Baci Trattoria Event

In this superconnected product-driven world, technical trade shows are almost synonymous with food, wine, and fun, as companies attempt to "wow" consumers with sensory decadence.

It's no surprise then that as thousands of guests descended upon Salt Lake City last month for the CICS technical show, the city became just a little more happening...and AEC was there to contribute to the action.

As a side event to the CICS show, Syscom, a networking company out of Baltimore, decided to host an extravagant dinner party for two hundred invited guests, and called upon AEC to arrange it.

Gig Xifaras the event producer, pinpointed Baci Trattoria as the perfect setting for this (or almost any) party, on account of its fantastic nouveau Italian menu and classical architecture, complete with arches, spiral staircases, cut-glass windows, and mosaic murals.

Guests were greeted by a 10-foot tall chef on stilts and were treated to golden fried calamari, mushroom boats, gorgonzola grapes, and a variety of impressive red and white Italian wines...and this was only for starters!

While whetting their appetites with these tasty samples, Syscom's guests enjoyed the music of Kingfish "Salt Lake's premier acid jazz band" and took turns modeling for an Italian Street Artist who penned wacky likenesses and caricatures of each guest.

The meal was a feast in the most traditional sense, comprising fried shrimp, a variety of salads, clams, mussels, asparagus spears, Angus beef, poached salmon, spicy penne pasta, pecan tarts, and Tiramisu.

While dining, guests were treated to the traditional Italian music of The Godfathers, a strolling trio who delighted the crowd with a little piece of the Old World.

As the party ended and guests began filtering out into night, they realized...with a jolt...that it was back to the coalmines the next morning. With all the fun and food of the evening, they had almost forgotten why they had come to Salt Lake City in the first place...to work!