What Food Should You Serve For A Brand Activation Event?
Brand activation events are often difficult to pull off because they have to be fun, raise brand awareness and create the perfect atmosphere to help you achieve your goals. As with any type of event, it’s often the food which seals the deal and in the following article we’re going to share with you a few tips on some of the best food to serve at brand activation events.
What food should you serve for a brand activation event?
First of all, you need to look at food differently. Realize that the cuisine you use must re-communicate the brand message because people are tired of seeing “brand presence” being executed in the same old way. Banners and table setups don’t really communicate anything anymore and you can definitely do better than that.
That’s why using food as a vehicle for branding in a brand activation event is a hot trend right now. Hopefully, the ideas we provide you with below will help you jazz up your brand activations and highlight the best qualities of the products or services you’re trying to promote!
Customized cocktails:
Customized cocktails are always a winner. All it takes is getting a really talented liquid chef (or two!) to create designer cocktails for your attendees. This gives your guests a chance to share a little about themselves to help the bartender come up with a really unique blend that reflects their personality. Or, take some time to collaborate with the liquid chefs and come up with cocktails that reflect the event theme.
Alcoholic lollipops:
These are a popular way of driving brand awareness because they’re fun and playful while catering to an adult audience which is kind of the combination you want to have in a brand activation event.
Slow food:
For most planners, the ‘slow’ in slow food stands for sustainable, local, organic and wholesome. It’s a trend by chefs who aim to use more local and sustainable ingredients to create simple and healthy menus that are good for us and the planet.
When planning your next brand activation event, consider things like seasonal availability, fresh ingredients, using regional or local suppliers, and buying eco-friendly utensils and table ware.
You can even get creative and personalize your food. Using a branding iron for food you can brand and personalize your party food any way you want. From burger and hotdog buns to biscuits, the choice is yours!
Bite sizing:
This generally refers to smaller, healthier versions of traditionally rich gourmet foods. This type of food opens up all kinds of options for cultural variations such as tapas and antipasti bars. Smaller portions can also mean a smaller price tag and less food waste, not to mention a great opportunity to help meet the demand for low calorie food and drinks.
Internationally themed menus:
Along with an opportunity for chefs to get creative with unique ethnic ingredients and fusion cooking styles, internationally themed menus allow local ethnic influences to take center stage. These themes can also open up opportunities for chefs to customize a menu based on the diverse food preferences and nationalities of your guests.
Food carts:
Doesn’t it seem as though food carts are everywhere these days? So why not hire a brand activation cart for your next event? For the price of an average takeout lunch, guests can enjoy anything from traditional street food such as burgers and fries, to more upscale items like designer tacos or ethnic fusion dishes. Having the caterer and their kitchen come to you can save considerable expense while offering unique networking opportunities for your guests between.
Also, they can set up indoors or outdoors depending on your preferences, and customize a package according to your needs and budget.
Frozen yogurt:
Consider setting up a frozen yogurt kiosk at your next event. This is a great way of infusing a bit of fun while supporting the brand activation theme. You could request the chef to create unique flavor combinations to highlight the different features of the products you’re promoting.
Encourage guests to take snaps of themselves enjoying the Insta-worthy delicacy by inventing a unique hashtag for the event and your new product will practically market itself.
Just make sure the yogurt is flash frozen on the spot so each cup is fresh and creamy.
Have a smoothie bar:
Smoothie bars are fun, energetic and they bring a fresh vibe to any event. The smoothies can be served in the form of mouth-watering smoothie bowls or vibrant and convenient closed cups. A lot of food cart caterers offer smoothie bars and most are willing to build customized smoothie bowls on side at the event.
Serve some soup
Most of us think of soup as an at-home comfort food. But, you can also incorporate it into a brand activation event without looking out of step. Again, it helps to team up with a talented chef so you can create soups that are inspired by global flavors while commemorating the theme of the event.
This is a great idea for winter events and it’ll turn your brand activation into a unique and unforgettable experience.
To wrap up
We all know that it’s easy to get boring when planning corporate events. And food plays a pivotal role in the success or failure of brand activations because it sets the tone for how your guests socialize and interact.
That’s why deciding on the type of meal or refreshment beverage your guests will enjoy can be one of the biggest decisions you’ll make when planning a brand activation event.
Luckily, the modern event planner has a ton of options to choose from when it comes to food services. We’ve given you just a tip of the iceberg when it comes to the top food and beverage trends for brand activation events and hopefully this’ll spark the inspiration you need to craft a memorable event.