Red Hot Genysys Communications Red Party

Once again Indianapolis was the hub for all great things happening in May! Just before the Indy500 came racing through the streets of town, Genysys Communications held their CX17 conference downtown at several Indianapolis locations, capping off the experience with one of the year’s best parties at the Pavilion at Pam Am Plaza, catered by Kahn’s Catering. This wasn’t your average corporate gala or regular night out on the town. With 2000 guests in attendance, this was an all-out Hollywood level party!

When we were approached for this event, we were presented with the challenge to create a themed, immersive experience in the center of downtown Indianapolis. We teamed up with one of our preferred décor vendors, Atmosphere’s Indy, to design food station ‘booths’ that fit with the menu and overall Americana esthetic the client had in mind. The design of each of the stations acted as décor for the space, all of which was anchored by a large red spinning orb provided by the client in the center of the room, anchored over the main bar.

Before the event even began, our client contact was giving us praise for how organized our team was and how relaxed he was with everything coming together on the night of the party. This is one of the best compliments we can receive! Our goal is always to produce a successful and memorable event for our clients, but to also set them at ease during the planning and execution so that they don’t need to stress or worry about the details.

Earlier in the day, before the party began, we had to make a very difficult rain decision which forced the event layout to slightly alter to accommodate extra food stations inside the Pavilion, as we feared we weren’t going to be able to use the outside spaces during the night. Thankfully the rain held off and guests were able to enjoy the picnic tables, cocktail tables, and fire pits outside. Yet, we truly felt it was better to be safe than sorry with the weather predictions we were receiving and decided to move some of our elements inside several hours before the party started.

The interior of Pan Am was a hotbed of activity from start to end. Surrounding the perimeter of the room were 8 food stations, each with unique menus and a variety of options to accommodate several food allergies and special diets. Every station was branded with a menu that included dietary symbols to help guide guests in their meal choices. While our team finished setting our our main food stations, Atmosphere’s Indy’s team built station faces for the remaining stations that we moved from the patio to the inside. It truly helps to have amazing vendor partners with such talent!

New Orleans Station
Bacon grits
Red beans and rice
Creole okra
Cajun shrimp
Andouille sausage
Smoked chicken jambalaya

Contemporary Slider Station
Served with petite brioche rolls
Pulled pork barbecue with classic coleslaw
Wagyu beef slider, horseradish cream    
Grilled balsamic marinated portabella mushrooms, pine nut pesto    
Turkey burger slider, sage whole grain mayo

Mexicana Station
Crispy tortilla chips and soft wheat tortillas
Seasoned ground beef with adobe sauce
Citrus mahi mahi with chipotle lime cream  
Slow roasted pork shoulder Carnitas with salsa verde
Smoked chicken quesadilla with anaheim chili and jack cheese quesadilla
Brie, dried pineapple and onion quesadilla
Adobo beef with monterey jack cheese quesadilla
Shredded cheese, cheese sauce, salsa verde, guacamole, cilantro lime
grilled corn and salsa, cilantro pepper jack cheese sauce

Smokehouse BBQ Station
Hickory smoked pork shoulder, chipotle BBQ glaze
House cured slab bacon, local cider glaze
Hickory smoked beef brisket, chipotle demi glace
Slow roasted baby back ribs, BBQ sauce
Elbow quattro fromage mac and cheese
Corn pinwheels
Petite jalapeno corn bread muffins, honey butter

Georgia Street Fish Market
Jumbo shrimp
Crab claws
Chipotle remoulade
Kahn’s cocktail sauce
Wasabi honey white soy dipping sauce

Edible Garden Station
Baby romaine, brie, petite french pear, candied walnuts, pomegranate vinaigrette
Mojito watermelon salad
Vinegar coleslaw
Black beans, corn, zucchini, red peppers cilantro, cotija cheese and cilantro lime ranch
Petite mozzarella, arugula pesto, grape tomato, balsamic glaze
Blackberry, pomegranate, and quinoa salad
Chopped beef salad, citrus goat cheese, ginger candied pistachios
Tomato, corn and feta salad

Creamery Station
Made-to-order doughnut sundaes
Cinnamon sugar doughnuts
Plain doughnuts
Ice cream: cinnamon, chocolate and vanillla
Chocolate, caramel sauce, maple cream, banana pudding, bavarian cream,
peanuts, chocolate sprinkles, rainbow sprinkles, toffee chips, chocolate covered bacon

Nicey Treat Cart
Pineapple basil ice pop
Mango ginger ice pop
Strawberry mint ice pop
Pink lemonade ice pop

Each food station was themed based on the menu at that station and our team was prepared for the influx of 2000 attendees with well laid out back-of-house spaces for a successful event, with many guests arriving at the same time. With our team in place, food ready and presented, attendees were welcomed to the space with upbeat music, celebratory cocktails with glowing ice cubes, and special live music entertainment later in the evening featuring the Gin Blossoms.

Overall, the event was a tremendous success. Our serving team was on point, lead by our fantastic event captains and event managers. The culinary team put in some serious work to prepare and serve meals for 2000 guests. For us, watching guests go back for seconds and thirds of their favorite items showed us that everything was well loved!

 Photos courtesy of Nathaniel Edmunds Photography.