“Baked goods are a great way to personalize events with your favorite desserts, cake and cupcake flavors, and customized dessert options,” said Sara Gramling, vice president of public relations for New York City’s Magnolia Bakery. “We find that customers incorporate them in a number of ways, including party favors, custom dessert tables, or as part of promotional activities.”

 

There are numerous ways to inject your bakery into the lucrative events market. One way is to invite customers into your bakery space. At various locations of Carlo’s Bake Shop in New York and New Jersey, for example, customers can attend cake decorating, pizza making, and pasta making classes in dedicated spaces at the bakeries.

 

Similar options are provided at Magnolia Bakery. 

 

“We offer private cake and cupcake icing classes where you can learn some of Magnolia Bakery’s icing techniques, including our signature swirl, flower cupcakes, and special cake decorations,” Gramling said. “These icing classes can be hosted at our bakeries or at your special event. They make for a wonderful activity for kids and adults alike and are great for a wide variety of special events: birthdays, bachelorette parties, corporate team building events, and more!”

 

Magnolia Bakery’s children’s birthday package also lets kids decorate chefs’ hats and make and decorate their own cupcakes.

 

Another way to involve your bakery in special events is to offer off-site catering services.

 

“We offer catering services for all events,” said Stefanie Haviv, social media and marketing manager of Amelie’s French Bakery & Café in Charlotte, North Carolina. “We specialize in breakfast and coffee packages as well as dessert bars. We also participate in many non-profit events by donating desserts and services.”

 

 

Items decorated specifically for certain special events through the use of colors, designs, and themes will always be popular, while other trends come and go.

Gramling added that “customers are frequently looking to offer a wide variety of desserts at their events, rather than one dessert or flavor. In light of that, we work with clients to offer mini versions of some of their favorite Magnolia Bakery desserts, including cupcakes, cheesecakes, banana pudding, and cookies, and choose one or two items that can be the centerpiece of their dessert table. This gives them a great opportunity to offer guests a variety of desserts and also showcase different designs, whether through cake and cupcake decorations or through the decorative elements incorporated into the table.”

 

As mentioned, a great way to inject your bakery into the special events market is to offer an in-bakery event space.

 

“Most of our locations have private dining spaces and banquet rooms that seat anywhere from 18-100 guests,” Haviv said. “Rooms are complete with a menagerie of dining tables, chairs, buffet tables, and, of course, our unique je ne sais quoi décor.”

 

Magnolia bakery also invites its customers in for celebrations.

 

“We have a special event space at our Columbus Avenue bakery on the Upper West side, which is available to rent for any number of events, including birthday parties, private icing classes, and corporate events,” Gramling said. To get additional information on the event space, customers can simply send an email and a member of Magnolia Bakery’s events team will be in touch.