Rochester-based Royal Park Hotel showcased the industry’s most recent trends at their annual Ballroom Bliss event – a night for the hotel to show off its culinary creations, as well as their vendors’ floral and event designs. The event industry is one that is ever-changing, from food and beverage, to décor and everything in between. What’s hot right now? Bruschetta Smash Stations, craft cocktails, textured textiles, and social media. 
Royal Park Hotel unveiled their take on the wildly popular “avocado toast” trend with a bruschetta bar, the Smash Station, featuring four types of bruschetta served on warm grilled breads and garnished with zesty, vibrant micro greens. The Smash Station options ranged from the already trendy avocado, lemon juice, olive oil and salt combination to more complex variations: white bean and thyme puree with eggplant carbonara, as well as herbed goat cheese with pickled beets.
“While some may have thought the art of craft cocktails is a disappearing fad, this trend isn’t going away anytime soon,” said Royal Park Hotel Senior Social Catering Manager Kathleen Reid, who was recently named Catering Professional of the Year by the Detroit chapter of the National Association for Catering and Events (NACE). The hotel introduced three of their newest craft cocktails: Elderflower Lemon Drop, Seasonal Red Sangria and Royal Hawaii Mai Tai. The new drinks are made with fresh, high-quality ingredients to ensure each cocktail surpasses the ordinary. 
Mixing textures and textiles was a popular trend found among the talented designers at Ballroom Bliss. Colonial Event’s Todd Hardiak layered two textures of draping for his display with chandeliers hanging at eye level in between, complete with a floral wall of roses and hydrangeas by Bellisario Florist, to add yet another texturized element.
Jerome Raska of Blumz by JRDesigns agreed that textures are popular in the event industry, but burlap is a disappearing trend. “Now it’s all about the naturals mixed in with glamour.” Raska’s observation was reflected in Blumz’s display, which featured blush linens with a lace and sequined overlay, as well as a birch branch centerpiece intertwined with votive candles and fresh florals.
Social media has also become a huge game-changer in the event world. Royal Park Hotel held its first ever “Pin to Win” Pinterest contest at Ballroom Bliss, encouraging guests to re-pin photos from the hotel’s Pinterest. Prompting guests to share their photos and favorite moments on social media continues brand engagement, even after an event.
With the event industry in a state of constant evolution, one can only imagine what next year’s trends will hold.
The Royal Park Hotel, a luxury boutique property, is located 30 miles north of Detroit in Rochester, Michigan. Its 1,200 person-capacity Royal Grand Ballroom setting complements the hotel’s English Manor-inspired interior, with 15-foot ceilings, Italian marble flooring and Murano glass chandeliers. For more information, visit www.royalparkhotel.net.
About Sarah Hovis