DC ISES Newsletter - January 2005

When I lived in Manhattan (shortly after they first installed gas lamps), Jersey City was a somewhat scary place at the other end of the Holland Tunnel. In 2005 it is the home of artists and writers, great restaurants, expensive river front condos and this year’s Northeast Regional Education Conference (REC)!

March 18-20 you will have a chance to take valuable classes, hear great speakers and network with event professionals from as far north as Toronto. The $175 early bird registration includes all classes, events and meals. Add in transportation and hotel and you’re getting an incredible deal for about $500.

Our region is increasingly becoming one giant market. I often see vendors from Philadelphia, New Jersey and New York working at events here, and I know my own company frequently performs in those areas. If you are a planner, the REC gives you a chance to meet top suppliers from all over the Northeast. If you are a vendor, you can network with dozens of planners you won’t meet at our chapter events.

I have attended 4 RECs. Each time I have come away with contacts and ideas worth far more than I paid for the conference. I have also had a great time. Hope to see many of you in Jersey City!

Special Feature: 20005 Trends

DC Speaks Out On Upcoming Catering Trends

By Gloria Goldman, A Pampered Affair

Reporting from The Special Event conference and tradeshow held earlier this month in Miami, Florida, I witnessed the latest catering trends. We're going back to basics, Robert Blanken of Blanken Photography told me as we chatted at one of our sessions. He went on to report that the caterers of parties he was shooting were displaying many different foods in smaller portions using distinctive plates and utensils. This presentation makes the world of difference in how guests perceive the food, turning the ordinary into attractive, enticing popular items.

Monre Zeffert of Zeffert Gold Catering in Baltimore says his clients still like to have food stations. He says the action stations continue to surprise the guests and they return for more and more at each celebration. Activities that remain popular are carving stations and dessert bars with Bananas Foster, crepes and ice cream. He said his new trend is to always have foods that meet Atkins or South Beach Diet requirements so that guests can enjoy their party while not breaking their diets. Understanding a guest’s health needs can make a difference in making sure they walk away from the event fully satisfied.

Denise Thorne of In Style Catering, says her clients ask for "comfort foods" and she gives them a variety while serving it in an unusual manner. For example, she pointed out to me that at the ISES December holiday party, the comfort foods served at the Clarendon Ballroom included macaroni and cheese in ramekins and French fries served in glasses paired with London Broil and Rack of Lamb... enticing and so delicious.

June Ring of RSVP Catering sums it up best, "This year’s upcoming trends will see the emergence of small plates" cuisine. The "tapas craze" will lend itself to the refinement of the small plate where huge amounts of flavors in a small package give customers a wider variety of options. This also allows caterers to offer more wine pairings, which is also becoming increasingly popular with local customers.

World cuisine still remains popular among the masses, with this year’s trends looking to the Far East. Japanese, Chinese and Southeast Asian cuisines continue to offer new and fantastic ingredients. Also, Spain seems to be the next mecca for the world famous chefs from whom you will see the latest experimental foods.

Restaurants will set the standards for the catering industry from now on. Consumers’ understanding of foods has greatly increased. We, in the industry, have labeled them as "foodies". They demand new and interesting flavors and food combinations, as well as superior quality. Most importantly, they deserve it.

Look to the Far East for upcoming trends and at the same time, listen to your customers’ wants and needs. They know what they want. As industry professionals, we must give it to them and present it fashionably and with distinction.

If we use our imagination and creativity, we can stay on top and grow with the ever-changing food trends.

Inspirational Event Ideas for 2005

By Ashleigh Dorfman, CSEP
ISES DC VP Marketing Communications

It’s that time of year again. Out with the old, in with the new. So what’s the latest and greatest in special events? In addition to the catering trends mentioned above, here’s a short list of other trends, according to a few ISES DC members:

In the world of music, entertainment has done a 180°. Seriously. Ray Bialek of Bialek’s Music, witnessed drummers hanging upside down – playing – while attached by ropes 10’ in the air. And bands don’t just sing and play instruments any more. They perform. They wear extravagant costumes and perform ‘acts’. According to Pamela Burton of Cast of Thousands, the caliber of most entertainment is really top-notch now. Additionally, Ray says the club scene, catering to Generation Y with ‘boom, boom, boom’ music, is still hot.

Kelley Gillespie of GEM Associates noticed two trends – the return of exotic drinks like Manhattans and Mai Tais, popular decades ago, in funky retro glasses and instant playback (slide show) of digital camera photos taken earlier in the event.

Alysha DiGiorgio of Digital Lightning reported a new technology in lighting – the use of moving lights and animation affects for event décor. According to her, Martin Mac 2000 units have animation effects and the high-end DL-1 and catalyst allow for movement of video images. Together, this equipment can create images like moving clouds or rolling fire, which Digital Lightning did recently for a client party at the Pooks Hill Marriott.

