Subway Serves Up Canadian Theme

Subway Restaurants ended its annual convention at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre with a gala dinner for 3,200 guests. Joel Whitten, Subway's Milford, Connecticut-based meetings and events manager, charged HOST Destination Management with designing an event with a Canadian theme to celebrate the fact that Canada was hosting the convention for the first time. Whitten also requested that the event not include sit-down dining with a waitstaff. "We wanted to keep guests busy and moving," he said.HOST created five areas with regional themes in the hall, representing Ontario, British Columbia, and Quebec and the Prairie and Maritime regions. D?cor & More supplied props and decor representing the themes such as gingham linen and mini lanterns on the food stations in the Maritimes space, and a vivid backdrop of shimmering wheat fields in the Prairies space. The menu characterized the provincial/regional design motif, with MTCC food stations serving smoked salmon in the B.C. space, beef in the Prairie space, lamb in the Ontario space, and Halibut brochettes in the Maritimes space.

The entertainment also supported the provincial/regional motif. The Country Rogues played in the Prairies area and the White Pine Native Dance Troop performed in the B.C. space. Zero Gravity Circus supplied roaming entertainers such as a stilt walker dressed as a scarecrow, and the High Fidelity Dance Band put on a feature performance after the buffet.