M_Ain

marissa ain

event producer

For nearly a decade, Marissa Ain has planned and managed some of the nation’s most exclusive private and public events.  From lectures to concerts, museum tours to food and wine festivals, from visiting-chef dinners to wine tastings, her experience and attention to detail have provided thousands of guests with unique and unforgettable experiences.

Marissa is Founder and CEO of Plate + Decanter, a VIP event production company offering full-service from concept development to on-site management.  Whether for intimate gatherings or large-scale events, Plate + Decanter aims to exceed the expectations of every guest.  Their ability to produce seamless luxury experiences has earned them the trust of clients such as the Newport Mansions Wine & Food Festival in historic Newport, RI; AOL-Huffington Post Media Group; Merrill Lynch; UBS Financial Services; IMG; The Registry at Bloomingdale’s; Hot Bread Kitchen; Wines of South Africa and others.

As a member of symbologie., Marissa and her team at Plate + Decanter bring a wealth of talent, experience, and a delicious new dimension to our ability to create unique and engaging brand experience events for symbologie. clients.  Marissa takes special pride in creating events that put guests in direct contact with brand, product or message in ways that activate new connections.

Collaborating closely with the food and wine industry’s top talent, Marissa has worked with the country’s most storied food and wine institutions.  On behalf of The James Beard Award Foundation, she has served as the Assistant Culinary Producer for the Book, Broadcast & Journalism Awards and the Awards Gala & Reception for the past four years.  She was the Chef/Purveyor Coordinator for Wine & Spirits’ Magazine’s “Top of the List” Tasting for two years.

Marissa also keeps her finger on the culinary pulse of New York City.  She has managed numerous events such as:  the Food Network New York City Wine & Food Festival since its inception; chef management for “SWEET”; and 8 events at the International Culinary Center, including a hands-on cake-decorating class with Martha Stewart.

Before founding her own business, Marissa designed “once-in-a-lifetime” events for American Express’ By Invitation® program for Platinum Card and Centurion members as an employee of Karlitz & Company.  In this role, she managed partnerships with the country’s premier food and wine festivals, crafting a VIP overlay in addition to exclusive private events for Card members.

Prior to her work with American Express she managed private events for the Yale Club of New York City. Select events included: Dinner with Jacques Pépin, Alain Sailhac, and André Soltner; lectures with Frank McCourt and David McCullough; and a pickle-making workshop with Rick Field of Rick’s Picks.

Charity work has included raising thousands of dollars for the Yale Sustainable Food Project at the “Chefs for a Cause” Benefit and serving as a Young Leadership Council member of the Cancer Support Community.

Marissa is a graduate of Yale University with a B.A. in the History of Art and holds an Advanced Level Certificate from the Wine & Spirits Education Trust (WSET).