New York City was buzzing this past weekend thanks to Her Campus’s 10th Her Conference event. The annual event allows Gen Z creatives and community members to come together to hear from inspiring industry leaders and brands, and meet and mingle with each other to create lasting friendships.
Walking into the space, which took over the former Barneys department store in Chelsea, New York, instantly transformed attendees back to a whimsical ’70s summer. The venue was covered in flower power vibes and nostalgic decor that was not only fun and inviting, but also totally Insta-worthy.
Also Insta-worthy? The brand activations that took over the space. It was hot hot hot in New York during Her Conference, but attendees were quickly cooled off and refreshed thanks to the Dove Sweet Little Treat Shop that was scooping Morgenstern’s Finest Ice Cream to everyone who lined up. (Ice cream wasn’t the only thing attendees walked away with — they also got to choose a body wash, body scrub, and a plant milk cleansing bar in gorgeous fruity fragrances to take home.)
Lipton’s Green Tea Bar was also rescuing attendees from the boiling temperatures outside with an upgraded green tea experience, because hotties drink green tea.
From goal-setting initiatives to staying well-informed and equipped to vote this election season thanks to DoSomething, Her Conference was full of impactful conversations that had everyone engaged. Even with ice cream and green tea refreshers, snacks were necessary to stay energized during Her Conference and that’s where Spoon University’s Food Hall came in.
To “order your snacks,” attendees just had to walk up to the counter and request their desired snack and drink — it was so easy, fulfilling (literally, yum), and the most difficult thing about it was deciding from over 10 different elite snacks featured at the event.
Breakfast vibes
Her Conference started around 9 a.m., so attendees were itching for delicious breakfast options to kick off their day. Fortunately, Spoon’s Food Hall featured Belgian Boys’ Belgian Waffle with pearl sugar and The Worthy Crumb Pastry Co.’s muffins (the latter in either chocolate chip and blueberry). One attendee was excited to get her breakfast secured at Spoon’s Food Hall, saying it would “keep us energetic” all day.
Speaking of energy, Whisps’ provided their Baked Cheese Protein Snackers to attendees — featuring parmesan cheese, papaya, and calabrese salami — which gave everyone a solid start to their morning and waved off any hunger that could potentially creep up in between insightful panels and sessions.
Chips on chips on chips
When thinking about snacks, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Chips, obvi! Cape Cod made an appearance and brought “the good vibes of the Cape” with them. Siete also had three of its grain-free tortilla chips in lime, sea salt, and dairy-free nacho at the event.
S’Noods was a crowd favorite with its noodle-shaped chips in three different pasta-friendly flavors: Cavatappi Carbonara, Rigatoni Basil Pomodoro, and Spicy Miso Ramen. “It really does taste like pasta,” was the consensus from many attendees.
Does popcorn count as a chip? Well, we’re counting it! Lesser Evil had its tasty Himalayan Pink Salt Popcorn and Well Market’s Ghee & Pink Salt Popcorn had many sharing from its bright blue bag.
A bit of sweetness
Undercover came through with two chocolate quinoa crisps offerings: Milk Chocolate and Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt. Now, the quinoa had me hesitant for a bit, but I heard someone rave about these while waiting in line and I’m glad I was eavesdropping. These crisps were in fact crispy and, of the two, I loved the bitterness of the Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt paired with the quinoa.
Well Market also had some sweet offerings with its Salted Caramel trail mix bites — cashews, almonds, and pumpkin seeds with Himalayan pink salt — and Lightly Dipped Dark Chocolate Nut Trio — pistachios, almonds, and cashews. The two had the perfect sweet and salty ratio.
You can never go wrong with candy! There were gummies from Rotten and Crape BodyArmor Flash I.V. The latter is a hydration booster full of electrolytes and gave off fruit snack vibes.
And to wash down all these snacks? A crisp CocaCola Zero Sugar (the brand also offered free t-shirts!).
Thanks to Spoon’s Food Hall (and an incredible eye for fashion), Her Conference attendees ate — in more ways than one.