Enjoy fine cuisine, network, dance and enjoy live entertainment with close to 1,000 industry leaders.
Dress to impress, black tie recommended. Sponsorship opportunities available.
If you are interested in the 2023 event, please call 1-800-666-6233!
Members enjoyed fun, food, and face cards, at MIRA’s 105th Annual Trade Dinner & Ball on October 8th at the Suburban Collection Showplace. The theme was a Great Gatsby Party, and the planning team delivered as the guests arrived dressed to the nines.
The party began in the foyer where guests could mingle and catch up with one another while making new memories with green-screen photos provided by Pepsi or using a photobooth brought by Faygo.
The appetizers, provided by Ascension, featured a more standard, self-serve cheese and cracker spread as servers walked around with more sophisticated snacks like smoked salmon on crostini, sirloin asparagus wrap, and chicken skewers wrapped in bacon.
The evening officially began when the large dining room doors opened, and the hundreds of guests began to waltz in and find their seats. They were greeted by several stations and a large bar area.
The first station was dedicated to deserts, provided by Lipari Foods, and was the fan-favorite throughout the night. It was closely followed by Prairie Farms’ ice cream station, where they served several flavors. Throughout the night, guests would frequent the cappuccino station sponsored by Oscar W. Larson Co, getting enough cups to keep up with the party. Frito Lay donated a potato chip display and, Republic National Distributing Company provided all the table wines.
The tables were decorated with black and gold, as one would expect of a Gatsby party. They were littered with bling and shiny party items. The real prize sat at the center of every table: A fully encased glass dragon that served as a bottle for brandy. One lucky person from each table got to take theirs home.
Ed Weglarz, MIRA’s president and CEO, welcomed the members with his opening remarks. He thanked the sponsors for allowing such an extravagant night and highlighted why everyone was there: to celebrate the success of MIRA and its members in the face of adversity for the past two and a half years.
This gala was special because it marks the first annual ball since January 2020, two months before the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. More than two and a half years later, the members were elated to be back in action. “We’re so happy to be back at such a beautiful event,” said Jacob Abbo from U.S. Ice.
Although hundreds attended, the numbers were still relatively low compared to the near-1,000 guests that this event used to pull before COVID-19. Ken Schulte, MIRA’s Director of Business Development and Vendor Liaison, said he expects people to get more comfortable as the world begins to normalize after the pandemic, but it will take some time.
After comments from Weglarz, the group sang the national anthem and Cliff Denha, MIRA’s chairman, led the attendees in prayer. A duet of beef tenderloin and lemon pepper chicken was served with mashed potatoes and mixed vegetables.
After dinner and dessert, Suburban Collection Showplace opened the last quarter of the room, which held a variety of games from Poker, Roulette, Blackjack, Craps, and Baccarat. Once the guests finished dinner, they hit the tables, and played well into the night. Refreshments spread across the room were provided by Dunkin Donuts and guests could visit the cigar patio sponsored by Harvest Sherwood.
While the casino was open, the guests were treated to a magical live performance by the band Simone Vitale. They played a nice mix of cool jazz and hit classics. At the end of the night, several guests won raffle prizes including cash, jewelry, a karaoke machine, and a cooler generously donated by Tito’s.