The new era in the relationship between the United States and Cuba—with diplomatic relations resuming and restrictions on businesses easing—has a direct impact on the meeting and event industry. There are now direct flights and cruises to Cuba, and groups have even started booking meetings on the island. But the country has long provided inspiration for events. From galas that evoke the country’s romanticized 1950s-era glamor to more modern takes on Cuban culture, here are ideas for catering, decor, and activities that reference Cuba.
At the Phillips Collection’s annual gala in 2012, the Washington Art Museum chose “Havana Nights” as the theme of its after-party to honor the Havana Arts Biennial. A 1959 Chrysler parked outside the Anderson House as well as palm tree projections set the tone at the entrance. In the back lawn, a cigar roller and salsa and meringue music from the Latin band Sin Miedo continued the theme.
Ballet Hispanico's 2015 Spring Gala honored Cuban civic leaders. The event, which had a theme of “Noche Cubana,” took place in March at the Plaza Hotel's Grand Ballroom in New York and featured performances by the Ballet Hispanico Company as well as other entertainers.
Food and beverage from Occasions Caterers at the gala included buffets of Cuban-inspired cocktails served in coconut glasses, as well as savory and sweet items like plantain chips, ceviche, empanadas, and coffee parfaits.
Branded hand-rolled cigars from Cigar Stud Events were among the treats for guests at the the grand opening of the Miami Beach location of Puma Lab Powered by Foot Locker. The event, planned by Cluxe Brand Management, took place at Skydeck Miami on July 23.
Cuban cigar boxes served as charming containers for flower arrangements at an “Old Havana”-theme welcome party that the New Orleans Saints hosted before Super Bowl XLIV in Miami in 2010. The event took place at the InterContinental Miami Hotel.
To build buzz before the opening of a new Ikea store in Miami in 2014, the furniture and home goods retailer engaged customers with a mobile tour that stopped in five local neighborhoods. At a stop in Little Havana, the activation set up an area for playing dominoes, complete with Ikea-branded tiles.
Colorful bongos decorated a bar front at an alfresco cocktail party for the international consulting firm FICO, which held its 2010 world conference in Miami.
“Hemingway’s Cuba” was the theme of the 2005 New York Public Library’s Young Lions Benefit, chosen because of the library’s extensive collection of works by Ernest Hemingway. Staff offered guests hats, woven fans, faux orchid boutonnieres, and cigars to help them embody the theme.
The 2011 Ravinia Gala in Chicago celebrated the music of George Gershwin through a concert, but also through catering. The first course from Food for Thought Chicago, called the "Cuban Overture" after the Gershwin song, was shrimp ceviche with mango-jícama salad.
With a base of El Dorado three-year rum, the Old Cuban cocktail evokes a Caribbean feel. The beverage, available at new Washington cocktail bar the Speak, mixes in lime juice, prosecco, simple syrup, Angostura bitters, and mint leaves. The Speak opened in May.
