IT Report: Everything’s Coming Up Mobile

Chic street eats could be just the thing your next event needs

| Published in November 2009 | |
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Half Moon Bay, Calif.-based Sam’s Chowderhouse took its famed cuisine mobile with its ChowderMobile, a “mobile seafood shack” serving the Bay Area.Game2U’s mobile video game theaters keep kids engaged at corporate events, community events, fundraisers and more.From fundraisers to product launches to private parties, events of all kinds can become a mobile hotspot in 13 Wheels’ mobile venue.

Chic street eats could be just the thing your next event needs

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Growing up, my experience with street vendors was limited to chasing after the musical sounds of an ice cream truck with the rest of the screaming neighborhood children and, much later in life, scarfing down a hotdog at 3 a.m. once the nightclub shut down. I can just imagine sharing these stories with my grandchildren many years from now as they look at me with wide eyes and mouths agape. After all, street eats have morphed into a burgeoning industry of über-chic eateries on wheels. From lavender crème brûlée in San Francisco to soy, lemon and edamame dumplings in New York, these mobile solutions give even the pickiest foodies something to enjoy.
Although high-end mobile trucks have been around for a few years now, they have seen unprecedented growth, in large part because of the recession. Consumers are looking for less-expensive but equally satisfying alternatives to eating out. And vendors, for their part, can start a mobile truck business for as little as $30,000, as opposed to $700,000 for brick-and-mortar. As a result, demand and accessibility have bred tremendous choice. Event planners now have a multitude of high-quality mobile goodies to choose from, complete with staff, kitchen, food and eating utensils. It has never been easier to incorporate mobile food into events.

The mobile trend isn’t exclusive to edible treats. Discover some more seriously cool businesses on wheels:

Mobile Space for Rent
Based in Miami, 13 Wheels rents its 7-foot by 21-foot mobile space for events of all kinds across North America. The mobile space comes complete with 52-inch LCD TV/monitor, DVD player, 2,000-watt professional EV sound system, fog machine, lighting and laser show, string LED lights, black lights, strobe light and other features.
»13wheels.com

The Audio Truck
Great for concerts and events, the Audio Truck is a full-service, state-of-the-art, multitrack recording facility based in Toronto, Canada, but available almost anywhere in North America.
»theaudiotruck.com

Games2U
These self-powered, climate-controlled mobile video game theaters have state-of-the-art electronics, lighting and sound, as well as multiple flatscreen HDTV displays inside and outside. They even have laser tag during the day or night!
»g2u.com

Video on Wheels
GoVision offers mobile LED video screens in three different screen sizes, from 9-foot by 12-foot to 18-foot by 32-foot.
»jumbo.tv/mobile-led-jumbotron-video-screens.html


About the author: Lara McCulloch-Carter

Columnist Lara McCulloch-Carter is the author of the number-one independent meetings and events blog ready2spark (ready2spark.com) and is a brand, marketing and social media consultant.
Contact: lara@ready2spark.com or @ready2spark