Celebrating Our Employees at Our Holiday Party at Wollman Rink
As much as we love to Unleash Joy through Genuine Hospitality for our clients and their guests, we especially love to do it for and with each other. Each year we take a moment to celebrate each other at our holiday party, and this year, for the third year, we’ve held it at Wollman Rink.
It’s the perfect venue for a fun celebration of reconnecting with team members we may not see as often and enjoying moments of camaraderie as we take a spin (or a stumble!) across the ice.
Check out our gallery of photos below!
FEATURED EVENT: BEAT THE HEAT AT THE GLASSHOUSE
By Great Performances
We celebrated summer with some of our friends in the legal industry with a happy hour at The Glasshouse. Hosted by us, Glasshouses, and By Invitation Only Ltd., our summer soiree featured delicious foods, including offerings from our friends at Ichiban and Red Oyster, beautiful music, and stunning views.
Check out our photo gallery and menu below!
Our menu included a variety of globally-inspired flavors and included farm-fresh ingredients from our organic farm, Katchkie Farm, in the Hudson Valley.
Passed Hors d’Oeuvres
- Green Chickpea Pani Puri
- Carrot Tartare Cup
- Ginger Celery Tomato Chutney on Wild Rice Crisps
- Tuna in a Bird Nest
Lettuce Wrap Station
- Asado Negro Short Rib Cabbage Wrap
- Basil Roasted Summer Squash Lettuce Wrap
- Spicy Thai Chicken Lettuce Wrap
Shaved Ice Station
- Jolly Rancher Watermelon Syrup
- Lemonhead Syrup
- Atomic Fireball Syrup
To learn more about Great Performances and how we can help you create a memorable event, complete the form below.
FEATURED EVENT: CELEBRATING PRIDE AT ROCKEFELLER UNIVERSITY
By Great Performances
We had a blast celebrating Pride Month at Rockefeller University! They asked us to cater four hours of happiness and include a variety of grab-and-go, fun foods for about 200 people.
Jessi Owens, Catering Director, crafted a delicious menu around some key stations including an international hot dog station that included Banh Mi, New York, Italian, and Mexican inspired hot dog toppings; an Asian station; and rainbow themed candy and dessert station.
With beautiful, colorful, and dazzling trays created and curated by our inhouse Design Team, the event was a delicious, visually stunning affair with lots of excitement, laughter, and camaraderie.
Check out the gallery below.
STEAKHOUSE
Chef Carved Steak
Herb Roasted Salmon
Classic Wedge Salad
Twice Baked Potatoes
Coconut Creamed Spinach
Steak Sauces
Horseradish Cream
Chimichurri
Mustard Sauce
INTERNATIONAL HOT DOG STAND
Bánh Mì Style
pickled vegetable slaw, sriracha mayo
New York Style
sauerkraut, spicy mustard
Italian Sausage
peppers, onions
Mexican Style
guacamole, pico de gallo, jalapenos (Vegan)
Salads
Italian Pasta Salad
Classic Potato Salad
Asian Slaw
ASIAN STATION
Orange Chicken
Kung Pao Cauliflower
Vegetable Fried Rice
Assorted Steamed Dumplings
Shrimp Shumai
Edamame
Chicken Lemongrass
Assorted Sushi Rolls by Bondi Sushi
Seaweed Salad
Steamed Edamame
FEATURED EVENT:
TELEVISAUNIVISION UPFRONT AT PIER 36
By Great Performances
On May 16, we were thrilled to be the catering partners for TelevisaUnivision’s upfront at Pier 36 (Basketball City). Their team was incredible to work with and it was a fun challenge to design a menu that matched their creativity, vision, and theme “Grow with Us.”
Our custom menu included items from all over the Latin diaspora, and we were able to include The Sylvia Center, who they had featured in a segment in March. We also customized vessels and food sizes to match the branded items they provided, including empanada sleeves and stirrers.
We also worked with La Newyorkina, a local Latin vendor we partner with regularly and feature as part of our People’s Kitchen program.
