Le Méridien Chicago Oakbrook Center has introduced three new locally inspired menus for meeting breaks. The hotel's Sweet Home Chicago menu offers a variety of self-serve candy that originated in the city, including Lemonheads, Milk Duds, Red Hots, Tootsie Rolls, and Dots. Named after the blues song by Robert Johnson, the candy-shop-inspired display—which also offers pretzel bites and lemonade and iced tea—comes with a chalkboard sign that displays information about the Chicago-founded National Confections Association.
The second Chicago-theme menu is Nuts on Clark, a summer-inspired display that offers popcorn, nuts, and more as an homage to Clark Avenue, which is two blocks from Wrigley Field. The display offers a variety of popcorn toppings and mix-ins including caramel, chocolate, and garlic olive oil, candy and nuts, and flavored seasonings including ranch, cheddar, and sriracha. Beverages include bottles of Americana-brand flavored soda.
The final Chicago-theme menu is the Illinois Farm Table, which offers locally sourced fruits and vegetables for smoothies, pastries, and juices from a display with farm-inspired decor. Chalkboards detail where each ingredient is from, and seasonal scented candles are placed at the tables. Guests can create their own juices and smoothies with the ingredients or enjoy prepared items such as crudites with truffle aioli.
El Conquistador Resort and Las Casitas Village, Waldorf Astoria Resorts in Fajardo, Puerto Rico, offer a Flavors of Puerto Rico menu with local fare prepared by executive chef Ernie Reyes. Menu items include grilled local vegetable bruschetta with spicy aioli.
Another menu item is coconut ceviche made with lime-cured flakes of fresh white fish mixed with chives, olive oil, herbs, and coconut milk. The dish is served in a coconut.
Dessert options include mini tres leches cakes served in cups.
The Farm in Canyons Village at Park City, Utah, offers an aprés-ski-inspired menu from chef Manual Rozehmal, focusing on ingredients sourced from local farms and artisan purveyors. Shareable items include a local charcuterie board with Avalanche salami, fresh pickles, house mustard, beehive cheese, and lavash crackers.
Next door to the Farm is Murdock's Cafe, which offers seven unique takes on hot cocoa: the Sandlot, with graham cracker dust and toasted marshmallows; 94 Crumbs, with chocolate whipped cream and Oreo pieces; Moose Boost, with an espresso shot and whipped cream; the Bear Lake, with raspberry hot cocoa and chocolate whipped cream; the Mogul Mint, with peppermint hot cocoa, peppermint whipped cream, and crushed peppermint; the Carmel Corn, with popcorn whipped cream and salted caramel; and the Peanut Booter, with peanut butter whipped cream and dark chocolate pieces.
The Breakers Palm Beach offers a Localecopia menu for meeting breaks, as well as a variety of events. Created by executive chef of banquets Jeff Simms, the menu features dishes made with locally and sustainably sourced ingredients from local farmers and food purveyors. Items include craft mojitos; passed selections such as tempura squash blossoms and Pine Island crab cakes; salads, fruit, seafood, and other meat entrées served buffet-style; and desserts including chocolate chip cookies with milk shots and key lime pie cake pops. Seasonal items include Florida stone crabs with key lime mustard. Keeping with the Florida theme, multiple menu items mention where ingredients come from, such as beets from Polk County and sweet corn from Belle Glade.
Tickled Photo Booth is amping up its social photo-sharing options and analytics with its newest photo booth technology. Launching in early 2017, the new product from the Washington-based company will allow guests to share their photos directly to Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat as well as via email. It will provide organizers with post-event analytics such as where the pictures were shared as well as impressions and likes. The company will also share a list of contact information from guests who shared through email. Booth rentals start at $1,500 per day.
Launched in April 2016, FêteFone is the tech equivalent of a traditional guest book and is a new option for on-site event feedback. To use, hosts set up the vintage-style phones (no telephone line needed) and record a greeting or question for guests, who are then able to record their messages, testimonials, or survey responses after the tone—just like a voicemail. The Bethesda, Maryland-based company will compile the recordings and return a digital download, both in a single file and as individual messages, within one business day of receipt of the phones after the event. There are more than 25 phone styles to choose from and prices start at $199 per rental. The phones can be ordered online and shipped directly to the event location.
Birmingham, Alabama-based Swell Fundraising, a new software platform designed by nonprofit professionals that recently launched in the Washington area, allows hosts to turn guests into advocates with personalized event pages, donation links, and a real-time display of social media and fund-raising results. After purchasing an event ticket, guests are given a custom link and landing page for their personal fund-raising efforts. They can then share the link via social media prior to the event. Swell will keep a running tally of donations collected, which can be live streamed at the event, creating a “competition” between guests to see who raises the most money. A nonprofit license for the software begins at $250 per month plus processing.
