If events in 2016 have to be tagged by just one buzz-word it has to be “immersive”.
Experiential events have taken their lead from the phenomena of Secret Cinema and Immersive Theatre and canny clients now no longer think merely in terms of “return on investment” but also “return on experience.”
That’s where we come in.
Embracing our “Food: Performance: Passion” mantra, Zafferano is fast becoming known as the go-to Experiential caterer, creating eating and drinking experiences which not only engage guests but also immerse them as part of the “event story.”
Take the private hospitality suite we created for a spectacular night of illusion by Dynamo at the Eventim Apollo. Our pre-performance hospitality needed to be the “warm up” to the headline act – so we created a tantalising “smoke and mirrors” menu where the eye was deceived and the taste buds easily fooled by a parade of illusionary bites including “Bacon and Egg Ice Cream Cones”, “Candied Beetroot and Goat’s Cheese Lollipops” and “Little Apple and Toawhole-heartedly.sts” – the latter a seemingly perfect green apple but on closer inspection, a sphere of chicken liver parfait. The finale was a delectable “Toffee Apple Pie Sweetie” – edible wrapper and all. 
More recently we were tasked by a leading experiential agency to create a menu to complement their tech client’s new product launch. The guests’ initial experience was to be immersed in a sterile, white label store-front manned by mannequins. Once through the code-protected entrance, the room was washed with red light and the mannequins burst into life opening a secret passage into an entirely red party arena where our waitresses served on-brand red canapes, red cocktails and guests inhaled flavoured mists. 
And none of us will forget the spectacular Victorian Twisted Circus extravaganza we created with our friends at Fisher Productions. Staged in a graffiti-encrusted railway arch, hosted by a zombie ring-master with taxidermy galore, and strongmen bar tenders served cocktails from punch bowls into dimpled beer mugs – a twisted take on a Victorian jelly and blancmange parlour gave guests the ultimate opportunity to be immersed and directly engaged with the event.
No detail was overlooked and guests wholeheartedly bought into the vibe
It looks like immersive, experiential events are here to stay.