EXPERT TIPS FOR A CLICHÉ-FREE OUTDOOR EVENT THIS FALL

We’ll let you in on a little secret: fall is the best time of the year to host an outdoor event. As event planners recreate new ways to celebrate safely, the autumn will likely shine as our industry’s new beginning. It may not strike you at first, but once the fireflies and mosquitoes have retreated into hibernation, you can curate an event that outshines both the traditional outdoor barbecue and rooftop networking happy hour. Between its ideal weather, dramatic natural scenery, and joyous anticipation of upcoming holidays, there is a magic in the brisk air that distinguishes autumn from its seasonal siblings. Before March 2020, this translated to a lowered cost for venues and catering, and a back-to-school routine that allowed parents to schedule an evening out with advanced notice. Now, with schools working to find their footing and event producers getting the upper hand of outdoor planning, the fall may be the best time to safely bring people together. 

But as you get excited about planning an outdoor fall event with live stream and hybrid capabilities, beware of falling into those overdone autumn clichés! Halloween may be just around the corner, we’re all tired of pumpkin patches. So before you think about sharing the recipe for your famous apple cider cocktail, read more about our industry tips to avoid becoming indistinguishable from all the other fall events this year. 

Venue 

Pumpkin patches may allow physical distancing, but they’re really not that fun           

Do: Enjoy the best weather your city will see all year 

Overdone: Apple orchard, pumpkin patch, corn maze, and barn.

Innovative: Why would you schlep your guests out of town when you can host your event at the same urban space that you associate with summer? These spots will be even better in the fall, and the price will be more affordable than during the high season. A sunset gathering, for example, is closely associated with July and August, but it’s truly spectacular in the autumn as well. Take your event goers out of the mud and put them on a large, spacious rooftop. When you finish up a physically distant cocktail hour, you can set a cozy twilight ambiance at your dinner tables with plenty of candles, twinkle lights, heat lamps, or even wool blankets on each chair for those chillier evenings. 

Menu                                         

Your guests will enjoy Thanksgiving in November       

Do: Give them something a little healthier

Overdone: Pumpkin spice cocktails, baked cranberry and brie puff pastry, Thanksgiving sandwiches, butternut squash soup, turkey with gravy, and cinnamon apple pie bites.

Innovative: Apples, figs, grapes, pears, pomegranates, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, squash, pumpkin, and sweet potatoes are all in season. Trade those sugary sweet cinnamon cocktails for quality pinot noir or festive mulled wine. Just because your juicy summer tomatoes are gone does not mean you should ditch the salad in favor of a heavy soup. Individually wrapped dishes with kale, pomegranate seeds, and roasted root vegetables will be a healthy seasonal crowd pleaser. Turkey can be dry and boring, so switch it up with hearty autumn meats like roast beef or even bison. Your dessert doesn’t have to be a sweet-as-can-be apple or pumpkin pie. Fall’s seasonal fruits are jewels that pair nicely with a rich goat cheese. Be creative, take risks, and throw out the overdone fall menu playbook to give life to people that have been stuck inside for months! 

Decor                    

You can be more creative than this                                

Herbs add a rustic and naturally fragrant touch 

Overdone: Cinnamon scented candles, pumpkins as centerpieces, dried leaves everywhere, orange and yellow roses, candy corn strewn about the table…

Innovative: Fall is the harvest season, which explains why food is typically at the center of the season’s decor. Forget the typical gourds, apples, and corn. Since guests will have safely distanced seating, opt instead for flowering kale, ornamental peppers, and dried herbs. Bouquets of rosemary, lavender, sage, and thyme will enhance the flavors of your food and fill your event space with delightful seasonal aromatics, so that people feel closer than they actually are! 

It’s been a rough year, but don’t let those feelings of gloom make you drag your feet on planning your fall event. The best way to plan the perfect autumn event is with the help of an experienced event-planning expert. Get started on your cliché-free autumn event with Wizard Studios today!