Celebrating American Tradition at The Lincoln Room

By: Veronika Romero

Abraham Lincoln once said, “It’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.”

This month I decided to give good old Abe’s quote a go and indulge my inner foodie at the Lincoln Room in the San Diego Gaslamp. Located across the street from Horton Plaza on Fourth Avenue, the Lincoln Room’s prime location makes it a great place for post-work cocktails or a tasty dinner. I decided to visit on a Wednesday night thinking it wouldn’t be too crowded and to my pleasant surprise there was a wonderful mix of people from all ages.

Upon walking into the Lincoln Room, my boyfriend and I instantly felt transported to a time when people built their own log cabins and made fresh apple pies for an after supper dessert. The woodsy décor, with huge log pillars and dimly lit lanterns hanging from the ceiling, created an old fashioned American ambiance. The bar area even paid homage to Abraham Lincoln with a penny covered bar and lit up sign hanging above the bar in bright white letters that read “LINCOLN”.

After getting seated and checking out the menu, we decided to order a few drinks that suited our palettes. I ordered a Mule and my boyfriend ordered an Abe’s Amber Ale. As you can probably guess my boyfriend’s beer was an amber ale that he described as a smooth, dark, and robust amber. He’s not a personal fan of hoppy beers and the Abe’s Amber had just the perfect combination of maltiness and hops. As for my Mule, it was probably the best cocktail I have had in a very long time. As I took a sip, I tasted the sweet ginger beer and then was hit with the perfect balance of lime, vodka, and bitters. If you’re not a fan of sweet cocktails and want something unique to drink, I highly recommend the mule.

We decided to skip appetizers and headed straight for main courses and dessert instead. I ordered the Steak Diane which was medallions of beef tenderloin, crimini mushrooms and a Dijon cognac sauce. My boyfriend ordered the Buttermilk Chipotle Fried Chicken Breast with sharp cheddar southern grits. Needless to say, both entrees were absolutely divine. My beef was beautifully presented and literally fell apart as I ate it because it was so juicy and tender. It came with delicately seasoned vegetables and a mushroom sauce that I am still trying to get the recipe for! My boyfriend’s entrée paid tribute to delicious southern inspired cooking and we especially got a kick out of the cheesy grits. For dessert, we shared a fresh baked chocolate chip cookie a la mode that came out on the tiniest skillet I have ever seen! The cookie was of course scrumptious and a wonderful way to end a night on the town.

All in all, The Lincoln Room is a great addition to San Diego dining. I love how it mixes a homey southern hospitality environment with a contemporary and rustic ambiance. For more information on The Lincoln Room, visit www.thelincolnroomsd.com.

Venturing into North Park

By: Mary Crocker

I love trying out new restaurants.  In fact, my fiancé and I had made it a new initiative to dine out at one new restaurant each month, as a way to spice up our routine and have an excuse to visit the awesome culinary hot spots of America’s Finest City.

Thanks to Fast Forward, we visited Jayne’s Gastropub for the month of April.  What a great place!  I have never heard about the restaurant before.  In fact, I have never eaten at a restaurant in North Park.  But after our dinner there last week, Jayne’s is definitely a restaurant worth visiting.

We started out with a couple of their freshly-made cocktails.  I went for the Hemingway (Aged White Rum, fresh lime and grapefruit juice, maraschino liqeur, Lucardo Maraschino cherries) and Matt picked the Blood Orange Margarita, at my request.  So good, but who doesn’t like a great cocktail.  The waitress informed us that each cocktail tastes a bit different, as the blood oranges are squeezed fresh to make each drink.

As an appetizer, we opted for the Crostini with White Bean Puree.  I read on Yelp that this dish was a winner, so how could we not order it?  Thank you Yelp, because the crostini was perfect to start our meal and to get our stomachs ready for the main course.

