Over the last two weeks, you might have seen some of the publicity surrounding the predictions made in the 1985 movie, Back to the Future. In the movie, the lead character Marty McFly travels to the future date of October 21, 2015.
I’ve read articles and seen video clips of late-night television show skits about the predictions made in that movie. Thirty years later, some prophesies came true (or nearly so); others were off the mark.
Today’s blog post follows this theme.
In January 2013, I offered some predictions for benefit auctions. The third fundraising auction trend to watch was the use of food trucks.
Here are two ways my clients incorporated the food truck trend into their own events.
I saw my first food truck at a Maryland auction in May 2014. It was a fashion show with an auction component, raising money for hospice.
The event wasn’t a traditional sit-down dinner. They served appetizers on tables, had two bars, a specialty drink station, and the food truck. The venue was a Porsche dealership.
Six different cupcake flavors satisfied cravings.
In order to accommodate the crowd size, a tent covered an area outside one of the garage doors. In the tent was one of the bars and — off to the side (effectively creating a “wall” for the tent) — the food truck, which handed out cupcakes.
Guests could try six different flavors: Red Velvet, Salted Caramel, Snickerdoodle, Chocolate Layer, Lemon or Vanilla.
Once the vendor had dispersed their goodies, they drove away.
In Texas this past September, a public school foundation in the Dallas, TX area also used a food truck.
Grab hamburgers here or at stations inside the ballroom.
The event was a food-station style event (sometimes called a strolling supper). Over twenty restaurants set up at tables in the ballroom. Guests made their way around the room, sampling what they wanted.
After the program and live auction, a band entertained guests in a tent that adjoined the ballroom. Next to the tent on a partially covered patio, one could find a cigar bar and whiskey tasting.
Going further, if guests crossed a grassy lawn, they could place an order for sliders at the White Castle food truck parked at the curb.
In addition to serving from the truck, soda jerks were busy carrying in boxes of fries and sliders into the ballroom for guests who were still chatting in that area.
There you have it! Two ways I’ve seen the food truck trend incorporated into fundraising auctions.
Have you incorporated food trucks into your event?
If so, feel free to share your experiences below.