Dinner is Grown — An Evening with BASF, Chapter Two

The second chapter of the Dinner is Grown series, developed for Washington, DC to bring policymakers, media, and influencers to the table with the farmers behind their food. Planned in full — venue, chef partnership, tasting menu, and design — then pivoted to a virtual experience when the pandemic made an in-person gathering impossible.

• Scheduled for March 2020 in Washington, DC as an exclusive VIP dinner with wine pairings and a sommelier-led experience, before pandemic shutdowns announced the week prior forced a complete pivot to virtual.
• The menu items pictured are from the tasting held before the shutdown; they reflect the style and caliber of what would have been delivered on site.
• Partnered with our graphic designer to create a hero image that stayed on brand and cohesive with the Dinner is Grown theme and previous chapter imagery, while giving Chapter Two its own identity. Also collaborated with the designer on a virtual flipbook provided to all guests in lieu of hardcopy collateral.
• Worked with marketing and communications on New York Times coverage from the client and media side, and partnered with sales on New York Times engagement from the customer side.
• Worked with our PR agency to ensure a cohesive attendee journey from the save-the-date and invitation details through the virtual event and post-event follow-up and thank-you.
• Created a dedicated online platform and invited guests to participate on camera, preserving the intimacy and narrative of the in-person dinner.
• Partnered with the originally selected DC venue to keep the business aligned and ensure the event could continue in a new format.
• Coordinated wine delivery from District Winery to each guest's location, including separate arrangements for states that did not permit direct wine delivery and a special shipment to Canada for our communications director.
• Organized and shipped gift boxes with wine-pairing food and curated items to every guest so the evening remained cohesive and experiential.
• Worked with Paul Rea, Senior Vice President of BASF, alongside the communications director and manager to shape the program and ensure flawless delivery.
• Moderated the Dinner is Grown experience live while managing behind-the-scenes IT and technical operations, including breakout sessions that paired guests into smaller discussion groups before reconvening in the main room.
• Protected the event budget by shifting all spend to virtual while retaining revenue with the venue, which would otherwise have lost all income due to the shutdown.
• Collaborated with District Winery on exact wine selections and pairings so the virtual experience matched the intended in-person standard.
• Delivered an exceptional online experience that inspired District Winery to launch its own virtual event offering to sustain its business through the pandemic.
• Worked with sales and communications on the impact and ROI of the event; the series subsequently earned a Gold Quill Award of Excellence in Communication.
• Created and implemented a full risk-assessment plan for the event.
• Worked with stakeholders to align on event goals, objectives, and strategy from the outset.
• Led the event from concept through completion using in-depth project management.