Campus Voices: Nervous but excited at SoBe


Nicole Garcia, a public relations senior in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication (SJMC), was among the 30 recruits from the school who volunteered at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival Feb. 23-26. Last week, FIU News asked Garcia to write a first-person piece about this opportunity and what she expected it the weekend to be like. This week, she’s back with a wrap-up from her experience.

Nicole Garcia represented the School of Journalism and Mass Communication as a press and media associate at five events, including the Whole Foods Market Grand Tasting Village. Photo: Heather Radi-Bermudez '06, MS '12.

The Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival was everything I expected and more – I had an amazing time.

Driving down to the beach on Thursday afternoon, my heart felt as if it would pop out of my chest. I was jamming with the windows down; not even the traffic to get onto South Beach could put me in a bad mood. I was excited. The adrenaline was pumping as I made my way onto the sand for my first event of the weekend, Moët Hennessy’s The Q. Once I arrived, I could feel the energy on the beach. Guests were ready to have a good time and spend the night drinking and eating delicious food. I’m sure no one thought of diets for four days. I know I didn’t.

But first, there was work to be done.

I was nervous to finally be on site with representatives from Brustman Carrino Public Relations and Robin Insley Associates, the agencies working with the festival on its media affairs, but Larry Carrino made sure everyone felt at ease. He was cracking jokes, diffusing any tension. It was all about making the student associates feel like they were part of the team.

Once guests started to arrive and check in as media, I really got to see them in action. Robin and Larry handled everything so well! I have worked many events before but none as big as “SoBe,” and I must say I have never seen an event handled as well as this one. They were extremely organized, and they knew who needed to be where at all times…who was on their lists and if they were approved for credentials. There was no fooling them. People offered to buy credentials right off your neck or flirt with you so you would magically get them in. When this publicist tried to persuade Larry to spot him another credential because he had lost his, Larry said, “Well, then, you’re not a very good publicist.” And that was the end of the conversation. Larry and Robin and their staff made sure the festival got a ton of publicity and that they had the top media outlets covering various aspects of the events. It was awesome to watch them in action.

Throughout the course of the weekend I worked at a variety of events. I noticed that each event has a different crowd, but, in the end, everyone’s a big foodie. Whether we were there as students, sponsors, guests or chefs, we all shared the same love for the industry. I worked at the Grand Tasting Village on Saturday as a press and media associate. I didn’t really get to see much of the inside of the tent on Saturday, but I did learn a bit more about how the operation works. I spoke with students from the Chaplin School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and they all said they were excited to be there. It didn’t really matter if they barely slept the night before. On Sunday, I spent the entire day inside the Grand Tasting Village. I worked with one of the photographers hired by the festival. Being inside was very different. The tents were a sight to see. They were jam-packed with people who were enjoying the event to the fullest. All I saw were smiling faces left and right. Some people were dancing while others were lounging around. It is astonishing to see how many elements mesh together to create this veritable village.

I feel lucky I had the opportunity to experience so many events. Of course there were a few moments here and there – my schedule kept changing at one point, and I kept ping ponging from one event to another. But that’s the kind of thing that keeps it fun. You have to be able to roll with it and be flexible, quick on your feet and very creative.

Although each event had something different to offer, my favorite events were the nighttime ones: The Q, the Burger Bash and the Best Thing I Ever Ate. The décor of these events was spectacular, very posh and glitzy. They were always full to the brim and you wouldn’t leave without seeing a ton of famous chefs and personalities. I was able to sneak a peek of Emeril Lagasse, Guy Fieri, Rachael Ray, Morimoto, Bobby Flay, Michael Symon and many others.

I definitely look forward to being part of the festival somehow next year. I will never forget the people that I met and the connections that I made.