Written by NWES Guest Blogger: FOODZ Catering
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: This post was written in December, before COVID-19 shook our industry. Although we remain positive about the future, we recognize that our friends and neighbors in the industry are struggling. We are doing what we can to help while staying afloat ourselves. It helps to look back at happier times, so we’re publishing this post from the 2019 Northwest Event Show in Seattle. Looking forward to the day we can once again squeeze into a booth and drink tea together!
This year, Chef Shelby and her team worked together to bring an all-new experience to the Northwest Event Show (NWES). The concept of transformation had been on Shelby’s mind for some time, and she wanted a way to show her fellow vendors and planners how it can be applied to events.
Enter the Innovation Lab!
This booth was the result of constant brainstorming among Shelby and her team. The idea was to create an interactive experience where guests could start at one station and move through the “lab” while absorbing unique experiences that they could then apply to events.
Stop #1: The Perfect Bite
Guests were invited to taste winter caprese bites and garnish them with toppings from our pesto & salt selections.
Stop #2: Color Changing Butterfly Tea
Once they’d enjoyed the caprese bar, guests stepped inside the innovation lab and were presented with a presentation on color changing butterfly tea. The brilliant blue tea changes color based on the pH level of substances added to it. Guests were encouraged to move on to the next room with their cups of tea and add their choice of syrups to see how their tea transformed color.
This brings us to the most innovative stop yet…
Stop #3: The Light Room
While guests experimented with their butterfly tea, Shelby explained yet another phenomenon: the mono-frequency lamp. This lamp, when turned on, bathes the booth in the yellow region of the visible spectrum. In other words, all your eyes see is yellow! Guests were invited to explore how their perceptions of items such as common fruits and vegetables changed when the way they saw it was altered, and encouraged to apply this concept of transformation to the reason they do events.
Stop #4: Sticker Wall
Once out of the booth, a final activity awaited; stickers representing different emotions were made available for guests to place on a wall with different areas representing different reasons why we do events and how events make us feel.
Stop #5: Titration Separation Funnel
Before moving on to explore the rest of the event show, guests were treated to a giveaway of their own custom olive oil infusion from the Foodz Innovation Lab. The olive oil was dispensed from a titration separation funnel by one of our “lab technicians”, then given to guests to add their custom touches in the form of herbs, spices, and more. The perfect ending to a fun experience!
All in all, it was a fantastic couple of days filled with a whirlwind of inspiration, innovation, and interaction. We’re already looking forward to next year!
Did you attend the show? How are you going to transform the way you do events in 2020?
About Foodz Catering
Lusciously innovative food. Internationally inspired menus. Artistic
presentations. Professional planning and service. Since 1997, FOODZ
has set the standard for exceptional catering throughout Puget Sound.
Our team consists of highly knowledgeable experts in event design and production to support you in all aspects of planning your event. We are passionate about the details, from event design and decor to rental choices and professional staffing. This is what creates a unique dining experience.
We are dedicated to cultivating deliciously elegant menus. Our global culinary background provides an unparalleled depth for sophisticated or casual menu planning and presentation, with a focus on current, innovative, and high flavor profiles.
