Creating a Cohesive Event Brand

How do you take an idea and turn it into an experience? That was the question posed for our June Client Luncheon. Every quarter, we take a seasonal idea and put together a lunch to thank our clients and partners for their continued support while working to generate new business. We wanted this one to be different. We wanted to take La Dolce Vita to the next level with a full immersive Italian experience. Specialty drinks, themed displays, and tablescapes straight from the Italian coast. Where do you even begin?

While our luncheons in the past have always been a hit, we wanted to take this to the next level. With such a diverse attendee list, we had to think about the experience of a corporate planner, venue host, and educational department head. First things first, we split out  responsibilities to ensure all areas were covered. Being a Catering Sales Manager, I worked with our Event Manager to put together a mood board to illustrate the vibe we were going for and what we wanted our guests to feel and experience. All collateral design was spearheaded by myself, starting first and foremost with the invitation. There were a few iterations of the invitation through the design process, trying to work in mosaic tiles and classic Italian fonts, but it felt too cluttered. Ultimately, bright yellows and blues, stripes, and Italian fruit brought the invitation to life. Taking the less is more approach with soft backgrounds and strong colors to evoke La Dolce Vita without overwhelming the viewer with a tourist mindset. This was meant to feel elegant, refined, while still being fun. Once the invitation was set, designing event signage and media was much easier.

Our team utilized Eventbrite as a way of collecting RSVPs in lieu of our typical email responses that each sales manager had to log manually and keep up with. This streamlined our guest list for clients and team members into a more fluid experience. While putting together the event page, I utilized the existing design to keep the experience cohesive across all platforms. Further into the planning process, the standard design was tweaked to match the corresponding food displays, specialty drinks, and guest take home items while maintaining the same bright colors, stripes, and graphics. I even put together drink tickets themed to La Dolce Vita ensuring every piece of the event felt intentional.

The day of the event was a blur of bright blue and bread (a dream come true if you ask me). Our team came together in an indescribable way. We all knew the end goal and what our part was in achieving it. While members were setting tables with flowing runners and hurricane candles, others were setting up our gelato bar and the corresponding ice cream scoops for guests to take home (each hand-wrapped in a mosaic ribbon because of course we’re that extra). Even my last-minute addition of a photobooth style greenery wall came together just before guests arrived. The crowning achievement was our bread display. Thoughtfully crafted by our Event Manager and Executive Chef, we all jumped in to place rosemary focaccia, sliced ciabatta, grissini, pizza bianca strips, whipped ricotta with honey (my mouth is watering as I type this), olive tapenade, pesto, roasted tomatoes, and more into a beautiful arrangement fit for Versailles.

The end result was better than we could imagine. With over 100 guests in attendance, our team worked to ensure not a single guest felt left out. Excited clients were capturing memories at the greenery wall, diving into martini glasses filled with pasta, and sipping on an Aperol Spritz or Peach Bellini truly living La Dolce Vita.

The response was overwhelming, clients across industries reached out to share their experiences and thanks for the inclusion. We saw an increase in booking immediately following the event with three unique events booking with the hotel. Recaps went out onto our socials drawing an increase in engagement of 7% with extra exposure drawn from our live music vendor posting! Overall, we learned that taking a more relaxing approach to the luncheon was an ultimate success. Clients loved ending their day with us and enjoying a cocktail in the process. While we executed our plans to the best of our availability, I would love to have a focus on gaining more content in the future, and making a point to add the recap to our Instagram grid in lieu of featuring it on our stories.