• by Sara Guaglione , April 13, 2017

Taste of Home, a Trusted Media Brands Inc. cooking magazine, is launching a experiential event series called “Taste of Home Live.”

The interactive live show will include a national cooking tour to kick off in Milwaukee on April 18 and hit Atlanta, Chicago, Indianapolis, Jersey City, Minneapolis and Philadelphia, among others.

The series is sponsored by Eggland’s Best, Jones Dairy Farm, The National Honey Board and LT Foods’ Royal Rice.

Taste of Home Live has planned over 40 events for 2017 and over 80 in 2018. Tickets are on sale for $25 for general admission or $100 for VIP.

The events include a pre-show cocktail hour and an after-party. During the show, attendees will be invited on stage to learn food styling and decorating tricks using products from the sponsors and featuring recipes from Taste of Home and the local community.

Elena Parks, brand manager at Eggland’s Best, stated: “Putting our products directly in the hands of our consumers during a personal and memorable experience like Taste of Home Live produces a lasting impression for our consumers, making them more likely to reconnect with us in the future.”

TMBI will also introduce several new social-media elements to attract a millennial audience and increase brand engagement for this year's event sponsors. For example, attendees will participate in a Q&A session with chefs featuring product-related questions for sponsor feedback.

Taste of Home will also encourage the audience to post to social media with the hashtag #TOHLive for a chance to participate in an onstage competition using products from show sponsors.

“Lifting the content off the page and bringing the Taste of Home experience to life gives our readers an opportunity to interact with us beyond their screen or device,” stated Donna Lindskog, the magazine's publisher.

“All participating brand sponsors will be able to create personal relationships in a very targeted, relevant way, resulting in lasting memories and loyal customers,” she added.

Publishers looking to diversify their revenue often turn to events, which can help grow their brand reach and attract dollars from ticket sales and sponsors.

iHeartMedia has also signed on to become Taste of Home's national media partner for the cooking event series. The media company will assist with on-air ticket giveaways and promotions tied to iHeartMedia’s loyal listeners club, its social media channels and local market sites.

There will also be a charitable element to the event series. Taste of Home will host a food drive for Feeding America, giving 10% of the event's total merchandise sales to the organization.