How a “Deal Breaker” Company Policy Turned Out to Be the Makings of a Killer Event

Photo Credit: RecycleNation.com

Have you ever been tasked with the seeming impossible?

“Hi, I’m the Event Director for our company and we are looking to host a wine tasting reception at our office – an event that will really blow the socks off of our guests. Our space is amazing, and we want to show it off. The thing is… we have a No Red Wine policy.”

If you can’t imagine a wine tasting event without red wine, you’re really, really, not alone. In fact, when that call came in, with that restriction, we thought – well, that’s one way to help us narrow the wine-flight-selection playing field!

“Just because we hadn’t done it yet, didn’t mean we shouldn’t.”

You couldn't help but pause. We’d never hosted an event without a key category represented. (Our clients would have thought we were nuts to suggest it!)

But just because we hadn’t done it yet, didn’t mean we shouldn’t. The event was definitely doable from a ‘diversity of selections’ standpoint. There is a huge breadth of white wine styles out there – more so than even white wine fans tend to explore.

And such a seeming omission certainly would set the stage for an unconventional, memorable event experience. It would also allow us to do what we do best: get people talking – connecting over a truly unique, shared experience.

This restriction was the kind of thing that was unexpected in its own right – and that could be the makings of a truly amazing event. Certainly, from complication comes creativity and the thing we all strive for in planning a memorable event – innovation.

“Curiosity bred a higher level of interest and set the event apart from others in a way no one could predict.”

The event allowed us to shine the spotlight on white and sparkling wines many hadn’t heard of, let alone tasted. This leveled the playing field among wine novices and more seasoned guests alike. Interestingly, too, not a single attendee “complained” that there weren’t reds on offer.

Attendees reveled in the chance to operate outside their comfort zone – and were in it together as they did. The seeming omission offered an immediate launch point to conversation, not to mention a more personal connection opportunity; curiosity bred a higher level of interest and set the event apart from others in a way no one could predict.

Planning an event, we all want to push the envelope. And no doubt, every time we set to it, something always comes up – there’s always a complication. The trick is to navigate these nuances, without compromising your endgame. Our team respected this planner for not allowing a challenging policy to put a wrench in the works from the get-go. She was willing to explore options, and leverage a seeming “deal breaker” restriction to innovate.

The result was one of our all time favorite events. So lesson learned! Don’t just embrace the unexpected, let it inspire you.

Why Your Next Event Needs a “House Wine” + How to Choose

When was the last time you were at an event and you walked away from the bar talking about the wine? It’s hard to get excited about the same old selection you see ubiquitously at every one of “these things,” right?

If you’re like the corporate planners we polled this summer, the last thing you want is for guests to consider your event run of the mill. In fact, if you’re like them, you want your event to be memorable for the right reasons – with guests actively participating, having fun and connecting with each other.

You want your event to be fresh and add value.

Did you know wine selection is a key tool for making your event a success?

“If you’re like the corporate planners we polled this summer, the last thing you want is for guests to consider your event run of the mill.”

Let’s take one of our venue partners for example, a top-notch, full-service operation that must create stand-out events time and again to be successful.

They rightfully pride themselves not only on their immaculate space and thoughtful approach in planning, but also the farm-to-fork food experience they deliver. Their wine list needed to follow suit.

Called upon to help, we saw a unique opportunity to set them up for success – not only in working with their clients, but also by ensuring their wine list would pay itself forward to guests’ event experiences.
 

Why? Analysis Paralysis is an Event Killer. 
 

“A key networking and guest-engagement opportunity is lost.”

People (guests) who find themselves in unfamiliar territory are overwhelmed by too much choice. And people who consider themselves in the know become distracted by too many options (whether good ones, or more often, stuck determining the ‘best of the worst’). At an event, while the bar line grows and grows, conversation among party-goers becomes awkward as people fight their decision demons. Guests become stressed and just want to get back to the people they already know and the larger festivities. A key networking and guest-engagement opportunity is lost.

So we retooled their custom list aiming to:

a)  Streamline offerings, which even novice clients (like many guests) could comfortably choose from;

b)  Offer wine options that would stir the interest and enthusiasm of guests when they saddled up to the bar – and as they headed back to the festivities;

c)  Creatively reflect their brand.

From here our partner was ready and able to work with their own clientele to create a winning guest experience. In effect, their custom wine list became their secret weapon.

“In effect, their custom wine list became their secret weapon.”

As in the example above, you can – and should – use your wine selection to bring additional creativity to bear, get people engaging (in and outside of the bar line) and underscore your brand or event in a fresh, subtle way.
 

How do you go about it?
 

Streamline Selections, aka Operate in Technicolor.   While guests may not know the ins and outs of wine, they do know which color they prefer. Offer just one of each style: a white and a red, with one festive sparkling wine for good measure. That’s your flight of what we call “House Wines” – Analysis Paralysis abated.
 

Pique Curiosity.   Skip the Italian Pinot Grigio, California Chardonnay or Pinot Noir and the Argentine Malbec. You get the idea – these are the predictable options. Offer choices that have familiar nuances, but that guests might not ordinarily come across. Guests who consider themselves in the know try something new (or are excited to enjoy something they recognize isn’t often an option) while novices just enjoy for the sake of enjoyment.

Hint: Blends from France, Spain and Italy are often a wonderful starting point, or seek out wines from lesser-known countries like Austria (whites) or Lebanon (reds). Don’t hesitate to ask for guidance, or get outside help. Your local wine shop is a great resource to solicit input on lesser known crowd-pleasers.
 

