Tips on Attending a Food/Wine Festivals
Food & Wine Festivals in Southern California seem to come in bunches. You can always find these different events coupled with great charities. Tonight, i will be attending Project By Project’s Plate by Plate Annual event. Here are a few tips I put together for attending these outings.
Get your Tickets Early When tickets are going onsale for these events, make sure you look early on their sites and any pre-events for early bird tickets. You can often find the best deals for these events. Though the proceeds go to a good cause, it never hurts to find a good deal
VIP Tickets These tickets are worth their weight in gold. I like VIP tickets at these events just because it enhances your experience. The better service, the less of a wait, the quality of other VIP bonuses can make it worthwhile.
Good to Know Someone… who might know someone Often times, these events are sponsored by some Major Corporations. And these corporations often give tickets to their customers and clients. I’ve personally been to a few events with this type of relationship.
Get there Early! Festivals will, without a doubt, get crowded fast. It is strongly advisable to get there early to avoid long lines. Unfortunately, some wine makers and restauranteurs run out of their offerings. When you finally get to the wine you are salivating for and they run out, it just might ruin your mood.
Wear Comfortable Shoes These events most often times, don’t have enough table, nor chairs for everyone, so expect to stand and eat/drink/chat/ogle. Comfortable shoes – and ones that are fashionable… are suggested for these social gatherings.
Dress Appropriately Better to over dress than underdress. You don’t want to stand out being underdressed. My personal rule of thumb is . . .it is better to be overdressed than under. And taken from Notorious B.I.G. if you don’t know… . now you (know) should ask just to be safe.
Travel Lightly As I said before about being expected to stand and eat/drink/chat/ogle… It helps to not have too many things to carry. Ladies, I suggest you bring a small handbag.
Bid on Silent Auctions at the Last Minute These events almost always have silent auctions accompanied with the food and wine. If there is something you really want, look to bid on it at the last minute. But do your research early, to find what you like.
Interact with the Chefs Look for wine makers, as well as chefs to interact with them. They might whip up something new and interesting that you haven’t tried. They could also convince you that their wine and restaurant is the place to be and try.
Do your research on the Purveyors On the their website, do research on the restaurants and wines that you want to try. Make a mental list of what you target first and what are the “must try’s”. This can make your experience that much more memorable.
Project by Project Plate by Plate My other post about Project by Project’s Plate by Plate The Food and the People Upcoming Food & Wine Event – Plate by Plate, August 1st, 2009