We ordered two entrees and decided just to split them between us.  At the suggestions of the waitress, we choose their signature burger and one of the specials for the evening, the Shepard’s Pie.  The burger was VERY tasty and made from quality Niman Ranch ground beef and topped with Vermont Cheddar, pickled onions, and garlic aioli.  Yum!  The Shepard’s Pie, which took about 40 minutes to cook, was made with lamb, béchamel, English peas, carrots, and covered in mashed potatoes.  So amazing!

No dessert, as we were too full from dinner, but what a great meal.  So many positives about the restaurant:
•    Very friendly and attentive service
•    Great recommendations on the entrees
•    Beautiful patio with nice music choice
•    Delicious food and cocktails

Thank you for a wonderful evening, Jayne!  We will be back for more.

Brands at Editor Showcase: Modern Moms Take to Activation

At the Modern Moms Showcase on April 6, participating companies stretched their creativity when it came to branding the 6-foot table and adjacent space provided at the brand-to-press networking tradeshow.  The series, which brings together brands to showcase their products in front of top-tier media and influential members of the press, takes place in the heart of New York City several times a year, with each showcase focusing on a different consumer market trending category.

The Astor Ballroom at the New York Marriott Marquis was flush with on-site activation as brands power-networked their way through conversations with 60+ high profile members of the media.  From trampolines and a talking fridge, to the Dr. Smith’s “Sweet Relief” experience, Editor Showcase: Modern Moms elevated dialogue and brought brands to life among this collection of market influencers.

Nestle Toll House handed out bags of cookies to attending media, which itself was enticing.  To draw press to their booth, Toll House set up a special fan that blew the delicious smell of freshly baked cookies into the open air of the event space.

DOVE® Ice Cream passed out ice cream bars made of rich dark chocolate with a creamy vanilla center.  To help brand their space and promote their new PR campaign “the perfect marriage of ice cream and chocolate,” DOVE created a mini wedding reception, complete with a dessert table, wood dance floor, and guest book.

Glacéau vitaminwaterzero and Zevia were just two of the brands sampling their newest flavors in low calorie drinks.  vitaminwaterzero decided to forego their table at the Showcase and brought in a customized branded bar from which to serve their drink samples.

While many of the participating brands sampled food and beverage, companies such as Euro-Pro were showcasing its newest Ninja Kitchen system and Shark’s Professional Steam Pocket Mop and Press & Refresh Garment Care System.  The Little Giant Ladder Systems brought in its line of new patented Select Step™ Adaptive Stepladders that easily adjusts to a 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-feet, and can be safely used on stairs or sloping ground.  Representatives arranged the ladder to rest on the table to show off the creative design of its ladders.

Seattle’s Best Coffee made quite a statement at the event with their 8-foot talking red refrigerator filled with iced canned lattes, the company’s latest innovation to help simplify the premium coffee experience for consumers.

Finally, no mom-focused event would be complete without kids play equipment, and what better activity to show off than a child’s favorite – the trampoline.

Springfree™ Trampoline, specifically engineered to avoid major risks typically associated with trampolines by replacing the traditional springs, frame and ridged enclosure, with a soft-edge and flexible enclosure, showed off the one-of-a-kind design at the Showcase and had representatives jumping on the play structure the entire evening.

In an effort to make a “sweet” impression on media, Dr. Smith’s diaper ointment built a “Sweet Relief” lounge that acted as a safe haven for media to relax and soak in the scenery on plush couches and chairs.  The branded area was replete with Vodka Thyme Lemonade cocktails, cake pops and cupcakes, and goodie bags filled with basic conveniences such as water bottles, flip flops, and umbrellas.

To learn more about Fast Forward’s production of Editor Showcase: Modern Moms as well as future Editor Showcase events, visit www.editorshowcase.com.

QR Codes are the Next Trend in Event Marketing

QR codes, or quick response codes, are the event marketer’s new best friend.  You may have come across one on a poster, magazine, or piece of direct mail and wondered what the black-and-white Rubik’s cube-esque graphics represented. Within each unique pattern, is an interactive or informational experience waiting to happen.  The information behind the mysterious looking barcode is released when the code is snapped using a smartphone’s camera, taking you to a specific site on the Web.

