Once Again, SOBEWFF Delights its Guests

The South Beach Wine & Food Festival, more commonly known to its fans as the SOBEWFF, celebrated its 16th anniversary in Miami this past weekend. Even though the event just ended, we can still look to it to see this year's top trends and adapt them for our own events in the upcoming months. Here are some of the things that took the spotlight:

Tastings and Demonstrations

This year's tastings didn't stop with serving up food to curious attendees. The Grand Tastings were all accompanied by demonstrations by KitchenAid so people could see how to make the dishes at home. Of course, doing so would presumably involve buying some KitchenAid products. These were integral to the demonstrations, and many people who view such demos come to the feeling that they have to have the items shown within them. Needless to say, that's the plan.

Intimate Dinners Hosted by Well-Known People

While the big A-listers of Hollywood weren't hosting dinners, SOBEWFF did get some notable personalities to do the honors. Each dinner featured a different person or group who, for the most part, are known for their food or wine expertise. This type of dinner has been trending for a few years now, and many people are fans. Importantly, the term "intimate" doesn't refer to the sort of dinner that caters to lovebirds. Instead, it's a chance to talk to the hosts in a setting that is far more personable, or intimate, than the typical stage-to-audience speech setup.

Fitness Events

Companies have tried to make fitness into a trend for years, but it is now finally catching on. Two "Buddhas and Bellinis" events happened over the course of SOBEWFF and drew plenty of people to the yoga-themed mass classes. Other fitness-related events were geared toward families, and some included healthy cooking. It's clear that people are still interested in fitness and healthy food, and that the longstanding association between these things and deprivation dieting is continuing to fade.

Celebrity Chef Talks and Signings

A couple of decades ago, the very idea of a celebrity chef was all but unheard-of. Now, there are several making the rounds. People always love to get closer to celebrities, so it was a hit for SOBEWFF to bring in well-known chefs and home experts. The topics were highly varied, with one on the future of restaurant operations on all sizes and another that claimed that political discussion outright belongs at the dinner table.

While it's hard to match the scale of a festival like SOBEWFF, you can make your event a big hit by using it for inspiration. The other thing you need is a great venue. Try our flexible 70,000 square foot space here at Soho Studio for your own Miami extravaganza.

EverBlock: Bringing Dreams to Reality

Every kid has dreamed of being able to get life-sized LEGO that can be used for real buildings. Now, thanks to EverBlock, this concept has become a reality. EverBlock makes what is generically known as "modular building blocks." Each one is approximately the size of a concrete block, but with some very important differences: They're made of light concrete, and they're as easy to put together as the toy versions. This development is revolutionizing the events industry since it allows organizers to construct and take down displays within hours, while making the same sort of displays with the same sturdiness would ordinarily take days. Not only that, the blocks can be used over and over again - a feature that saves organizers thousands of dollars over time.

In a recent video, EverBlock showed how an entire "ice castle" shell can be made in just five hours by a small crew. The construction itself became part of the experience for those who saw it going up, and passers-by were taking selfies with the work-in-progress before they even knew what the finished project would be. Once the castle was fully up, it attracted even more attention.

Making Your Own Displays Pop

While speedy setup and take-down are important, the most important aspect of any display is its eye-catching creativity. Using these blocks makes it easy to bring almost any idea into 3D reality. As with toy building blocks, the first step is to plan out the design. This way, you know you'll have enough blocks in all of the right colors. Do this far enough before the show to allow you to buy any more that you might need – you'd hate to run out and have a big gap in your construct come showtime!

Then, you need a large enough space to put up your planned set. This is where venues like ours here at Soho Studios in Miami come in. While a block structure can be set up outdoors, you'll most likely want to have it inside instead. An indoor location makes your event immune to bad weather, greatly reduces the chance of vandalism, and extends the potential viewing hours in the day.

Other Uses for Modular Blocks

Many exhibits are divided into separate areas to allow for different themes, help guide people through in specific patterns, and similar reasons. Modular building blocks are great for erecting temporary walls that look professional and are sturdier than the normal thin partitions. They also come in many colors, so you can easily stick to a theme or mix them up for a fun look.

When it's time for you to have an exhibit in Miami, contact us here at Soho Studios. Our 70,000 sq. ft. venue can be divided up to meet the needs of almost any size of show.