The Menu
Passed Hors d’Oeuvres
- Poblano Chicken Salad, Yukon Gold Potato Crisp
- Grilled Skirt Steak, Chimichurri, Plantain Crisp
- Short Rib Tostada, Corn Tortilla, Radish, Cilantro, Chipotle Crema, Chili Demi-Glace
- Fluke Ceviche, Leche de Tigre, Cilantro, Red Jalapeño, Rice Crisp
- Grilled Shrimp, Adobo, Olives
- Maiz Tostado con Aji Amarillo
Empanada Station
- Chicken Adobo, Crema de Rocoto
- Spinach, Mushroom, and Manchego
- Puerto Rican Beef & Plantain
- Apple Nutella
El Caribe Station
- Pollo Guisado with Yellow Rice, Cucumber, Pepper Slaw
- The Sylvia Center Jicama Slaw
- Grilled Mahi Mahi, Coconut Pineapple Salsa
- Yucca Frito con Huancaína
Casa Havana Station
- Cuban Sandwiches
- Ropa Vieja with Yellow Rice
- Plantain Chips
Ranchito Station
- Quinoa Stuffed Enchiladas, Salsa Verde
- Braised Short Rib Quesadilla
- Avocado Tostadas
- Grilled Corn Salad
Dessert Station
- Cinnamon Churros
- Guava and Cheese Hand Pies
- Fruit Skewers with Chamoy and Tajin
CELEBRATING THE GRAND OPENING OF PLATFORM BY THE JAMES BEARD FOUNDATION
By Great Performances
This month we’re celebrating the long-anticipated opening of Platform by the James Beard Foundation™ and Good To Go by JBF™ at the Market 57 food hall at Hudson River Park’s Pier 57. We’re thrilled to have been selected as the service and hospitality partner providing the behind-the-scenes operational and logistical expertise of the James Beard Foundation (JBF) spaces.
The physical manifestation of JBF’s Good Food for Good® mission—Platform features a state-of-the-art show kitchen, event space, and educational hub for JBF’s outstanding culinary arts programming, while Good To Go is a retail incubator for fast casual concepts featuring rotating menus from established operators who embody JBF’s mission and values.
Trusted Partners with a Shared Mission
Great Performances’ long history of partnership and collaboration with the James Beard Foundation continues at Market 57 at Platform by the James Beard Foundation and Good to Go by JBF. We’re delighted and honored to be selected as the operational and logistical partners to bring the Foundation’s Good Food for Good® mission to life at the show kitchen and the kiosk.
The Foundation’s mission aligns closely with Great Performances’ deep roots in the arts, New York City civic and community life, and established commitment to furthering equity in all its endeavors and serve as guideposts for the decisions that we make together to drive the success of the new venture.
“We are thrilled to announce Great Performances as our operational partner for Platform by the James Beard Foundation and Good To Go by JBF,” said Kris Moon, COO and President of the James Beard Foundation. “From the outset of this project, Great Performances has shown true leadership—supporting us in our vision to ensure that business operations for our Pier 57 spaces were closely aligned to our mission and values. We are grateful to be working together, and look forward to championing a standard of sustainability, equity, and a future where all can thrive at Platform and Good to Go.”
Operational Excellence, Gracious Hospitality
We leveraged our expertise running kitchens, restaurants, cafes, food trucks, and kiosks, providing best practices for kitchen and back of house layouts, establishing service guidelines, and recruiting, vetting, hiring and managing the staff that will ensure that day-to-day operations are executed with excellence. While the James Beard Foundation will provide the programming, including a weekly chef-in-residence program launching in May, our front and back of house teams will work to support resident and visiting talent, while helping to ensure that every guest enjoys the professional, intuitive, and gracious service that are hallmarks of Great Performances’ (and JBF’s!) hospitality.
