Every year, industry magazines come out with their predictions for trends in the coming year; while they highlight national trends I’ve always found that certain modifications need to be made to appeal to local events. When making these adaptations, which bring a unique but on-trend flair to events, I rely on my instincts to parse the language of the reports and make the local adjustments needed to tailor Hudson Valley events to Hudson Valley audiences.When you’re putting together an event – particularly when you’re making contact with new audiences and trying to raise interest in your client’s mission – it’s important to know the most effective ways of getting in touch with your audiences. Email, Facebook and Printed Invitations (in that order) are the top three trends for contacting your guests this year, each offering their own advantages to different types of invitations. For an event like the Frock Swap, we used a combination of these methods to make sure our message was heard far and wide – but we used each in different ways, from coordinating the event through email, to printed invitations posted for local exposure. This year, I’ll be stressing the local while giving a hint of what’s to come at the events I organize; in promoting events I’ll continue to make sure that the needs of the organizations I work for are well represented, whether that’s Women in Transition Hudson Valley or a non profit fundraiser for my next client!

Everybody loves food, and finding delicious caterers to feed your event’s guests can put them in a mood to really enjoy their evening. This year, the top three trends are farm-to-table and local ingredients which have come into their own, and offer a fresh way of making the menu at your event unique. With the USDA diet guidelines out, the trend shows diners are beginning to prefer small, passed plates, which is even more on-target! Finally, despite our healthy intentions, people everywhere are coming together over comfort food like fried chicken, burgers, pizza, and mac n cheese. What points of pride exist in your local food scene? Is there a bakery nearby that’s known for its desserts, or a farmer who impresses you each week with his produce? I would love to hear the thoughts of my readers on the local meal trends they prize!

Finally, a trend that I’m particularly pleased to see on the list this year is an incorporation of green initiatives into events. This is something I’ve already supported (upon request) in events. Now new products and services make it possible to recycle event waste, serve fully organic food (thereby supporting organic farming free of harmful pesticides), and using recycled paper goods. For a unique spin here, you can now also purchase bamboo plates and silverware over a number of websites and in some party stores. Green initiatives are so important, that in addition to these top three trends; forgoing bottled water, skipping paper invitations and eliminating paper handouts are very close behind.

What other trends can you think of in events this year, and what local Hudson Valley businesses and farmers deserve attention for their quality products?