Leslie Guerin, vice president of event planning and management at financial management firm PFPC Inc., organizes the Boston-based company's client appreciation dinner during the National Investment Company Service Association's annual conference, held in Miami. This year was the first time guests were allowed to bring their children. "It was a challenge to plan this event, since we had no idea how many children were attending, or the age range," Guerin says. Mona Meretsky of COMCOR Event & Meeting Production Inc. helped her create a multicultural environment that kids and parents alike could enjoy.More than 150 of the firm's clients and potential clients convened at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa's Blue Lagoon pool for an evening of fine dining and entertainment that brought China, Cuba, and Italy right to Miami. "I chose three very different areas of the world because I wanted the guests to be able to truly get a feel for the cuisine of each area," says Meretsky. "Each buffet station was complete with salads and desserts and specialty beers traditionally found in the three countries."
Guests sampled stir-fried shrimp, chicken, or beef with vegetables and grilled snapper with sweet chili sauce served with fried or white rice at the Chinese buffet stations. Chocolate-dipped fortune cookies finished the meal. In the Cuban area, guests started with fresh avocado and pineapple salad before indulging in two carving stations—one serving churrasco steak with chimichurri sauce, the other pork tenderloin with a papaya-pineapple relish. Fresh Cuban bread and butter, fried yucca, and plantains cemented the authenticity. Bite-size pieces of flan and warm banana tamales were served for dessert. The Italian offerings included Caesar salad, chicken piccata, a pasta station, and garlic bread, plus tiramisu and chocolate marble cheesecake for dessert. Beer lovers sampled Sapporo, Hatuey, and Morretti—brews indigenous to each place. Servers dressed the part, wearing costumes reminiscent of each region: Asian happiness jackets, Cuban guayaberas, and long white aprons with black ties, all custom-printed with PFPC's logo.
Linens from Designs by Sean topped each cluster of tables representing the different regions. Purple silk linens played off a square base wrapped in yellow fabric with an Asian motif. A low wooden container filled with river rocks and flowers was surrounded by candles in amber-colored glass holders. The Cuban tables featured green-leaf-patterned linens with matching dark or lime green chair sashes. Items such as cafeteras (espresso makers), dominoes, cigars, and mini conga drums were artfully arranged as centerpieces. The rich feel of Italy was depicted with burnt-orange crushed silk linens and a gold-gilded column with grapes and ivy cascading from the top. A bottle of Chianti nestled in a wooden basket accompanied more grapes, roses, pasta, and candles.
Besides offering plenty of dining options, the event catered to younger guests with caricaturist Al Rodriguez, airbrush tattoos from Marcio of MK Arts, magician Mio, and a fill-your-own-tube-with-sandy-candy station. Shan the Candy Man spun sugar into works of art atop lollipop sticks (he's one of two artists in the country known for this). Whatever the request—from hummingbirds to great white sharks—Shan took just minutes to spin the colorful taffy-like sugar into beautiful souvenirs good enough to eat.
—Vanessa Goyanes
Guests sampled stir-fried shrimp, chicken, or beef with vegetables and grilled snapper with sweet chili sauce served with fried or white rice at the Chinese buffet stations. Chocolate-dipped fortune cookies finished the meal. In the Cuban area, guests started with fresh avocado and pineapple salad before indulging in two carving stations—one serving churrasco steak with chimichurri sauce, the other pork tenderloin with a papaya-pineapple relish. Fresh Cuban bread and butter, fried yucca, and plantains cemented the authenticity. Bite-size pieces of flan and warm banana tamales were served for dessert. The Italian offerings included Caesar salad, chicken piccata, a pasta station, and garlic bread, plus tiramisu and chocolate marble cheesecake for dessert. Beer lovers sampled Sapporo, Hatuey, and Morretti—brews indigenous to each place. Servers dressed the part, wearing costumes reminiscent of each region: Asian happiness jackets, Cuban guayaberas, and long white aprons with black ties, all custom-printed with PFPC's logo.
Linens from Designs by Sean topped each cluster of tables representing the different regions. Purple silk linens played off a square base wrapped in yellow fabric with an Asian motif. A low wooden container filled with river rocks and flowers was surrounded by candles in amber-colored glass holders. The Cuban tables featured green-leaf-patterned linens with matching dark or lime green chair sashes. Items such as cafeteras (espresso makers), dominoes, cigars, and mini conga drums were artfully arranged as centerpieces. The rich feel of Italy was depicted with burnt-orange crushed silk linens and a gold-gilded column with grapes and ivy cascading from the top. A bottle of Chianti nestled in a wooden basket accompanied more grapes, roses, pasta, and candles.
Besides offering plenty of dining options, the event catered to younger guests with caricaturist Al Rodriguez, airbrush tattoos from Marcio of MK Arts, magician Mio, and a fill-your-own-tube-with-sandy-candy station. Shan the Candy Man spun sugar into works of art atop lollipop sticks (he's one of two artists in the country known for this). Whatever the request—from hummingbirds to great white sharks—Shan took just minutes to spin the colorful taffy-like sugar into beautiful souvenirs good enough to eat.
—Vanessa Goyanes
Guests at the PFPC appreciation dinner enjoyed decor and cuisine from three different cultures, including Italy.
Designs by Sean arranged bongos, coffee beans, dominoes, and more in the centerpieces for the Cuban-themed tables.
COMCOR Event and Meeting Production Inc. had the servers of each section wear themed uniforms that were also embroidered with PFPC's logo.
Shan the Candy Man turned colorful sugar into works of art.