“. . . make things less fussy – and more fun – for guests.”

Unleash Your Creativity.   Once you’ve decided on the wines, facilitate fun organically by renaming each selection in a spirited or meaningful way that will get folks engaging in line – and afterwards, with their choice in hand. Try playing-off of branding or corporate culture elements. Or use the excuse to celebrate (or roast?) particular staff members or departments. Want to detach a bit from work? Give the selections personas – like “Nuanced & Daring – Red” and “Lively & Luxe – Bubbly” for the sparkling wine.

Bottom Line: Wine naturally adds levity – and a traditional bar set-up offers an opportunity for guests from all corners to connect as they make their way to your Libation Station. By being both more deliberate in choosing a focused selection of your own House Wines and more playful in how you present them, you make things less fussy – and more fun – for guests.

Four Essential Tips for Last-Minute Party Planning

Forget what Andy Williams sang about this being the Most Magical Time of the Year – it’s the craziest, by far! Whether you always knew you were going to be the one planning this year’s holiday party and it just hasn’t happened yet, or the task just landed in your lap, you’re learning fast that all the venues on your top five, ten and now twenty list aren’t available. Or, just as bad, they aren’t able to budge on their minimums to keep you on budget.

You feel like the traffic light has gone from flashing yellow to red, right?

Not to worry – limitations can actually open the door to solutions. Here are four ways to help you stand out this holiday season, without compromising on the festive factor.

Stay put – it’s free, eliminates logistical hurdles + adds value
That’s right. You’re standing in your own venue! Going off-site to make an event special is a ruse. Businesses like those in the Innovation District in downtown Boston or over the water in Cambridge’s Kendall Square are in spaces that are built for a party; open square footage means freer think space – and greater gathering space! Take a page out of their book: optimize open spaces and take the logistics of finding and coordinating with a venue out of the mix.

Get people mixing + moving
Mix things up! Food and beverage stations are to a party what gravity is to earth: a natural rendezvous point. But we always find the people we know, right? It’s easy to get people moving by expanding on the familiar yet offering an interactive element (or two!) where people can converse over new things, make more meaningful connections and learn something along the way. Work with key vendors that have experience doing so, and let them take this planning element off your plate.

Pique curiosity – embrace the element of discovery or surprise
Everyone’s been asking what’s on tap for this year’s party, right? Embrace their need to know by stoking their curiosity. Make your invitation opaque, declaring only the party time and place (and maybe that its open bar). Better yet, consider designing a scavenger hunt element with clues to get people to the right place. (Need help with this? Bring key team leads into the planning process – have them design a hunt for their own team. This will foster additional interaction, personalization and fun without you having to do it all.)

Host during “regular” business hours
Make it easy for people to attend. Hosting an event at the end of a workday, say starting at 3:30pm or 4 o’clock, shows your staff that you value their attendance and their personal time (which is strained as it is during the busy holiday season).

With the holidays fast approaching creativity is your best friend. But you don’t have to have all the ideas! By keeping things on your home turf you have the flexibility to partner with a vendor(s) that can alleviate the planning process and add something different to your shindig.

Bottom Line: Planners should be able to enjoy the festivities, too, even if they happen to be late to the planning game. With a little help, they can!

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How Much Wine to Buy For Your [Holiday] Party – The Formula for Success

Making a memorable impression with your event or party is no small task. But we think it's safe to say that not having enough for your guests to drink (our preference, wine!) and eat is a sure sign you won't be remembered for the right reasons. While the "rule" for ordering food is less scientific (so we'll spare you), we do have just the formula to guide your wine purchasing decisions. Here’s how it works:

While your guest are likely to drink less as your festivities progress, some people will become even more enthusiastic. The good news is: taperers always mitigate imbibers. So if you assume one drink per person per hour* you’ll have more than enough to go around.

Now, how does this translate to bottles of wine?

There are (conservatively) 5 glasses of wine in every bottle, 6 when it comes to a sparkling wine toast.

If you have 100 guests and a three hour event figure 300 total drinks.* Divide 300 by 5 to figure out how many bottles are needed (60). (To find out the total number of cases needed, divide that figure by 12 (bottles in a case) = 5cases of wine.)

Or:

Naturally you’ll want to select a few different wine options – e.g. a red, a white and a sparkling wine. You can decide how many bottles (or cases) of each of these styles of wine you’d like to have on hand based on the season in which you are celebrating and the venue set-up (e.g. hot summer day under a tent vs. cold and wintry indoors). For example, if you are celebrating the holidays around Boston, you’ll probably want more red than white, plus a splash of sparkling on hand to at least toast the occasion – or using the above example, something like 2.5 cases of red, 1.5 cases of white, and 1 case of sparkling wine.

Yep, that's it! Some parts of planning can be this simple - say, cheers!

 (*) NOTE:  This is the total number of drinks consumed, not just wine. If you are serving beer, wine and liquor, estimate the number of probable wine drinkers and go from there to gauge your actual wine purchase. Alternatively, you can adjust the number of hours people will be drinking wine based on the format or style of the event, e.g. cocktail hour (1.5 glasses) + dinner hour (1.5 glasses) + dancing (1 glass) = 4 wine drinks per person, or 400 total glasses = 80 bottles of wine = 7 cases (always round up).

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