NACE Recaps the Highlights of Catersource 2016

If you missed Catersource this year, you missed a lot! For the first time, Catersource used an Ambassador program to assist attendees. The ambassadors were experienced event professionals who were familiar with the conference and used their expertise to guide people. Their jobs began prior to the conference, with social media posts highlighting the program and events. While onsite, they worked the crowd, explained the benefits of the Catersource mobile app, helped attendees choose the right classes, and offered overall support. They also participated in education sessions by introducing several of the speakers.POPalooza Industry AwardsThe annual ACE Awards, Event Solutions Spotlight Awards, and ICA Catie Awards were held during the day in yet another first, combining into the POPalooza Industry Awards Celebration on Tuesday, March 15. The awards were preceded by a champagne brunch reception featuring trendy and innovative brunch bites, along with a Bloody Mary and mimosa bar.Education and ActionThe keynote speaker on Monday, March 14 was Doug Lipp, former head of the Disney University Training Team. He shared many stories about what customer service means and how to bring service “magic” to your team. In addition, Kendall Collier was honored as the Michael Roman Lifetime Achievement recipient, and King Dahl was honored as the Event Solutions Hall of Fame inductee.Monday also featured two distinctly different events. By combining education and action, David Beahm shared his unusual insights into the event industry at the Leadership Lunch and was followed by the annual “Off Premise” event, an interactive exploration of a venue. This year’s site, Tao Restaurant and Night Club at the Venetian, was brought to life by Catering Creations and Catering by Design, who combined forces on the event, providing exciting food stations and serving concepts throughout the four-story nightclub.Design Spark Live CompetitionIn the Design Spark Live competition, veteran event designers David Caruso and Bob Russo competed against each other to bring to life what’s hot in event trends. They delivered many design vignettes. It was a stiff competition but, in the end, Caruso took the top nod. Wedding Industry EducationOn the education front, there was a great deal to interest wedding industry professionals:Bernadette Smith presented about how to attract same-sex couples to your wedding business. The point of this session was that even if you’re LGBTQ-friendly, same-sex couples may not know they can trust you. She taught the principles of LGBTQ marketing, specific nuances to the Q and millennials, and how to attract LGBTQ couples without alienating your current client base. Robin Selden of Marcia Selden Catering & Event Planning in Stamford, Conn., led a session titled, What the Bride Wants Now...is to Eat. Trends in Wedding Menus and Presentation. This focused on the trends that are on the menu for today’s bride and groom. It included a discussion of whether more brides are choosing seated dinners, classic buffets, or cocktail stations for their receptions. Selden and Albert Manzo, with the Brownstone in Patterson N.J., also led a panel discussion called Bridging the Gap Between Today’s Wedding Couples and Your Company. The panel shared how successfully communicating with millennial wedding couples and industry vendors can make or break the relationship. They said that being open and honest with your pricing and services will help increase solid bookings and help you discover ways to better position yourself within your market by offering pricing and services to potential clients of all income levels.Sasha Souza, an event designer with Sasha Souza Events in Napa Valley, Calif., led a session titled, Wedding Details and How to Design a Wedding for Future Clients. Using the photography of previous events can teach you how to be a better designer. Souza taught that using better visuals can refine your design skills by showcasing your work through the eyes of your peers and potential clients. Don’t Forget the Food and TradeshowAnd don’t even get me started on the amazing food you get to sample at Catersource! Stars of culinary excellence pulled out all of the stops to share their best creations with the audience. Tasting bars included, "Chocolate Tasting, a Heavenly Experience" and "Microgreens, Herbs and Sprouts." James Keating of JK Culinary and River Mill Event Center in Columbus, Ga., presented a session called, "Totally Scrumptious Vegan and Gluten-Free Appetizers." The dynamic tradeshow also included tasty morsels to sample as well as the latest products and services available to our industry. The interactive discussions with vendors allowed attendees to understand their options in order to make smart buying decisions. All-in-all, this year’s program delivered great ideas and valuable nuggets that attendees could apply to enhance and grow their businesses back home. wpm__Doug Quattrini, CPCE, Feastivities Events, Philadelphia