MPI-CAC Holiday Party brings out the bubbly

With glasses of bubbly aplenty, more than 300 MPI-CAC members and guests celebrated 2019 at the chapter’s annual Holiday Party Dec. 16.

Returning to the Hyatt Regency Chicago’s American Craft Kitchen & Bar for the second year, attendees were treated to an entirely new menu.

The pretzel bar was quite popular which included a variety of pretzels as well as a pretzel nugget casserole and even pretzel bites with champagne fondue. The oysters, blinis and caviar bar allowed guests to customize their selection with a variety of toppings including herbs and smoked salmon.

For dessert, guests found a variety of sweet treats including eggnog mousse terrines, ginger snap cookies, croquembouche trees and bouche de noel. Spin-Spun All Natural Cotton Candy also whipped up sweet selections of the fluffy sugary dessert.

One Off Hospitality offered copies of “Cooking for Good Times” by James Beard award-winning chef Paul Kahan for sale, with $5 benefiting the MPI Education Foundation. Kahan was also onsite to autograph copies of his new book and customize for holiday gifts. Additionally, One Off Hospitality also offered a taste of their famous Big Star margaritas in the VIP Cocktail area.

Fitting with the theme of “Be Bubbly,” guests could customize their own glass of champagne at the Make Your Own Champagne Cocktail Bar by adding a variety of berries into their glass of bubbly.

The evening featured entertainment by Hot Pink! Violin Trio who kept the dance floor busy. Chicago Mirror Booth offered a fun selfie photo booth experience where guests added holiday-themed props to their sparkly ensembles for a memorable picture.

The famous giving trees, relocated to the party’s entrance this year, saw a lot of activity and quickly sold out for hotel stays and restaurants. Guests selected a candy cane from the tree, ranging from $25-$100, and were guaranteed a gift certificate for a hotel stay, restaurant or experience double the amount of the purchase price.

The silent auction also offered a variety of hotel stays and experiences, including a Wynn Las Vegas package, a private ping pong party for 25 at SPiN and a Chicago Wolves Hockey Suite for 10 people.

As attendees departed, they could grab a winter hat to warm up with from U.S. Poker & Casino Parties.

About the Author: Heather Warthen is Chief Events Officer and Chief Marketing Officer for 22nd Century Media, an award- winning media company specializing in hyperlocal content in Chicagoland. Hired as its first employee in 2005, she is a former award-winning journalist and photographer who now manages the planning, logistics, marketing and executing of more than a dozen community events and expos. She serves on the 2019-2020 MPI-CAC Board of Directors as Director of Marketing & Public Relations.