Prepare the Right Food for America's Most Popular Sporting Event

The Super Bowl has become one of the biggest events of the year, with viewers around the world gathering to watch the game, the halftime show, and the commercials. For many people though, the the big game is about one thing: food. If you're hosting a Super Bowl event, don't expect that serving any old food will be accepted by guests. What you serve matters! There are foods that are acceptable for a Super Bowl gathering, and some that just don't belong. 

Here is a list of the most popular foods to pig out on during celebrations for this major football event, and some recipes to go along with each to help you prepare the perfect menu.

Chips and Dip 
The great thing about chips is that you don't have to make them. Buy a few different types and pair them with a variety of dips, such as salsa, guacamole, 7-layer dip, an aioli, hummus, or even a bruschetta. People will appreciate the variety of flavors over the course of the long game, and everyone will find something they like.

Recipes: Seven-layer dip; Queso dip; Easy Guacamole; Caramelized Onion Dip

Pigs in a Blanket
These appetizers are not only cute, but they're easy to make and safe to eat.Whether you make them classic style or throw in some bacon, they're sure to be a hit.

Recipes: Crescent Dogs; Neely's Pigs in a Blanket; Bacon-Cheddar Pigs in a Blanket

Wings
Wings have become a must-have for Super Bowl parties. These saucy snacks have grown popular due to the wide variety of flavors, their practicality (they're accessible, deliverable, and inexpensive) and the fact that they go so well with beer.

Recipes: Classic Buffalo Wings; Baked Chicken Wings; Hot Wings
 
Pizza 
Super Bowl Sunday is pizza's biggest day of the year. It's a food you can easily get delivered that you know everyone will enjoy. If you'd rather not have to wait for your order, it's just as easy to make on your own. In either case, as long as you offer guests a variety of toppings to choose from, they'll be happy.

Recipes: Basic Pepperoni Pizza; Bacon Cheeseburger Pizza; Wingless Buffalo Chicken Pizza

Game-Day Desserts
After eating all of the savory foods of the night, it's nice to finish up the fourth quarter with a sweet snack. The best part is that you can dress up your desserts to match the theme of the night and use them as decoration before you chow down on them!

Recipes: Oreo Football Cookies; Pull Apart Touchdown Cupcakes: Peanut Butter Football Cookie

Beer
We know that beer isn't technically a food, but it's not the Super Bowl without it. It's heavily advertised during the game, so if you don't have it you'll constantly be reminded that you're missing out on something. Plus, there's nothing like cracking open a can and taking that first sip as the ball is kicked off.

We aren't going to suggest that you attempt to make beer this late in the game, so you can just pick up something from one of the many brands that are heavily promoted during the game.

Get the Word Out: How to Effectively Promote Your Event

Event planners have a lot to think about when putting together an event, but one of the most important parts of the event planning process should be publicity. You could put together a gorgeous event page in preparation for the event you've spent so much time, money and energy planning, but if no one knows about it you're not very likely to sell tickets. Luckily, ezEvent's publicity tools make it simple to spread the word and get your tickets sold!

The methods you use to promote your event will depend on the event's purpose, the likely audience, the best ways to reach that audience, and your promotional budget and resources. Below are a list of popular marketing channels that you can use to get the word out about your event and how ezEvent can help you utilize them.

1. Social Media

Social media has a vast reach, with nearly one in four people worldwide having an online social presence. For that reason, social media should be a primary weapon in your arsenal for generating buzz for your event. Facebook and Twitter should be your primary tools, as they're designed for spreading a message. Having a Facebook page, rather than a group, allows your posts to appear in News Feeds every time you update the page's status. On Twitter, you can create a hashtag for the event (or use a popular existing one) and ask for retweets of the most important information. No matter which vehicle you use, make sure to post your event link consistently in the time leading up to the event. You should also vary your posts with different types of content, including event information, contests, and pictures that showcase what guests will see at the event. Since everyone uses social media differently, the repetition and varied content assures you'll engage as many people as possible.

ezEvent's Share Your Event tools allow you to like your event on Facebook so that your friends can see it, tweet the link, publicly recommend it on Google+, or share it on LinkedIn. With one click of a button, you also have the capability to create a Facebook event page that has all of the information you entered on your event page along with a Get Tickets button that links back to your page.

2. Email

Email marketing is effective because you can directly reach people you know are interested in your event or the general type of event you're hosting. Email marketing is permission-based, meaning the people on your email list have told you they want to receive messages from you, so these people are very likely to buy tickets to your event. People also check their email constantly, wherever they are, and that allows you to stay connected to them. To get people to open the email you send, make sure you include a great subject line that is clear what the contents of the email are.

ezEvent allows you to email out your event page to everyone in your contacts list. Simply type in or import your contacts, enter in a subject line, add in a custom message and click send. It's that easy.