Sustainable Sourcing, Thoughtful Consumption
As the nation’s first caterer to own and operate an organic farm, Great Performances’ constantly sets the bar for sourcing, sustainability, and waste reduction in the catering and hospitality industry. We’re working closely with JBF and the guest chefs to implement our food waste reduction, sustainable sourcing, and sustainable packaging practices at Pier 57.
Dynamic, Enriching, and Delicious Experiences
From the first night, when JBF welcomes legendary chefs Jacques Pépin, Michel Nischan, and friends to Pier 57, we’ll kick off an incredible culinary adventure together. Through weekly chef-in residence events, exciting dinners, wine tastings, cooking demos, hands-on culinary classes, interactive exhibits, book signings, industry trainings, and more, guests will enjoy dynamic and enriching experiences at Platform by JBF.
Next door is Good To Go by JBF, an incubator for fast-casual concepts by established operators who embody JBF’s mission and values. These menus will only be available for a short time, so we encourage everyone to visit – and to visit often.
For full details about Platform and Good To Go and to reserve your tickets to Platform events. visit the Platform by JBF website at https://www.platformbyjbf.org/. We can’t wait to welcome you to our table!
TOP TEAM BUILDING EVENTS AND LOCATIONS
By Great Performances
Part of any smart human resources and executive team’s plan should include team building activities. Team building encourages collaboration, improves communication, builds trust, increases motivation, and heightens morale. Activities include anything from holiday parties, team outings, workshops, and, a growing trend, volunteer days.
We’ve rounded up some of our favorite venues and activities for team building that provide a wide variety of events and activities for your teams. Need help finding a venue or planning an event? One of our event planners can help you out (P.S. these are also great for client engagement, welcoming summer associates, or new team member orientation).
Top 12 Team Building Activities
The Situation Room at SPYSCAPE HQ
CityPickle at Wollman Rink
Volunteer Projects with GrowNYC
Exhibit tour at Brooklyn Museum followed by a meal at The Norm
SummerStage Concerts this summer in Central Park
Interactive Experiences at Poster House
A peaceful Retreat at Wave Hill
Amateur Night at Apollo Theater
Bronx Zoo Treetop Adventure
Glamping on Governor’s Island
Rooftop Happy Hour at New York Aquarium
Visit Little Island and then have lunch at Pier 57 featuring the Good to Go kiosk by James Beard Foundation
Our event planners are experts at planning all sorts of events – including team building activities that can fit all group sizes and types. From outdoor sporting events to indoor exhibit tours and everything in between, we can plan an event for your team!
Favorite Venues for Team Building
Wollman Rink
CityPickle is bringing the country’s fastest growing sport to Wollman Rink in Central Park! The rink will house 14 courts – the largest pickleball offering in the Northeast – with 196 hours of pickleball daily. The perfect outdoor casual sport for your group. Refreshments packages are also available for order, catered directly to your group on the court.
Brooklyn Museum & The Norm
From a modern glass and steel pavilion to the grandeur of the Beaux-Arts Court, the Brooklyn Museum has a space to fit your event.
The Brooklyn Museum offers a variety of Special Events perfect for teambuilding including: Pints & Prints, Outdoor Yoga on the Stoop, and Art History Hour in The Norm.
Your group could always take a guided tour of the latest exhibits and end with a delicious lunch at The Norm.
SummerStage at Central Park
This summer marks our third year as the food and beverage partner for Capital One City Parks Foundation SummerStage located in Central Park. With an amazing line up of performances, it’s a great place to enjoy the best of NYC summer.
Wave Hill
Conveniently located 30 minutes from Midtown Manhattan, Wave Hill’s renowned gardens and spectacular views of the Hudson River provide the perfect setting for team-building retreats, off-site conferences, meetings, and corporate events. Wave Hill House, our historic Hudson River mansion, fully engages your attendees’ senses by “bringing the outside in.”
Regular programming also includes Cooking Demos, Forest Bathing, Yoga on the Lawn, and Concerts on the Great Lawn.
