Taste the Future

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!

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:

• This event will be held on Columbus State’s downtown campus, in the central courtyard.

Arrival/Unloading:

• Specific unloading/loading zones for Partners will be shared by email the week prior to the event.
• 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 between 3 - 5 p.m.
• At 5:00 p.m. all vehicles must be moved to prepare for guest entry.
• Parking is available in specified lots and after unloading, volunteers will direct you to the appropriate location.

Food and Beverage Service Stations:

• You may begin to set-up your station beginning at 3 p.m. If you require an earlier set up, please contact us in advance to make arrangements: (614) 200-2407 or dgage1@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 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
  • Access to electricity, if requested in advance! (See below to REQUEST ELECTRIC.)
• 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 may be available on a very limited basis, if needed; advance arrangements are required
• 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 advancebut should be requested by August 2nd. You may note electric needs when submitting your menu, or simply EMAIL photo(s) of manufacturers' electricity requirements for the equipment you plan to bring (usually on the bottom or back of equipment - i.e. 120V AC) to dgage1@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 p.m. Please do not serve earlier! (Chef Stations will not be roped off, and some early-arrival guests may 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 will host more than 1,000 guests. With more than 35 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, so visit this link to view menus that have been submitted to date.
• 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.
• In the event of anticipated inclement weather, we’ll update the event website and send an email to all participants with updated instructions. 

COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS

Partners are entitled to two (2) complimentary General Admission tickets. (These are not required for your chefs/associates, who will receive wristbands when they arrive for set up.) All partner contacts will receive an email with guest registration instructions. NO PHYSCIAL TICKETS WILL BE DISTRIBUTED-- digital tickets will be emailed to the guest(s) you indicate on the registration form.

Questions? Concerns? Feedback? Contact Lori Gage at dgage1@cscc.edu.

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.