3. Utilizing Your Website

When guests look for information about your event, it's likely that the first place they'll check is your website. Links to the event should be placed anywhere and everywhere on the site where it seems appropriate, whether that be on the home page, an events section, announcements section, etc.

ezEvent has several options that make it easy for buyers to access your event page from your website. If you simply want to include your event link, you can copy and paste it from your Event Information page. When your event is created, an HTML code is generated for several types of buy tickets buttons that you can include on your page. These buttons look cleaner than just having a link and make it obvious where the person will be going when they click it. If you have several events going on and you want to promote them all at once, you can use our Event Calendar/Event List widget so that a potential customer can scroll through a map and see which dates have events.

4. Print Media (Flyers, Posters, Newspaper Ads, etc.)

Many people have stopped utilizing print media since the world is so online-focused nowadays, but it can still be a viable marketing option if your target audience utilizes it. Buying ad space in a newspaper that's target audience is the same as your event's is a great way to reach those people. If the event is in a high traffic area, conveniently placed posters and flyers may also help catch the eye of your target. Just make sure all of your print media contain your event link!

ezEvent allows you to customize your event link so that it's easy to remember. Under the Customize section, you can enter in an easy to remember event link so that when someone sees it listed on a poster or in the newspaper, they'll be able to remember it when they have a chance to go online.

Now that you know which marketing channels you can use to promote your events, you'll need to create content that will allow you to effectively connect with your audience. Once you do that, you're sure to have a well-attended event!

Don't Let Winter Weather Ruin Your Events!

Here in Connecticut we woke up to a foot of snow. Being that it's a Friday, there's a high likelihood that many events around the state are going to be impacted. 

If you've been following our blog, you know that when planning your events you should hope for the best and plan for the worst, and always make plans to minimize weather worries. Sometimes, no matter how much planning you've done you're still going to have some last minute decisions to make regarding the status of your event. Here are some questions you'll need to ask yourself and some tips for dealing with them.

 

Should I make backup plans?

If you're planning a winter event, be sure you've considered how it will change if snow threatens to ruin your day. While weather problems like rain or extreme heat may allows for a change of venue, snow is likely to prevent people from getting to your event no matter where it's held. You should always have a "Snow Date" in mind and advertise it in advance. If you're contracting with vendors, musicians, or anyone else, you should be able to work out an alternate event date when you first negotiate your contracts and service orders.

 

Can I still hold my event if there's snow?

If you're able to modify your plans sufficiently to make sure your event is safe and are confident that guests will be able to travel to your event safely, then you can proceed even if there's snow on the ground. This is advisable if the snow ends hours before your event is scheduled to begin or if there's only a light snow expected. If it's still snowing during your event or if a storm could come in earlier than expected, it may not be wise to proceed. Sometimes you may not even have a choice, as your venue could decide not to open or event staff might not be able to get to the venue. If you are able to go on with the event as scheduled, make sure all parking areas and walkways have been plowed thoroughly to ensure guest safety. 

 

Is it alright to simply cancel the event when it snows?

In many cases, the best decision may be to cancel to ensure guests' safety. If you do cancel, make sure everyone scheduled to attend is aware of the decision. Send out a message via email and/or social media saying "This event will be cancelled on account of snow." If it's a paid event, let guests know how they will be refunded.

 

If it's snowing or threatening to snow, how and when should I implement alternate plans?

Making this call can be tricky, and sometimes unpopular, and takes a person or team with confidence in their decision-making abilities. Sometimes there won't be snow early in the day, but major storms threaten to hit during your event. You need to decide if it's safe, financially smart, and worth proceeding. This plan should really be custom to every specific event, but some elements that are common to help making this decision include:

• Who will make the call?
• What safety concerns need to be considered?
• What are the costs/losses associated with cancelling, moving or postponing vs. going forward with potentially smaller attendance?
• When will you make the call? (Some timelines may depend on contracts you've signed)
• Who needs to be notified?

 

What if a presenter/performer is delayed due to the weather?

If you know far enough in advance that your presenter or performer can't make it, it's best to work with your presenter to try to reschedule or make a call for a cancellation. Contractual agreements and ticket sales/refunds will affect how you handle this. If the news comes last minute and you already have an audience at your venue or on their way, you might choose to think creatively about an alternate offering. Do not plan to stall the start of the event for longer that 20 minutes without communicating changes to your attendees.