Poster House
An extraordinary venue for design connoisseurs, culture mavens, and everyone who enjoys having fun, Poster House is a hidden gem nestled between the art galleries of Chelsea and the dynamic NoMad and Flatiron districts. The award-winning space offers meeting areas, workshop space, and a conference room, with posters providing color, fun, and inspiration for your team gatherings.
Poster House offers variety of Guided Tours, Interactive Experiences, and – for a more budget-friendly option – First Fridays!
Brooklyn Academy of Music
The Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), located in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene neighborhood, is recognized internationally for its innovative programming of dance, music, theater, musical theater, and opera. Founded in 1861, it is America’s oldest continuously operating performing arts center, and it still recognized worldwide for its bold, contemporary productions and its celebration of international musicians, choreographers, and theater companies.
Group Tickets are available for most seasonal productions. For a more intimate experience, BAMcafe hosts BAMcafe Live every month, featuring free music by artists from around the world.
Caramoor
This 90-acre historic estate in Katonah, NY is home to one of the area’s largest music festivals and one of our top wedding venues, a testament to its beauty. With space for everyone to spread out and enjoy field activities, Caramoor also has intriguing spaces, a reception tent, and areas for formal and informal dining.
In addition to their famous Concerts on the Lawn, Caramoor also offers Afternoon Tea sessions throughout the Spring & Summer.
Apollo Theater
Established in 1934, the legendary Harlem theater has housed some of music’s most talented performers in the world.
Designated a national landmark, the Apollo has launched the careers of icons such as Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, James Brown, and Lauryn Hill and continues to maintain its position as the nation’s most popular arena for emerging and established African-American and Latino performers.
Their famous Amateur Nights provide a great outting. They also offer Educational Programming and Workshops for adults.
Central Park Zoo
This tranquil oasis has become one of our favorite spaces. Whether sipping cocktails as our sea lions glide gracefully through the water or strolling through the lush gardens taking in the elegant architecture, your guests will experience an exotic environment set against a classic New York City backdrop.
Governors Island
Easily accessible to NYC via ferry, Governors Island is the perfect spot for an outdoor or indoor team building event. With plenty of outdoor space that can accommodate large event with tents, stages, and more; and indoor space that’s perfect for retreats, workshops, and meetings, there’s a solution for everyone. Governors Island also is home to QC NY Spa, a destination day spa, and Collective Retreats for a luxury glamping experience.
Ready to start planning? Complete the form below and one of our expert event planners will be in touch shortly!
#BLACKVISIONARIES AT THE BROOKLYN MUSEUM
Celebrating the launch of the 2022 #BlackVisionaries program with Instagram and The Brooklyn Museum
By Great Performances
For the third year in a row, Instagram is partnering with the Brooklyn Museum and the curator Antwaun Sargent to invest in emerging creative communities. Building on the 2021 #BlackDesignVisionaries grant program, the 2022 program aims to uplift, center and invest in Black voices and organizations working across both art and design.
Instagram, Antwaun and the Brooklyn Museum believe that impactful ideas happen at the intersection of art and design. This year, with the support of Meta Open Arts, they are opening up their grants to visual artists, as well. The new name, #BlackVisionaries, reflects this expansion. #BlackVisionaries aims to deepen the impact of the grant program, which means expanding access to more Black creative communities. For more information about the #BlackVisionaries program visit this link.
Our team recently had the pleasure of hosting a luncheon party at the Brooklyn Museum to share the announcement of the program with emerging artists and designers. We loved the footage so much that we wanted to share it with you.
Previous
Next
WORKPLACE AND CORPORATE DINING FOOD TRENDS: WHAT EMPLOYEES WANT
By Great Performances
We work across dozens of organizations in the New York area providing food and dining solutions that range from catered events (e.g., breakfasts, lunches, board meetings, cocktail receptions) to creating full-service office dining solutions to keep teams nourished from breakfast through happy hour.
More than that just providing food, we’ve developed a robust amenities program to keep our clients and guests engaged and excited. Gone are the days of the “school lunch” style of food programming with the same set of meals rotated endlessly, regardless of season.
