It’s hard to believe it, but in just a few weeks, DINEvent turns 12! In this blog post, we take you on a journey through the last 12 years…
The year is 2010: Amanda is managing a team of sales and event managers for a restaurant group in Minneapolis when a client requests space that none of her restaurants could accommodate. She refers this client to a competitor down the street when the idea pops into her head, “Can I create a service for this? Why isn’t anyone doing for the restaurant industry what’s been done in the hotel industry for decades?!” And thus, RestaurantConnect (our original name) is born!
The year is 2011: RestaurantConnect expands our sourcing reach beyond the Minneapolis area and now provides restaurant site selection everywhere in the U.S. Our first agency partnership is established with now long time partner, HelmsBriscoe. Our first HelmsBriscoe lead comes from Deanna Fuller. Other early and loyal Associates to use RestaurantConnect include Jaimie Mattes, Kathy Hedlund, Debbie Van Ravenhorst, Deb Daly, and Betti Budde.
The year is 2012: We start to create an industry presence by increasing our dining partners and agency relationships. In conjunction with HelmsBriscoe, our first Certified Meeting Management Program client is U.S. Bank whom we still work with today.
The year is 2013: This is a big one - RestaurantConnect becomes DINEvent! We now source special event venues in addition to restaurants, so we change our name to DINEvent. We also hire our first employee. Yay!
Meanwhile, over an ocean and far away in Barcelona, Rachel and Anayis are randomly assigned as study-abroad roommates. Spoiler alert: in the years ahead, Rachel and Anayis both become part of the DINEvent team!
The year is 2014: Business is booming and DINEvent begins sourcing hotels (for catering events only), in addition to restaurants and special event venues. We add another big agency partner, BCD Meetings & Events.
The year is 2015: We form a partnership with Cvent and attend local and national conferences, networking events and more. Then, Rachel and Amanda meet!
The year is 2016: Rachel joins the DINEvent team and our sourcing sales continue to grow. Many of our clients are asking for services beyond complimentary sourcing. DINEvent soon expands to full-service event planning and management - what is now known as DINEvent Premium! It’s time for a new logo!
The year is 2017: DINEvent Premium adds on-site support to our scope of Premium services as the team travels to all corners of the Earth for client events. Sourcing is still “our baby”, and don’t you forget it!
The year is 2018: DINEvent is growing tremendously and it’s time to hire another employee for assistance with business development. Rachel knows just the right person - cue Anayis! She is working at hotel in Charleston but feels ready for a change. After three interviews with the team, Amanda discerns that Anayis is the perfect addition.
The year is 2019: Sourcing sales, Premium leads, increasing clients, strong agency and dining partner relationships, and everything in between is stronger than ever. We travel as a team quite a bit, even internationally and more than once! What could go wrong…
Rachel, Amanda and Anayis on the Eiserner Steg in Frankfurt, Germany.
The year is 2020: Need we say more?
After those long and tough months, we persevere and create DINEvent Pros to provide virtual event experiences to our clients at home. We expand into fulfillment and event gifting. We even launch DINEvent Private Label, an on-demand private dining booking service for restaurants.
The year is 2021: We’re not quite where we were pre-you-know-what, but things are looking up! DINEvent Pros and Private Label continue to grow, while Sourcing and Premium ramp back up. It’s a rebuilding year for us.
Team retreat to Sedona, AZ.
Site visiting in San Mateo, CA.
The year is 2022: Events are back, baby! Our industry is booming once again and DINEvent regains its strength. We update our brand's identity and have goals of redoing our website before the end of the year. We continue to add Dining Partners, including national partnerships, as well as Agency Partners, like our newest one with Lamont Associates.
If there’s one thing the last 12 years have taught us, it’s that this is so much more than a company. DINEvent is a family and we’re so happy that you’re a part of it.
Cheers to all our clients and partners - we wouldn’t be here without you!!!
