Top 5 Trends Seen at Catersource + The Special Event 2025
The scene is the theme Unique venues are growing in popularity
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due to their ability to shape one-of-a-kind events. Rather than trying to spice up everyday venues, event pros are seeking out interesting sites that offer creative opportunities from the core. Interesting venues can even inspire the theme, the way Connect Social’s “Old Florida Oasis” theme was inspired by its location in Fort Lauderdale’s Bonnet House Museum & Gardens, a whimsical 20th century style estate on U.S. National Register of Historic Places, or the Opening Night Party’s three connected venues that offered themselves to clear cut past-, present-, and future-themed sections of the event. “Some venues are so iconic that they basically speak for themselves,” said Merrell. Iconic venues do a lot of the heavy lifting, and they can increase an event's sense of ephemerality by creating a feeling of exclusivity and rarity. The next best thing? 3D projection mapping can transform a simple venue into a unique one, immersing guests in cultivated art and sensory detail. As Brittany Branson pointed out in her session Conceptual Canvases: Exploring the Latest Artistic Trends in Weddings & Events , some designers have taken unique architectural aspects of historic venues and reproduced the specific design elements across plainer spaces throughout the venue, or even used iconic elements of the venue as a motif across stationery. “The inspiration is the environment,” said Branson, “and the trend is creating a sense of place.”
"Event planners autom that draws attenti —Kevin
Next steps in sustainability Sustainability will likely stay on trend
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lists for quite some time due to the evolving steps in tackling long-term event health. The scale has tipped from dialogue about the benefits of sustainability and theorizing how to accomplish it; this year, speakers at CS+TSE were committed to offering practical solutions for event pros to implement real change. In her session Back to the Future: Sustainable Event Trends , Suzanne Morrell (Creating Environments) revisited events of the past to see how our forebearers created events before convenience and luxury led to wasteful practices. Morrell offered three practical steps forward: designing with purpose to eliminate waste; innovating events with responsibility in mind; and creating elegance that doesn’t rely on excess.
The tropical garden foliage of the Bonnet House Museum & Gardens set the tone for Connect Social’s “Old Florida Oasis” theme—and provided sustainable decor.
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SPECIAL EVENTS SPRING 2025
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