Summer Event Trends

At RPM Restaurants, our teams are always looking for new tips & trends that will take your events to the next level. With summer around the corner comes a season filled with gatherings with family and friends. We’re here to share our summer entertaining tricks to ensure your next event is a success!

Curating Your Event Concept & Decor

Themed Parties: Establishing a theme helps create cohesion throughout your entire event. This season, Capri-inspired themes with citrus accents, garden parties, and traditional afternoon teas are all the rage. You can even encourage your guests to embrace the theme through their attire or provide them with themed accessories as they arrive.

Outdoor Gatherings: Take advantage of the beautiful weather with outdoor gatherings like luxury picnics, boat parties, backyard movie nights, luaus, crab boils, bonfires or pool parties. You can also incorporate a touch of nature into your activities like building floral bouquets or stargazing. Lean into the outdoors with your decor by using fruits, veggies & plants as accents.

Bold & Colorful or Quiet Luxury

Elevating your space with decor can seem a daunting task. Whether at home or within one of the many RPM Private Event Spaces, guests are tapping into two different color schemes this season: 

Bold & Colorful: Make a statement with bold and bright colors that coordinate across your food, beverages, and decor. Think vibrant citrus hues and eye-catching patterns like scallops, stripes and checkerboard to add a pop of summer excitement to your event. 

Quiet Luxury: Lean into neutrals & whites with minimalistic touches to create a subtly elevated look. Incorporating wood tones and greenery is a great way to add texture and color to this simple yet chic look.

Summer Menus & Catering to Your Guests: Impress your guests with highly seasonal items like seacuterie boards, watermelon salads, and peach-inspired cocktails, desserts and dishes. Don’t forget to accommodate dietary restrictions and preferences by offering a variety of options for food & beverage that everyone can enjoy. Some examples include having a meatless option at each course and offering zero-proof beverages. Asking your guests ahead of time of their dietary preference shows you’re committed to ensuring everyone has a great experience.

Need help with menu planning? RPM Restaurants offer catering menus that accommodate a variety of dietary restrictions and tastes. In Chicago, lean on RPM Events Catering, RPM Italian Catering, RPM Seafood Catering or RPM Steak Catering and for out of state, RPM Italian D.C. Catering and RPM Italian Las Vegas Catering.

Enhancing your Guest Experience

DIY Elements: Make your event truly special by bringing in personalized DIY touches that reflect the interests of your guests. Some of our go-to’s are handcrafted name cards, champagne towers and custom flower arrangements. Adding a DIY element can not only be cost-efficient, but will also leave a lasting impression.

Interactive Elements: While guests love to mix and mingle, keeping your guests engaged with interactive elements is a great way to spice things up! Bring in a band or entertainer or organize a wine tasting, cocktail making, cooking class or oyster shucking. Encourage guests to craft their own meals with hands-on food stations. For the outgoing guests, sunset karaoke or charades are great options. Interactive elements can also be great takeaways like photos against a custom backdrop, paint-by-numbers canvas or poem-writing.

 

Memorable Takeaways for Your Guests: Go beyond traditional photos and create lasting memories for your guests with thoughtful takeaways like bottled cocktails, a bottle of the wine they drank that evening, or handwritten notes. We always encourage hosts to craft their guests a note the following day to thank them for attending – this can be handwritten, text or email. All of these  small gestures will go a long way!

 

Take on Your Guest’s Perspective: When finalizing your event, step into your guests’ shoes. Thinking of things from their perspective encourages you to find any gaps in your setup and ensure they have a great first impression. Here are some preliminary questions we ask ourselves at RPM:

• How does the space look as you enter? Is it welcoming? Is there music?
• Is there a place for guest belongings?
• How does a guest get their first drink? (is there a bartender? do they serve themselves and if so, do they have what they need?)

Incorporating Sustainability

Eco-Friendly Focus: This summer, sustainability is key. Ditch the one-time use plastics and opt for eco-friendly decor and serveware made from plant-based and recyclable materials. Our go-to is Bamboo, which allows plates and utensils to not only look stylish, but also reduces your environmental footprint. At RPM restaurants, we practice composting & recycling, and you can too. Compost leftover food scraps and encourage recycling throughout the event with clearly labeled containers to minimize your impact on the planet. 

With all of these summer trends and tips in mind, you’re ready to host a memorable event. Fire up the grill, mix up some cocktails, and get ready to celebrate the season in style!