Alongside carefully thought out stations, our amenities include Pop!, events and activations that create special moments throughout the space and the day; Food Festivals, our monthly celebrations of seasonal, local produce; People’s Kitchen, our guest chef program; Embrace: Wellness, our wellness program focusing on food and health; and Katchkie Farm, our NOFA-certified organic farm in upstate New York, a source of inspiration and ingredients for our chefs and provider of our Workplace CSA program.
No solution that we implement is alike, but there are common themes we’re hearing from our clients and our guest through surveys, general feedback, and meetings.
Variety
Our guests have diverse palates and they actively seek out new flavors, dishes, and cuisines. They not interested in the standard “school lunch” style of food service; instead, they’re looking for delicious variety and excitement. From Bowling Greens, our salad station which features seasonal produce, including from Katchkie Farm, our organic farm in upstate New York, to People’s Kitchen, our guest chef program, we bring a wide variety of flavors to our diners.
Our experiences over four decades have also informed our development of the right menu selections for the appropriate group of guests. We set trends and follow them. We are attuned to the range of preferences within a population at a single company or at an event.
Comfort
Like our great city, each body of guests within our workplace partnerships contains a vast number of cultures, tastes, and preferences. Commonly requested cuisines can range from Mexican and Italian to Indian and Kosher, with many of the requested foods being described as “comfort food”. And while that term may not point to the same cuisine for everyone, it drives home a very important point: guests want to be comforted by the food they are served during lunch.
Classic comfort dishes rotate throughout our menus and include standards like Chicken Parmesan and Butter Chicken Curry, and more modern interpretations including Korean Fried Chicken Sandwiches and Eggplant Chermoula.
Guest Chefs
We live and work in a culturally diverse city. Our guests want flavors that represent their backgrounds and cultures and they’re looking for ways to travel to different places through food. And so we’ve developed People’s Kitchen, our guest chef program.
Originally a way to support local businesses and bring new flavors into our spaces, People’s Kitchen, led by Georgette Farkas, our culinary ambassador, has evolved into a comprehensive program through which we partner with chefs and restaurants across the greater New York City area. We feature several each month, sharing not just their food, but their story, background, and restaurant. Through this program we’ve been able to support local restaurants like Thaimee Love, Madame Vo, Hudson Smokehouse BBQ, Mimi Cheng’s, Awadh, Tanoreen, and so many others.
Excitement
An element of fun and excitement were also among our guests’ requests. We’re all familiar with water cooler conversation; imagine how much more buzz and conversation there will be with a more fun central gathering point. With Pop!, we create unique “pop up” experiences designed to give our guests an exciting opportunity to interact with their food. These include chef-manned stations where we offer made-to-order items like omelets or smoothies in the morning; tacos for Taco Tuesday; or even customized popcorn in the afternoon. We also partner with vendors to bring in fresh specialty items like churros by La NewYorkina; custom bubble teas by Yaya Tea; and cotton candy by fluff + fluff. We’ve even built custom candy “shops” and DIY trail mix stations. The possibilities are endless and create a lot of buzz in the office, giving everyone a chance to participate and connect.
Wellness
Guests are becoming increasingly conscious of the foods they put into their bodies. They’re looking for meals that fit within their nutrition preferences and requirements while maintaining the deliciousness for which Great Performances is known.
We created Embrace Wellness, our health and wellness program led by registered dietician nutritionist Emilia Sochovka, MS, RDN, CPT. Working with our workplace venues and our culinary team, Emilia helps ensure that the menu-writing process includes healthy, well-thought dishes designed to nourish our bodies so that our guests can feel healthy, happy, and energized. She also shares content, leads pop ups, and creates recipes for guests to enjoy.
Nourish Employee Engagement
Learn more about Workplace Dining Solutions by Great Performances
LOVE NOTES FROM OUR CLIENTS
By Liz Neumark
We have a passion for serving others. There is nothing predictable (think weather), simple (think complex pre-event emotions) or easy (have you driven a truck in NYC?) for our sales and planning teams. But every day, they get it right!