What does this mean for event marketers?  Endless opportunities.  QR technology is so new that today’s event professionals are just beginning to unlock the possibilities behind this exciting new marketing tool.  At last weekend’s Family Winemakers of California’s “Tasting 2011” event, our team utilized QR codes to check in attendees who purchased tickets online.  Attendees printed their electronic tickets from home, which included QR codes, and with the help of Eventbrite’s iPhone application, attendees could be scanned into the event using QR codes.  We weren’t the only ones impressed by the ease of the new technology – attendees were also blown away, specifically by the fact we were using iPhones to check them in.

The capabilities of QR codes extend way beyond just checking in attendees to events.  Event experts see the potential in using QR codes as a means to enhance the attendee experience, add value to sponsorship packages and increase exhibitor ROI.  From directing people from print media to your event website and online ticket sales, to connecting attendees to exclusive deals or product previews from sponsors, the possibilities are endless.  Our marketing team is cooking up new ways engage attendees using QR codes at this year’s 8^th Annual San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival on November 16-20.

February 9th’s Editor Showcase: Health & Nutrition Positions Brands In Front of Top Tier Media

Editor Showcase, a private brand-to-press networking event series in the heart of Manhattan, takes place four times each year covering emerging market categories such as Modern Moms, Green Living, and most recently Health & Nutrition. Last week’s Editor Showcase: Health & Nutrition was a huge hit, with over 80 media representatives and 34 participating brands for the exhibition’s second year.  We caught up with Margaret Bernier from our busy sales team to get an idea of why this particular topic has had so much success.

CHAIN OF EVENTS: Why is health and nutrition such a hot topic?

Margaret Bernier: It has to do with the shift in social thinking. Our society has been through a huge makeover in the last decade, encouraging the population to exercise and live a healthy and active lifestyle, and this is greatly affecting food companies. Even the national food brands, like Quaker and General Mills, are finding the need to alter their product lines and ingredients to offer “healthy” as a choice.

CHAIN OF EVENTS: Why are brands jumping to participate in the Health & Nutrition Showcase, part of the Editor Showcase event series?

Margaret Bernier: The media is such a driving force in today’s consumer market, and it has a great influence on buying behavior. The Editor Showcase event series gives brands the opportunity to get face-to-face with top-tier editors and media outlets. Putting the product directly into the hands of the media guarantees their visibility. Because brands must now take on the responsibility of presenting their products as “good-for-you” or reshaping the image of their brands that were once considered unhealthy, they see Editor Showcase as a great way to launch their healthy marketing campaigns. For example, Fiber One was one of the participating brands at the Health & Nutrition Showcase. They used the event as a media push for their new Fiber One® 90-Calorie Brownies, which are the first dessert offering in the popular line of Fiber One® products.

CHAIN OF EVENTS: Is the media as receptive to the health and nutrition market as the brands are?

Margaret Bernier: Of course they are! The editors and reporters who attend know how hot this topic is and they are constantly searching for the latest products and brands that will shape trends in the coming months. Editor Showcase is also a tool that helps editors be efficient in the management of dialog with brands and PR representatives. It saves them time by allowing them to access 40 products in one sitting, reducing the amount of solicitation they receive on a normal basis.

CHAIN OF EVENTS: Do you have a favorite new find from the recent showcase?

Margaret Bernier: I have always been a big advocate for living a healthy and active lifestyle, and I have discovered so many new products in the wellness market from my conversations with these brands. At the Editor Showcase: Health & Nutrition event that took place last week in New York, I was introduced to Barlean’s Omega Swirl, which is rich in vital and essential Omega-3 fatty acids and has the taste and texture of a fruit smoothie. They have a variety of flavors, but the mango peach was delicious. Another fantastic product I tried at the Health & Nutrition Showcase was the new Lifeway Foods’ Frozen Kefir Dessert in Strawberry, Pomegranate and Original.

