Call For Partners
If your business makes central Ohio's finest foods or beverages and wants to show off in front of 1,500 "foodies" all in one night-- but doesn't know where to find them-- SIGN UP NOW to become a Taste the Future Partner!
Bring your best chef and most impressive fare, then relax, enjoy, and interact—our guests appreciate your hard work, and want to know about the food(s) you are offering, as well as where, when, and how they can patronize your establishment on their own time (and dime)!
IN SHORT, WHAT WE ASK OF YOU:
- Prepare and serve 800 – 900 samples of food, approximately teaspoon-sized up to 2 oz.
- Set up and decorate your station!
- Your chef(s) and/or service staff may prepare/finish and plate items on site before serving 1,000+ guests
WHAT YOU GET
- Two general admission tickets to the event for your establishment’s own marketing/incentive programs (a $300 value! These are for you to give away, as tickets are NOT required for your registered chef/staff’s entry!)
- Two front tables for service, covered with plastic top and skirting
- Two prep tables covered with plastic top and skirting
- Station signage to recognize your establishment’s participation
- Disposable service ware and ice
- Sanitizing supplies
- Electric hookup (if needed)
- Your establishment promoted in Taste the Future social media and event promotions
- Acknowledgement of your in-kind support for tax write-off purposes
- The eternal gratitude of thousands of Columbus State students helped by the success of this important fundraising event!
Need to know more? Read on for ALL the details and FAQs:
Itinerary:
Tuesday, August 9, 2022
STATION SET UP: 3:00- 5:00 PM
STATIONS OPEN AT: 6:00 PM
STATIONS CLOSE AT: 9:00 PM and tear down/load out begins
Location:
- The specific location of Taste the Future activities on campus is yet to be determined, but we WILL be hosting the event on Columbus State’s downtown campus.
- More details will be shared this spring! In the meantime—unfamiliar with campus? CLICK HERE FOR A MAP.
Arrival/Unloading:
- Volunteers will direct and help you find/get to your station quickly and easily. A limited number of push carts will be available for unloading and transporting supplies to your station, but we suggest bringing your own cart if you have one.
- Please plan to enter and unload before 5:00 p.m.
- At 5:00 p.m. all vehicles must be moved to prepare for guest entry.
- Parking is available in specified lots (TBA) and after unloading, volunteers will direct you to the appropriate location(s).
Food and Beverage Service Stations:
- You may begin to set-up your station any time after 3:00 p.m. If you require an earlier set up, please contact us in advance to make arrangements: (614) 287-5028 or dsharp16@cscc.edu.
- Each station is located in a ZONE (marked by color). Your Zone Coordinator will help get you everything you may need and provide directions/information as needed.
- Station Components provided:
- 2 front (serving) tables (5’ X 30”) covered with plastic tops and skirting (We strongly encourage you to provide your own banquet cloths and decorations.)
- 2 prep/work tables (6’ X 18”) covered with plastic tops and skirting
- Station signage featuring the name of your establishment
- Feel free to promote yourself. You may decorate your service tables with appropriate decor; items may include flowers, menus, coupons, recipes, etc. Due to fire safety standards, lit candles will not be permitted, and Columbus State reserves the right to remove any inappropriate/offensive materials.
- Your station should open for service at 6 p.m. (please avoid feeding guests earlier than 6 p.m., even though we will have early arrivals!)
Event Supplies Provided:
- Disposable napkins, plates, spoons, and forks
- Ice
- Sanitizer towels and buckets
- Gloves and stem thermometers will be available if needed. Ask your zone coordinator.
- 3 compartment sinks and ovens will be available on a limited basis in Mitchell Hall, if needed
- If you have any other supply needs, or need additional plates, napkins, or forks; your zone volunteers may be able to help! Volunteers will be wearing name tags and aprons—do not hesitate to ask them for help.
- NEED ELECTRIC? Most electricity needs can be met by request in advance. Notify us of your needs August 2nd. Please be sure to note electric needs when submitting your menu. The easiest way to do this is to EMAIL a photo of manufacturers' electricity requirements for the equipment you plan to bring (usually on the bottom or back of equipment - i.e. 120V AC) to dsharp16@cscc.edu.
F-2 Liquor Permit:
If you plan to serve alcohol as part of your offerings, please contact us for approval. We require drink tickets to be exchanged for any alcohol served.The Foundation will procure an F-2 permit for this event. Please note that a F-2 Liquor permit prohibits carrying in any alcoholic beverages for consumption. Water, Pepsi products, beer, and wine will be available to guests. All applicable liquor laws will be followed.Food Service:
- Food Service begins at 6:00 p.m. Please do not serve earlier! (Chef Stations will not be roped off, and guests will be roaming around watching you prepare.)
- It is recommended that you prepare 800-900 one- or two-bite servings (roughly Tablespoon size to 2 oz servings). The event traditionally hosts more than 1,000 guests. With more than 20 establishments participating, you will not have to serve every guest.
- There are no restrictions on the type(s) of cuisine you choose to prepare. It may be a customer favorite, new menu offering or an entirely new creation. It may also be helpful to see what others are preparing, go online at to check it out.
- Submit your menu here.
Marketing
- Look for your menu and listing on our event website.
- Your participation will be promoted on our social media channels, as well. Follow us so you can monitor your shout outs, and be sure to share!
- Find @TasteCSCC accounts on FaceBook, Twitter and Instagram.
- Use/follow event hashtag: #tastethefuture2022
Rain Plan
- This event is held rain or shine. More specifics on campus locations will be announced soon!
- In the event of anticipated inclement weather, we’ll update the event website and send an email to all participants with updated instructions.
Questions? Concerns? Feedback? Contact Diane Sharp at (614) 287-5028 or via email at dsharp16@cscc.edu
Already registered? SUBMIT YOUR MENU
Taste the Future will be in person and back on campus this summer—and we hope you’ll be able to join us!
Thanks to Taste Partners like you, over the years this event has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to support important initiatives for student success, including diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, scholarships, and programs that reduce non-academic barriers such as housing and food insecurity, transportation, emergency needs and much more.
We literally can’t do this without you!
Taste the Future food and beverage partners are celebrated in event marketing, extending your business’s reach to our target market of foodies across central Ohio.
Taste Partners are featured on/in:
- Printed invitations, reaching more than 5,000 households in central Ohio (deadline for commitment: May 27, 2022)
- Exclusive promotional posts on social media
- Taste the Future website and social media posts (reaching more than 3k local followers on event and College channels)
- Weekly emails to more than 13,000 recipients and the opportunities for your business to include offers that drive business to your establishment
- Recognition in our virtual video short, to be released on event night
And by becoming a Taste Partner, your chef and other associates interact face-to-face with more than 1,000 event attendees on site—and we all know there’s no better way to impress and attract new customers than with genuine, in-person hospitality.