With thanksgiving in mind, we want to share some of the wonderful notes we receive from our clients. It is a tribute to our GP family but also a reminder of how powerful the written note of thanks can be.
Wedding, Wave Hill, The Bronx, NY
About the Event
- Event: Wedding
- Location: Wave Hill
- GP Planners: Amanda DiUglio, Emily Schreiber
From the Client
Amanda!!! We can’t thank you enough for everything you and the GP team did to make our wedding so perfect on Saturday.
Like…REALLY can’t thank you enough.
At our brunch yesterday morning, the GP food and service was the talk of the town! Everyone was raving about everything they ate (cookie pizza obviously included!!!) and made special note of how amazing the service was and how wonderful the staff was. One of our friends said it was the safest and most “back to normal” she’s felt in 2 years. She said they’d turned down numerous events over the last few months but felt confident we’d have a plan in place for making everyone feel good. She said your team went above and beyond her expectations.
Did I mention people loved the food???? 😂😍 Literally everyone was raving about everything from the fritters and the taco station to the pretzel bread/baguette (um yes! I love pretzels and didn’t know this was gonna be a thing!) to the steak to the incredible perfectly melted-ness but not too melted of the ice cream. (This is an excellent thing, I say that as an ice cream connoisseur.) People were like, “Wait isn’t wedding food supposed to be like..not good??” At our wedding, it was AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We really just are amazed at how incredible everything was. The room was electric and people were so happy and we know it’s because they felt SAFE and happy and fittingly full!
We really are just wowed. I want to also give a HUGE shoutout to Tasha who was cool as a cucumber and a wonderful human being. I didn’t realize the GP bridal attendant would be so key to our day (I mean, delivering Diet Cokes is obviously key to the day…but I didn’t realize she would be with me the whole night!!), and I believe it’s a HUGELY marketable part of the GP package. Grateful to Tasha for carrying my chapstick (critical!), helping me with my Saks-disaster of a bustle and sourcing granulated sugar when I got the hiccups! (It DID work, for what it’s worth!)
If I can be a reference for you guys or a website testimony or anything moving forward, I would be ecstatic to be. I’m on a list of 500 women in media/tech/entertainment and plan to send around your email and the GP info when I do a write up of how amazing my wedding vendors were.
Wedding, Glenmere Mansion, Hudson Valley, New York
About the Event
- Event: Wedding
- Location: Glenmere Mansion
- GP Planners: Amanda DiUglio, Emily Schreiber
From the Client
You beat me to it!
Our experience with Great Performances under your leadership was impeccably professional and delightful from start to finish.
GP was the shining light among vendors amidst the roller coaster trajectory of the pandemic.
The quality of your food, service and presentation, second to none.
[We] are grateful to you for helping to make our daughter and son-in-law’s celebration at Glenmere so delicious, beautiful and memorable.
You haven’t seen the last of us!
Conference, The Glasshouse, Manhattan, New York
About the Event
- Event: Technology Conference
- Location: The Glasshouse
- GP Planners: Jill Cole, Sara VanWeichen
From the Client
Thank you to you, Forrest, Ken and the rest of the GP staff for all of your help and support leading up to and during the event.
I’m not sure how the event would have turned out if you weren’t one of our partners as we took on the Glasshouse as a venue. You helped us navigate so much from what you shared and who knows how much more was done behind the scenes. It’s so comforting to know that catering is something you never have to worry about when we do our events with you.
The food and service was top notch as always. Gotta love it when your CEO tells you he gets so many compliments on the food and how we always have the best food at our events.
Again, thank you. I absolutely love working with you all and I hope you pass this along to your bosses! Or if I should share it directly, let me know. I know the past 1.75 years haven’t been the easiest in your industry, but I’m so glad you are all still here.
Good luck with your upcoming weddings!
