Win-win for attendees at Restaurant and Business Fair at BBC

Anthony Monzon/Contributing Writer

Biscayne Bay campus has hosted to one deliciously popular event at FIU.  

For the tenth consecutive year, the Restaurant and Business Fair took place on FIU’s North Campus, the second of the five events in the Week of Welcome (WOW) formulated by BBC’s marketing team.

Twenty-five businesses participated at the WUC ballrooms by giving discounts and free food. The event benefitted both the businesses and the attendees.

“The purpose of the event is to bring awareness of the various dining options and business options around the FIU vicinity. It’s a win-win because we can offer the students free food, and not just any free food. As you can see P.F. Chang’s was here, Cream, some smaller or family owned,” said Andres Bermeo, BBC’s marketing account manager.

The event provided exposure to restaurants like Juan Valdez café and family owned ones such as Raw Republic. Businesses like Ninja Lounge, AT&T and Costco were also in attendance. It also gave a chance for students studying hospitality the ability to pitch themselves to professionals.

“For the businesses, the incentive that they get is to get exposure by introducing their establishment to new and returning students and faculty and staff,” said Bermeo.

FIU juniors Larissa Rivard and Sabrina Mehu discuss the various activities offered by Ninja Lounge at the BBC Restaurant and Business Fair that took place last Tuesday.

The student’s attraction to free food and discounts has made the fair a crowd-bringer. The Restaurant and Business Fair has been one of the most highly attended events at FIU BBC for the past years—more than 500 people attended this year.

This and other events help place BBC on the map when it comes to inciting excitement among students and personnel; not all the fun stuff happens on MMC!  While some will miss events hosted by FIU because they think it will take too long or are afraid to go to these events by themselves, many go for the opportunity of present themselves in front of people that might be hiring.

Ninja Lounge, a fitness entertainment company that specializes in a menagerie of sports and fun activities for groups, attended the event to promote not just their services, but also the idea that people can do anything they put their mind to.  For example, if someone is interested in learning parkour or karate, this was a chance to learn more about they can become involved.

“We’re just trying to promote a healthier more active lifestyle. We want to show that if you’re interested in something nothing else should stop you from doing that,” said Mike Morrison of Ninja Lounge.

The event hosted a range of different businesses; it was not limited to restaurants. It was an opportunity to have fun, be in good spirits and learn from the different businesses. It showed how many different students from all years in college can come together in a large capacity.

For the students and staff that wanted to attend but missed The Restaurant and Business Fair this year, the event will be back in the fall of 2018.