At the 14th annual South Beach Wine and Food Festival, many sponsoring brands have found a home in the festival's north end tent, which hosts major events like the Burger Bash and Best of the Munchies closing party.
The festival, from title sponsors the Food Network and Cooking Channel, allows brands to set up activations for one night or for the duration of the event, which took place in Miami Beach Thursday to Sunday. This year, brands such as Ronzoni, Illy, Strongbow, Amstel Light, Coca-Cola, Buick, Groupon, and Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino had an ongoing presence inside the tent and on the beachside space outside.
Not only did some of the sponsor activations flip, but the decor did as well for the nightly major events at the space, which also included the Al Fresco Feast and Meatopia: The Q Revolution. Festival founder Lee Brian Schrager noted that about 20 percent of the 3,000 nightly attendees in the space returned for other events there, so mixing up the decor kept them engaged.
From the cream-colored accents that complemented the pasta-theme Al Fresco Feast to laid-back lounges and hammocks at the Best of the Munchies closing party, the north tent was reinvented throughout the four-day festival. Schrager said sponsors had a voice in the look of the venue.
"Ronzoni had a lot of say in Al Fresco, just like General Mills did at the Best of the Munchies," he said. "It's a combination of the event managers and the sponsor team working with the producers to collaborate on everything. Ultimately it just comes down to there being a sponsor name on everything. We've got to work with them, and it's important that we all work together."
Panache, a Classic Party Rentals company, was a key partner in the venue's daily transformation, supplying 80 truckloads of rentals, including linens, tabletops, seating, and catering equipment. "Together, we try to decide what we can do each night, from the entrance façade to the signage, to different lighting, to the stage, to our big focal points under the tent," Schrager said.
Carrying out the vision was a team that included contracted laborers as well as student volunteers from festival beneficiary Florida International University.
"There's a whole break down, disposing of garbage, cleaning the look, changing the chandelier, switching the signage, trussing," Schrager said. "There are hundreds of people involved in the process in between each event to get it set up and ready to go the next day."
One element that was unexpected from a planning standpoint was the unseasonably cold weather that arrived at the start of the festival. Planners had to secure space heaters for both inside and outside of the event tent. Said Schrager: "This is why we have contingency money set aside—for elements like that."
Designs by Sean created the focal-point chandeliers in the north event tent. The company incorporated the specific event's color scheme, like the orange and green design for Best of the Munchies.
Guests posed for photos in front of an arrivals wall composed of greenery and a floral interpretation of the festival's logo.
White tufted-style furniture and orange throws and pillows in a V.I.P. lounge matched the color palette of the event. Topiary planters and mirrors added to the scene.
Beachside seating at the event included hammocks with different styles of fabric, along with beach balls and pillows printed with the event's logo.
The laid-back event had an array of carnival-style games like a basketball shooting contest and ringtoss.
Sponsor General Mills set up a "Create Your Own Munchies Cereal Mix" with brands such as Trix, Lucky Charms, and Cocoa Puffs.
Returning sponsor Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino set up a pop-up club on the beach. Features that guests could see from the outside included an oversize guitar prop, a DJ booth, and bikini-clad dancers on a raised platform.
Pasta brand and event title sponsor Ronzoni commissioned a cake-style sand sculpture to celebrate its 100th anniversary.
An oversize Ronzoni pasta box was a popular photo set, encouraging guests at the Al Fresco Feast to pose with large utensils.
The chandelier at the Al Fresco Feast set a classy tone for the Italian-theme dinner. Each circular tier was composed of a pattern of smaller gold circles, creating a warm glow in the center of the room. Designs by Sean created the piece.
At the Al Fresco Feast, tables were topped with dried pasta in clear glass jars as well as seasonings.
Cream-colored linens and bistro-style chairs complemented subtle yellow accents in lighting and noodle decor at the Al Fresco Feast.
Coffee brand Illy created a feature wall with rows coffee mugs printed with its logo set against a hedge wall.
Sponsor Gibson Guitar showed off an oversize beach-theme model that had images of forks and knives running up the neck in place of frets.
Grand Tasting guests could rest in white seating areas on the sand. Spandex sails covered the scenic oceanside lounge.
The lounge's oceanside location inspired a custom table that was filled with sand and shells.
Coca-Cola sponsored a "Coke Cabana" at the Grand Tasting as well as bars inside the north end tent in a promotion for the brand's 100th anniversary. Decor included a sand sculpture.
Along with beer on tap, Amstel Light sponsored beachside games including oversize Jenga and cornhole between the Grand Tasting tents.
As title sponsor of the Burger Bash, Amstel Light had a diner-theme lounge with booth seating and a checkered floor. Activities at the nostalgically designed space included portraits drawn on napkins.
With unseasonably low temperatures, planners had to find heat lamps to keep guests warm.
Matching the Burger Bash color scheme of red and black, the chandelier by Designs by Sean incorporated a black lace textured fabric to mimic the effect of a grill along with hanging red pipes and chain metal pendants to indicate the lighting element.
Hard Rock Cafe's entry into the Burger Bash competition was its Brie-topped Legendary Mac and Cheese Stack burger. The burger was presented alongside a colorful display of its ingredients and a guitar.
Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino created a lounge within the tent to promote its new restaurant, Kuro. A chandelier by Designs by Sean and beaded curtains defined the space.
Food Network personality and Meatopia host Guy Fieri presented the winning trophies—a guitar for the fan favorite and a cow-topped trophy with flame accents as the judges' choice.
Complementing the bold red, black, and gold of the Meatopia brand, Panache provided linens and gold Chiavari chairs at Saturday night's event.
Along with Tabasco-topped chocolates, Tabasco's temporary tattoo station at Meatopia drew in attendees.
Groupon promoted its search function at an interactive booth that was staffed throughout the weekend. Guests could explore the app on tablets and find hidden items on the wall. The deals site also brought back one of its popular giveaways from past years: screen-printed totes made on site.
Sponsor Buick had a beachside installation that remained in place for the duration of the festival.