From the Planner
It has been an absolute pleasure to work together on the [event] this week and throughout the planning process. Your immaculate attention to detail, your poise under pressure, and your creative collaboration are qualities we respect and appreciate so much. Thank you for your time, your heart, and for the laughs along the way (we had to laugh sometimes, didn’t we??).
[…]
Again, from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU! Best of luck with your busy wedding weekend (and to your GP team catering another [one of our events] this evening!). We can’t wait to see more of you and your work very soon.
Nonprofit Gala, Brooklyn, New York
About the Event
- Event: Nonprofit Gala
- Location: Brooklyn, NY
- GP Planners: Jill Cole, Sara VanWeichen
From the Client
Thank you so much for following up – I am still pretty comatose right now, but there is pretty much one thing that I’m happy to reflect on, and that is the greatness of Great Performances.
Everything last week was perfect. We got SO many comments from guests about how good the food was, and how much of it there was… we were never ever concerned about the transition from seated dinner to cocktail and whether people would be full… it was obvious that they were! I also must commend you on the incredible work ethic of your team. Your staff is really astonishing, from the top on down. I remarked to Forrest at some point (and then later Susan) that what your staff really embodies is “hustle” – that’s what you want to see of every single person at an event, and there is not one person on your team who is without purpose, focus, and speed. It’s something that other vendors and event managers should envy. And you know, truly, that I adore Mack and was ecstatic to have him there. He is such a special, hard working person, and I feel lucky to get to work with him, Forrest, and you two.
So long short, everyone was very happy. Thank you so much again for everything!!!
It was one of those beautiful NYC days. You know the kind of day that gently falls in a very small window between the extreme seasons of hot and cold. The sun was out, the air was right, and I was crossing a strangely barren Sheep’s Meadow in Central Park en route to an actual gathering.
On a day like this, Sheep’s Meadow would typically be host to an obstacle course of city residents sunning, of nannies minding children, and of occasional lovebirds stealing not so private kisses. Today there was none of that; the field was nearly empty. And across the expanse of the field (I had mistakenly entered from the wrong side), was an oasis of white round circles, 20 or so, polka-dotted against a vividly green lawn and nestled under the trees.
As I made my way to the perfectly spaced blankets, each anchored with gift bags featuring the names of the participating hotels and hospitality groups and filled with swag, a few of the attendees started to come into view.
I heard the gentle bop of the lone singer and her back up guitarist, both bedecked in 1930s swing garb.
Continuing the 1930s theme, I was greeted with delicious (park) contraband of the bubbly sort — a chilled mini-can bearing the name of an auteur’s daughter, I peered at half-masked faces, trying to decipher identities and find any sort of familiarity.
I quickly realized that this gathering would be an interesting experiment of addressing people that I may or may not know, and mentally prepared conversational gambits for a live action Guess Who with everyone changed by six months of stay at home.
Fortunately, our common interests, including a deep and almost desperate desire for connection made it easy. For networkers and event planners, it’s been an incredibly long seven months.
By the beverages, I found Great Performances’ contribution to the event: our newly designed bento boxes, beautifully packaged, safely prepared, and perfect for this type of dining.
Not far from our bento boxes, I spotted my dear colleague Linda Abbey, who I had only seen from the chin-up since March, and I was so grateful for this in person reunion. We shared a moment, and then made our way to the other guests.
There were about 35 guests, and it began to feel like a party. I made my way to Travis Pham, who orchestrated the whole evening with his company 360 Destination Management, and thanked him for bringing us all together again.
As I discussed the challenges and attributes of online meetings with a client from a financial institution (she had just produced a virtual gathering of 11,000 people from her company!), I saw Linda engaging guests with the bento boxes. They shared her excitement about the boxes, and groups splintered off to the polka dots to enjoy their meals. Across the lawn, I heard the celebration of the food and the packaging. One guest determined to take the empty package home for research, which I took as a high compliment.
The event concluded and I was thankful for the beautiful evening, the opportunity to see familiar faces, and the slight exhaustion I felt from standing around for hours chatting. Linda and I walked away from the park, happy with the outcome and hopeful for more events.