Chapter News

Recap of March’s What’s Hot & What’s Not Program

In early March of this year Event Designers Andrew Zill and Petra Compel presented their “What’s Hot, What’s Not” predictions for 2017 to the PCMA Chesapeake Chapter and the Baltimore Chapter of NACE. The event was kindly hosted by the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore. The venue perfectly complimented the main presentation with a delicious meal featuring a series of chef-hosted tables that highlighted many of the trends discussed.

The upshot of the presentation is that event trends are staying around longer. This could be because of the pleasure and pain of Pinterest and social media in general. Here is what’s trending through 2016 – 2018.

Style Trends
Authenticity – IN
Pantone color of the year is Greenery
Sub colors: yellow flame, lapis blue, kale, pink yarrow, island paradise, hazelnut
Chevron – OUT, bold stripes – IN
Rainbow iridescent – IN (not a favorite)
Mid-century industrial – IN
Elevated rustique – IN
Metallic bronzes – IN, copper/rose gold – trending OUT
Trellis pattern – OUT, tumbling block patterns – IN
Artisanal products (Blue Apron, brew your own beer, grow your own mushrooms, make your own yogurt kits) – IN
Modern macramé in curated fashion colors – IN
Nomadic modern with Moroccan flair – IN
Sophisticated backpack – IN
Mason jars – OUT, wire vases and centerpieces – IN, levitated bulbs and clocks – IN
Cubicals – OUT, shared hotel lobby-like, collaborative workspaces – IN
Telephone booths (for private conversations, without phones, of course) – IN

Food Trends
Foodie cities – Detroit, Nashville, Chicago and DC
Korean/Japanese/Asian barbeque with fusion elements – IN
Ramen – OUT, hand-pulled noodles – back IN
DIY food stations with healthy, high-end ingredients – IN
Flavors – rise and shine, breakfast around the world – IN
Chocolate for breakfast – IN (and I’m a trend setter)
Plancha pepper – IN
Modern Mediterranean – IN
Charcuterie – OUT, veg and vegan world – IN
Plant butchery (it sounds so violent) – IN
Vegetarian with meaty taste and texture (Beyond Burger), meat as garnish, plant and nut milks – IN
Pro-biotics, live beverages, raw foods, cultured foods – IN
Kale – OUT, quinoa – IN
Donuts – OUT, flavored éclairs – IN
Protein – goat – IN, sardines (yum!) – IN
Spice of the year – Tumeric
Food waste products – riced cauliflower, veg chips, spiralized veggies – IN
Meat cuts (new and less expensive ways to cook meats)– Merlot cut, bavette cut, oyster cut – IN

Drink Trends
Handcrafted cocktails – OUT, pre-batch cocktails – IN
Small bottled wine – OUT, canned wine –IN
IN beers: milk stouts, IPAs, milkshakes
IN wines: Temparillos, Albarinos
Mocktails – OUT, healthy juice or plant water cocktails (skinny pina colada) – IN
Plant waters (coconut, cactus, birch) – IN
Iced matcha – IN, plant protein drinks (pea) – IN
Rye whiskey – IN, Japanese scotches – IN
Flavored whiskies – IN, but needs to DIE!
Carved ice cubes – IN

Event Trends
Silent auction – OUT, experience marketplace – IN
Obscure and unique experiences (balloon ride, tasting class) – IN
Hire a chef for your dinner party – IN
Powered rental furniture – IN
All florals – OUT, wheat grass centerpieces, sparse flowers – IN
Fiddleback – OUT, ficus – back IN
Barn and cowboy boots wedding – OUT, formal wedding – IN
Naked cakes – OUT, painted cakes – IN
Clean and simple lines – IN
Crowd mics (turn your cell phone into a mic) – IN
High end tele-presence at events (better than Skype)- IN
Appliqué dresses – IN
Kitchen tours, R house tour in Baltimore, where the venue becomes social and behind-the-scenes – IN
Carved, branded coconuts – IN
Tiki cocktails – IN
Guerilla vending (vend anything in a vending machine) – IN
Thai rolled ice creams – IN
Living statues, body painting as a live event art entertainment – IN
Virtual reality events that incorporate social media – IN
Drone with colored lights orchestrated to create images (expensive and loud) – IN
3-D mapping on trees – IN
Polling stations that use treats (take number as your poll) – IN

Remember, you are creating an experience, not just an event.

Thanks to Kerry Kurowski, CMP and K.C. Hopson, MS CMP for this post!

Greg RubyRecap of March’s What’s Hot & What’s Not Program