! I am at work a full 8 hrs of course then heading to The Chateau for an hour long planning meeting. I'm excited for tonight because Nathan and I are going to do some grilling and chilling. Ah, No Name Steaks.