Ahoy! February 16 was the date pf Hybrid’s annual hospitality suite for the National Turkey Federation. The theme was Ye Gobbler’s Revenge, a traditional pirate mood to celebrate the tradeshow being hosted in the National Football League’s Tampa Bay Buccaneer’s hometown.

Hybrid, a Hendrix Genetics Company, is the world’s largest primary breeder of turkeys. They are international in over 50 countries but the have been operating out of their Waterloo Region head office in Kitchener since 1953.

Year after year, excitement for the Hybrid reception rises due to its 15 years of brilliant receptions and stellar reputation. It is the most anticipated meet and greet, with their delicious buffet and visitor gifts. The reception is especially known for the high quality food. This year, every guest was presented with a keep-sake knife as a souvenir for attending.

Machteld Faas Xander was brought on board to bring the theme alive. The provocative invitations and unique event visual identity played a large role in the evening’s success. The turkey mascot, Gobbler, was used to advertise the event, using the old wooden-boat textures contrasted with the colourful illustrations of Gobbler. Coasters have been a continual hit at the annual show so they designed a duo-sided coaster that was placed around the tradeshow and hotel bars to build excitement for the suite.

The hours of hard work paid off with the results of the night. Both attendees and planners were pleased with this year’s hospitality suite. Visitors are already looking-forward to what Hybrid will plan for next year’s event.

Yo-Ho-Ho!