When WEDU, a 47-year-old Tampa-based public broadcasting station, decided it was time to raise awareness and funds, Laura Turner, the station's public relations specialist turned event planner, conceived Sojourn, an event that would incorporate the station's international cultural programming year after year. "We are focusing on our public relations initiatives a lot this year. We wanted to reach out to the 16 counties we serve and create one big brilliant event that would be interesting to anyone who attended. We designed an event that would allow us to bring to life what we show on TV, that's how we came up with Sojourn," Turner said. "Our programming and our audience are so diverse, we can 'visit' a new place every year to keep the event fresh and exciting."With a significant number of Latin viewers (and so many great Chilean and Argentine wines available), South America was an easy first choice for a theme. Turner envisioned an event that reflected Old World style but was upscale, lush, and bursting with color, and that placed equal emphasis on the food, decor, and entertainment.
She turned to Premier Beverage Company to recommend and supply wine to pair with Latin-inspired cuisine created by the catering department of the Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza. At the cocktail reception, guests nibbled on hors d'oeuvres such as shredded duck confit empanadas, Guanabara Bay crab fritters, and Yucatán shrimp cocktail ceviche, while sipping either Alamos chardonnay or Big Tattoo red wine. It was also here that an element of surprise was introduced: Brazilian maculele dancers suddenly appeared at the reception, performed an ancient war dance, and then disappeared as quickly as they had come.
The ballroom doors opened to reveal Latin ballroom dancers swirling around the dance floor amid a flurry of color. Feasting tables-four eight-foot-long rectangular tables placed together, dressed in gold spandex-surrounded the dance floor on three sides. Multiple rose boxes, centerpieces made from two dozen yellow, red, or orange roses surrounding 24 small votive candles, sat atop these tables. Chairs were dressed in orange spandex for contrast. Additional round tables were placed behind the feasting tables throughout the room; they were dressed in gold or orange
spandex and set with purple napkins. Lime green or fuchsia chair covers finished the look. "I told conceptBAIT the basics of what I wanted, and they ran with it," said Turner. "They brought the vision to life."
An 11-piece band played Latin-inspired music as guests dined on rosemary grilled Argentine filet of beef and South American red snapper Vera Cruz, which was paired with Cantena malbec and chardonnay. As the evening progressed, Samba dancers performed, and then a troupe of Brazilian capoeira dancers appeared, and disappeared. "I was the only one who knew about these acts. The guests were truly surprised," Turner said.
The evening ended on a sweet note as guests who took a break from the dance floor indulged in an exotic mousse puree paired with Conch Y Toro's late harvest sauvignon blanc dessert wine.
—Shari Lynn Rothstein
She turned to Premier Beverage Company to recommend and supply wine to pair with Latin-inspired cuisine created by the catering department of the Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza. At the cocktail reception, guests nibbled on hors d'oeuvres such as shredded duck confit empanadas, Guanabara Bay crab fritters, and Yucatán shrimp cocktail ceviche, while sipping either Alamos chardonnay or Big Tattoo red wine. It was also here that an element of surprise was introduced: Brazilian maculele dancers suddenly appeared at the reception, performed an ancient war dance, and then disappeared as quickly as they had come.
The ballroom doors opened to reveal Latin ballroom dancers swirling around the dance floor amid a flurry of color. Feasting tables-four eight-foot-long rectangular tables placed together, dressed in gold spandex-surrounded the dance floor on three sides. Multiple rose boxes, centerpieces made from two dozen yellow, red, or orange roses surrounding 24 small votive candles, sat atop these tables. Chairs were dressed in orange spandex for contrast. Additional round tables were placed behind the feasting tables throughout the room; they were dressed in gold or orange
spandex and set with purple napkins. Lime green or fuchsia chair covers finished the look. "I told conceptBAIT the basics of what I wanted, and they ran with it," said Turner. "They brought the vision to life."
An 11-piece band played Latin-inspired music as guests dined on rosemary grilled Argentine filet of beef and South American red snapper Vera Cruz, which was paired with Cantena malbec and chardonnay. As the evening progressed, Samba dancers performed, and then a troupe of Brazilian capoeira dancers appeared, and disappeared. "I was the only one who knew about these acts. The guests were truly surprised," Turner said.
The evening ended on a sweet note as guests who took a break from the dance floor indulged in an exotic mousse puree paired with Conch Y Toro's late harvest sauvignon blanc dessert wine.
—Shari Lynn Rothstein
At WEDU's first Sojourn fund-raiser, tables were dressed in gold spandex and topped with multiple rose boxes.
Round tables were adorned with floral centerpieces from conceptBAIT for a festive, colorful look.
Maculele dancers surprised guests by suddenly appearing at the reception to perform an ancient Brazilian war dance.
A samba dancer performs a traditional dance in a brightly colored costume.
![“One of the harder installs was at Drees Pavilion [in Covington, Kentucky]. It was only a day apart from another filming. We re-carpeted the entire space and set everything up in 12 hours,” Bruner said.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2020/08/IMG_6734.5f34173fa6723.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)