Culinary Demo & VIP Dinner with The Herbal Chef, Christopher Sayegh
About the Client:
Four20Report.com is the brainchild of Philadelphia entrepreneur, Eric Michael. Aiming to bring together creatives in the cannabis industry who would collaborate on larger projects, Eric had a vision to bring cannabis education to Philadelphians and beyond. He decided to start with one of Philly’s most booming industries: hospitality.
About the Project:
After conceptualizing the event, Eric Michael approached Beth with the idea of creating an event for culinary professionals to learn the art of cooking with CBD, from the chef who knows it best: The Herbal Chef, Christopher Sayegh.
Additionally, the Collective worked with renowned writer and mixologist Warren Bobrow on Mixing with CBD, an intensive for bartenders and beverage managers throughout the city.
Primary: Event Project Management
Secondary: Concept Partner, Venue Sourcing, Vendor Management, Sponsorship, Event Marketing
Processes:
At Beth’s first meeting with Eric, they discussed the event’s concept, budget, target audience, pricing, marketing and PR strategy, and timeline. Initial meetings with The Herbal Chef, Christopher Sayegh were crucial in developing the event’s goals, objectives, potential partners and Chef’s needs from a culinary perspective.
After developing the project’s scope and timeline, Beth and Eric used Asana to track the project milestones and deadlines for two simultaneous projects: Mixing with CBD and Cooking with CBD. The two events were marketed as a series, bringing well-rounded education to one of the largest industries in Philadelphia.
Over the course of the next several months, the team worked tirelessly to circumvent the challenges with launching and marketing a cannabis-related event in a market that has not yet embraced recreational use.
The nature of the event also proved to be a challenge when it came to sourcing venue partners for the main event, the VIP dinner, and the mixology event. Thankfully, the teams at Warehouse on Watts, The Collective Table, and GLU Hospitality saw the event as a chance to innovate and stepped up as partners in the series, along with sponsors BodyChek Wellness, CBDLuxe, Soothe, MedXis, Accupay Payroll and more.
The local hospitality industry really took to the concept, and it was the interest of partner organizations like the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association (PRLA) and Mid-Atlantic Events Magazine that helped to spread the word about the event. Eric and Beth were invited to speak at a series of PRLA events addressing the steps to safely integrate CBD and hemp into a hospitality business.
One of the challenges with flying in a chef from Los Angeles, aside from travel logistics, was sourcing a commercial kitchen, ingredients and materials. The amazing team at Drexel University’s School of Food and Hospitality Management really stepped up, allowing Chef and his team to utilize one of their commercial spaces leading up to the event.
The team worked onsite at the event as well, ensuring that the venue and audio/visual was set up as discussed, managing registrations, vendor relations, setup and breakdown, and participating in the event’s panel discussion prior to the demonstration. Immediately following the demonstration and networking, VIP guests were invited to The Collective Table in Old City for an intimate, 8-course infused dinner with wine pairings, sponsored by MedXIs.
Results:
Over 50 Culinary and hospitality professionals attended the inaugural event.
8 attendees at the VIP infused dinner.
5 event sponsors and partners
The event garnered interest from High Times, as well as local media such as Wooder Ice and the “Small Bites” podcast.
Eric and Beth were selected as featured speakers for PRLA’s monthly meetings, on the topic of cannabis and CBD.