International Special Events Society Annual Meeting at FROST Ice Loft

Oct 8

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Frost Ice Loft Ice Sculpture The Northeast region of the International Special Events Society held their annual kick-off meeting last month at the new FROST Ice Loft in Boston’s historic Faneuil Hall. This new permanent bar made completely of ice is at the cutting edge of unique design space, a fitting venue for an event dedicated to pushing the limits of creative potential. Industry partners gathered for an evening of networking and learning about upcoming event trends from Los Angeles’ top event planner, David Merrell.The theme “Forecast the Future,” played on words of the cold-weathered venue and offered insight to everything new in the event industry – from food to decorating style. One of the goals of the night was to “excite the creative force within,” and our Boston catering team gladly rose to the occasion.Presenting in the FROST’s gallery overlooking Quincy Market, International Special Events Society partners motivated members to think outside the box with forward-thinking design strategies. The audience looked on with open ears and frequently exchanged rounds of laughter – a true sign of a positive experience. Our Boston catering team took great pride in providing a setting where stimulating food and drinks complement comfortable, modern ambience to create a perfect evening for idea sharing!

Inspire Guests With Contemporary Décor

Our partner Rentals Unlimited dressed high cocktail tables with silver mosaic linen and the low tables with satin navy blue linen to match the contemporary gray on the walls and cool-toned wood on the floors. AFR Furniture Rental provided theater-style soft seating, which served as a place for attendees to socialize with a cocktail or our delicious cuisine. We also added a little glam to the modern chaise lounges with accent sparkling pillows!The little bouquets of elegant white and red flowers added a pop of color to the room. Boston Sound and Light Company LLC installed dynamic blue and purple uplighting and white antique pendants, both that casually attracted eyes to the white glowing lanterns scattered throughout the high ceiling.Guests who wandered to the FROST bar on-site, saw the blue glow of various ice sculptures and decorative hanging strings of ice blocks that certainly caught their attention, as did the room temperature of 21 degrees! Attendees who had to spend a few minutes in the cold would always remember how this interesting, novel venue in Boston left lasting memories, an effect each of them certainly hope to leave on guests of their future events.

Inspire Conversation With Bar Snacks

We used a unique array of small bites to engage all the senses and spark creativity in the minds of the event attendees. First, to give guests a taste of what was to come, we set out bar snacks on shelves resembling delicate floating clouds. Here is what we served:

Cider roasted olives
Lemon-thyme house roasted nuts
Truffle popcorn
Rosemary Parmesan biscotti

Our bartenders also served martinis, wines, local brews and non-alcoholic drinks to suit the tastes of everyone in attendance, not to mention those needing a little liquid courage to get their creativity flowing.

Inspire Classics into Contemporary With Tray Passed Hors d’oeuvres

Going along with the ice theme, we used clear plastic shelving, as well as clear serving dishes, to display our appetizers. To warm up the dish a little bit, we used cool green succulents as garnish. At an event meant to spark creativity, we believe many of the conversations started with comments about these inspiring starters:

Black olive donut, goat cheese mousse, tomato jam
Dill macaron, horseradish cream cheese, smoked salmon
Chicken tamale cup, crema, chimichurri
Pumpkin hummus, beet tartare, pickled mustard seeds

Inspire New Technique With Cheese Freeze

There was a high probability of having futuristic cuisine at an event called “Forecast the Future,” so we aimed to satisfy this anticipation with our cheese freeze! Our Boston catering team served frozen cheese into little “crackers” balanced with a savory topping. Guests could choose from goat cheese with roasted grape, blue cheese with candied walnut and St. Andre with port jelly.

Inspire New Flavors With a Contemporary Vignette

Once guests had tasted all the fresh (and frozen!) appetizers, we caught their attention with the aroma of our main courses. Our bold, blue sea glass-colored dishes exemplified these beautiful pieces of artful cuisine:

Parmesan flan with local and seasonal wild mushroom ragu and micro salad
Ras al hanout sous vide salmon with lentils, kale and saffron parsnips
Smoking sirloin, root vegetable hash and cherry gremolata

Inspire Goodness With Sweet Endings

Having a small bite of different sweets was the perfect way to end the evening of creativity and idea sharing. Guests enjoyed our pastry chef’s hazelnut eclairs and other delectable desserts served dim sum style.We couldn’t decide if the location, New England’s only permanent indoor bar designed and furnished entirely of ice, was just as captivating as our Boston catering team, the designer of the event’s inspirational line of dishes. However, the combination of the two certainly puts New England’s International Special Events Society chapter in the first class category.Other event partners who contributed to a wonderful evening include 617 Weddings, TEN31 Productions, Black Thumb Studio and Fun Enterprises Inc.If you would like to explore new ideas for your next event, please call or email our event planning team. We are happy to help!