One last inspiring thought. The color forecast for 2005 is bold and bright – think hot pink, Asian red and lemon yellow. The 2005 color forecast is a sign of an improving economy, and an optimistic society who still desire security and stability after 9/11 but are eager to replace last year’s gray and neutral color palettes with energizing and inspiring colors. Look for these colors in linen, floral and invitation selections.

Also, these bold colors, especially red, symbolize prosperity and wealth. May your 2005 be busy, inspirational and colorful!

To Spam or Not to Spam...

By Jenna Lordo, Eventology
ISES DC Director of Programs

Imagine you’ve just returned from a dynamic networking event, conference or expo and have the contact information of every attendee, many of whom are in your target market. Sales and marketing literature universally stress the importance of prompt follow-up, so what is the most effective means to communicate to your audience about your product or service? If you answered “send an email,” think again. A wide range of factors will dictate whether your correspondence is perceived as welcome and informative or intrusive.

Email communications have a place in most marketing portfolios, but emails must be part of a cohesive, strategic plan. A successful email campaign can generate revenues, strengthen customer relations and underscore brand differentiation. Conversely, a generic mass email is likely to be perceived as invasive which will cast your company in a poor light, alienate prospects and negatively impact the bottom line.

Email marketing has become a highly specialized profession. Forester Research claims that marketers who use service bureaus with email expertise achieve purchase rates four times higher than marketers who rely on in-house email marketing. However, developing and implementing your own email campaign does not have to be a daunting experience. Fortunately, there is a wealth of books on the market and numerous professional websites to provide guidance.

Research shows that despite the growth of spam, consumers continue to value email from trusted companies when it is permission-based. The challenges involved in using email as a communications vehicle are significant, but can positively impact consumer perceptions and loyalty when done properly. “View from the Inbox” consumer research has identified a “natural threshold of 10 – 20 email relationships that [consumers] can [have] at any one time,” so the pressure is on to send only emails that are relevant, timely and engaging.

A Federal Trade Commission (FTC) ruling scheduled to take place in February portends to complicate the terrain further. The main tenet of the CAN-SPAM Act appears to lie in prohibiting deceptive headings and providing misleading information as to the source, all of which seems reasonable and in line with standard business etiquette. However, the new ruling is complicated and will affect how we market over the Internet because any e-mail message intended to sell something may be treated as a "commercial" message and is subject to requirements of the CAN-SPAM Act.

It is not within the scope of this article to provide a blueprint for an email campaign or decipher the impact of the new laws, but perhaps it is time to start a dialog among ISES members as the topic presents more questions than answers. Please send comments, questions, your own best practices and success stories (or lack thereof) or topics for future articles to: j.lordo@verizon.net.

Web sites and articles:

Inquiring minds want to know! How did these ISES members get started in the successful career they have today? And what do they consider the highlight of their career? We asked! Read on to discover their stories…

Dave Edwards, CSEP

Working on political campaigns sparked Dave’s love of events during college. After a job in the Senate, and becoming a political career counselor, he got a healthcare marketing position and participated on a number of trade show committees. He started working part-time for caterers, destination management companies and wedding planners.

He then went on to get a Certificate in Event Management from The George Washington University and his CSEP with the help of his mentor, Bill Knight, CSEP. Pam Burton introduced Dave to the ISES crowd in 1999 and he has served on the board ever since. Bonnie Schwartz gave Dave his first wedding at the National Cathedral and the Four Seasons. He began Dave Edwards Events! three years ago, specializing in non-profit and corporate events. His career highlight is being able to do "events that matter" by working with non-profit groups that he believes in.

Dave Troust
Dave Troust began his career in private events completely by chance. He was hired at Georgetown’s hot spot Mie N Yu in May 2003 as a Restaurant Manager, quickly becoming the Senior Restaurant Manager. His outgoing personality soon had him doing tours of the restaurant, as well as selling private events to clients at Mie N Yu. When the Private Events Manager quit in June 2004, Dave was offered the position. Having worked in restaurant operations for sixteen years, both as a Chef and Manager, he was eager to utilize his experience to embrace new challenges.

In recent months, his position has again changed to the Director of Sales & Marketing, though still allowing him to supervise the private events department. He has worked with some valuable organizations in DC, such as RAMW, WCTC, and, of course, ISES. He says the ISES meetings are great, however he has found the recent ISES Expo Tradeshow to be the best. Mie N Yu’s team put on quite a display, and it paid off with multiple event inquiries. Private events certainly offered Dave’s career the spark that it needed!

If you have an interesting story you'd like to contribute to the next ISES newsletter about how you got started in the special events business, please email Stephanie Evans at Stephanie@castof1000s.com. Thank you!