Wining and Dining with Jim White October 6, 2011

Savor Dallas announces 2012 dates; Regional expansion

It’s great to be actively engaged in producing our 8th Annual Savor Dallas, returning March 30-31.  We are expanding the event to give it more of a regional scope.  So, in addition to our great events in Dallas on Friday March 30th–The Arts District Wine Stroll in downtown Dallas and others (to be announced soon)–we are pleased to welcome our food and wine loving guests to enjoy our Reserve Tasting and the International Grand Tasting on Saturday March 31, at the beautiful, new Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas.  It’s an awesome place.  Just 10 minutes north of Downtown Dallas, and conveniently located on Highway 114 on Las Colinas Boulevard, between O’Conner and MacArthur.  The design is very cool and so is the space we will have for our Savor Dallas events.  Parking will also be easier for our guests than our previous venues offered.  I predict you will be hearing some murmurings over the new few days from people who don’t like this.  I am sorry.  I  also understand that people don’t like change.  Moving our largest event of the weekend away from downtown Dallas will be seen as a radical change by some.  There are two kinds of people in the world:  (1) Those who see the glass as half-empty, and (2) Those who see the glass as half-full.  I fall into the latter category.  I’ll spare you a litany of what it takes to produce an event the size of Savor Dallas, but suffice to say, choosing the location and the date is the most important thing about it.  (the former usually drives the latter).   We looked at dates from February through March.   The best fit for us, our partners and our attendees is March 30-31.  The weather is warmer, and it’s after Spring break (a point of contention for many in the last few years with our previous, earlier dates).  Also, there is no Mavericks home game that weekend.  In choosing our date AND location for 2012, we had to work around Valentine’s, Easter, Passover, and some big social events, which fall into the first quarter.  Also, there are very few places big enough to host our International Grand Tasting with 60 chefs, hundreds of premium wines, spirits and beer, plus the silent auction to raise money for the North Texas Food Bank, AND music, art, and, oh, about 2500 of our good friends who join us for “The Most Delicious Wine and Food Festival in Texas”.  So, to those who may complain about either the expansion to Las Colinas or the date, I say:

• I understand, it will be a change for us, too (albeit positive)
• It’s a very convenient location for Dallas, Tarrant County, Denton County and Collin County
• We’ll be able to stage events both indoors and outdoors, on covered terraces with spectacular views
• How many years did we drive to Irving to see the Cowboys?  The Irving Convention Center at Las Colinas is only a punt and pass north of the old Texas Stadium site
• It’s your chance to get familiar with a great location (if you’re not already) that is poised to become a center of entertainment over the new few years with major expansions planned including an entertainment complex, a convention center hotel, the new DART Orange Rail Line (with a stop directly behind the Convention Center in Las Colinas), and more
• There are great hotels very close to the Center, including the Marriott, The Omni Mandalay, and the Four Seasons, plus others with which we will be working to offer some great Savor Dallas hotel rates and packages (stay tuned)

Oh, we’ve also gotten a complaint that March 30-31 is the Final Four Weekend.  Well, it’s in New Orleans.  So, this is just what DVR was invented for.  And, if you’re going to the games live, I can’t do anything about that except say, “Go team!” and Laissez le Bon temp rouler (let the good times roll) in Nawlins, and hopefully we’ll see you next year. Besides, we felt like staging Savor Dallas during a Mavericks home game weekend WOULD be a much bigger issue.

I’d be happy to visit with you about Savor Dallas, or answer any questions about the date or venues.  It will be another great year of wining and dining, or as we say:  “Big fun.  Big flavor.  Bring your friends”, to Big D and Big LC (Las Colinas).  And, by the way, tickets are on sale now at a special advance purchase price through December 31st, go to www.SavorDallasTickets.com.

At Savor Dallas, the glass is always “full” (to the legal limit), but we invite you to drink responsibly and join us March 30-31 for some swirling, smelling, sipping, savoring (and spitting).  And, thanks for your support.  I’d love to get your comments on our new Saturday location in Las Colinas.