Matchmaker, Matchmaker, Make Me A Match

Synergy at events large and small can be found in abundance if producers step back and take a macro look at their productions, the people who attend and brands that participate. I’ve always felt that a key part of our role is to both set the stage for brands to build connections with their customers and simultaneously identify ways to stretch budgets and leverage opportunity by putting like-minded companies together. As modern day sponsorship yentas, the great reward comes from creating activation strategies based on our understanding of what sponsors are looking to accomplish and matchmaking partners within our events to help them get there in a more creative, relevant way.

At our recent production of the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival, one of the country’s largest luxury foodie experiences, we made the love connection for a number of major national brands that looked to the event as a strategic platform in building relationships with thousands of consumers. Bridgestone Tires, one of the Festival’s major partners, teamed up with Pom Wonderful to offer an alcohol free option in the Bridgestone Lounge during the Festival’s Grand Tasting Event. The tie in also helped the brand connect the dots for event goers with their sponsorship of the Safe Ride Program, offering free transportation home aboard one of five shuttles.

For local news leader, the San Diego Union-Tribune and launch of its entertainment street edition Night & Day, sponsorship with the Festival brought an opportunity to provide VIP attendees with live musical performance, specialty cocktails, and delicious cuisine within the exclusively branded VIP Tent. Working with celebrity guests such as Chef Joey Maggiore of The Food Network’s Family Style, premium wineries such as L’Aventure and Master Sommeliers at JUSTIN winery, the UT was able to create value for potential subscribers while tapping into existing event content.

I’m sure there is a cure for my Cupid complex but for now I’ll continue to look for these matchmaking opportunities and the thrill that goes along with spreading the sponsorship love among brands within our events and at other venues across the country. Here’s hoping you and your brand catch the bug.

Michelle Metter, Partner
Fast Forward Event Productions

New Hires & Promotions

Our team is growing!  Fast Forward adds to expanding sales and marketing departments with the hiring of Margaret Bernier as sales account manager and Jessica Gago as marketing coordinator, and promotion of team members Mary Crocker to marketing and event manager, and Joyce Agagas to sponsorship and exhibitor activation coordination.

Bernier, a sales executive with extensive experience in the health, nutrition and financial industries, joins Fast Forward Event Productions to work strategically on the growth of the company’s sponsorship activation and exhibiter base in the Editor Showcase, The Gourmet Experience, and San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival’s series of events.  Prior to joining Fast Forward, Bernier worked for Fitness Anywhere as a territory sales manager, where she managed the Midwest and focused her efforts on sales and relationship management for the fitness industry.

A former intern at Fast Forward Event Productions, Gago joins the team as marketing coordinator.  Gago recently graduated from the Event Management Certificate Program at the University of San Diego and earned her Intermediate Certificate in Wine & Spirits from the Wine & Spirits Educational Trust (WSET).  Gago has worked on several wine-focused events including the San Diego Bay Wine & Food Festival, the San Diego Wine, Cheese & Chocolate Festival, and as Brand Ambassador for ONEHOPE Wine.  Gago spearheads the agency’s public relations and social media marketing strategies.

Crocker has been promoted to marketing and event manager after her two-year tenure with the agency.  In her new role, Crocker executes the event marketing strategies for all of Fast Forward’s consumer events, including negotiating media sponsorships, promotions, and media buying.  Additionally, she serves as project manager for Editor Showcase, a private brand-to-press networking event series in New York City that focuses on bringing together influential members of the press with brands in a number of genres including Heath & Nutrition, Modern Moms, Green Living and more.

After graduating from Florida State University with a Bachelor’s in Recreation and Leisure Management, Joyce Agagas officially joined the Fast Forward team.  As the sponsorship and exhibitor activation coordinator, Agagas is responsible for making exhibitor and sponsorship activation plans a reality onsite at events produced by Fast Forward Event Productions.  She oversees the experiential marketing strategies related to events produced by the agency for over 50 brands such as Bridgestone Tires, Vins de Provence, POM Wonderful, and others.