What does it take to put on an event in the Hamptons (and beyond) these days? Vanessa Gordon, founder of East End Taste has worked with brands and private clients to create memorable experience for her clients for over a decade. She tells The Daily everything you need to know about putting together the perfect event.
Tell us a little about East End Taste and what services your provide!
East End Taste is a Hamptons and California-based event planning, production, staffing and multimedia company. We work with brands, private clients, agencies and venues on everything from intimate dinners and luncheons to wellness events, brand activations and larger-scale experiences. Our services can include concept development, venue sourcing, production, staffing, guest-list strategy, PR and media outreach, photography and video, rentals, vendor sourcing and on-site coordination.
Your business partner is Edberg Espinoza. What are your backgrounds and what’s your working relationship like?
We come from very different backgrounds, which is actually one of the strengths of our partnership. My background is in teaching, media, hospitality and event production. I founded East End Taste and the Hamptons Interactive Brunch, and over the years I’ve produced everything from intimate luncheons and private dinners to brand activations and larger experiential events. Because I’ve lived and worked in the Hamptons year-round most of my life, I also bring a very local understanding of the market, its venues, vendors, media landscape and the nuances of producing events in this seasonal destination.
Vanessa Gordon (Courtesy)
What about Edberg?
He is originally from Venezuela and has a background in technology and marketing. He’s also a former professional tennis player and a current professional pickleball player who teaches across racquet disciplines. He divides his time between the Hamptons and Silicon Valley, which gives us strong perspectives on both coasts. He also lived in Italy for a period of time while playing tennis professionally. I travel to Italy frequently, and that was something we bonded over very early on. Our working dynamic is very complementary. I tend to approach an event through storytelling, hospitality, guest experience, media and the small details that make something memorable. Edberg brings a very strategic and entrepreneurial way of looking at concepts, along with his technology, marketing, sports and wellness background. We also both have a love for creative writing.
How did you two meet?
We met playing pickleball in Southampton in the spring of 2025. We struck up a conversation about a mutual desire to create a wellness event in the Hamptons centered around pickleball. He spearheaded something like this in the past few years in Santa Cruz. Edberg told me about his background in technology, marketing and events, and I shared my experience producing the Hamptons Interactive Brunch and creating luncheons and other experiences for clients. We immediately realized there was a lot of overlap in our approach to business. We became friends first, continued bouncing ideas off one another, pun intended, and eventually became business partners.
How does your editorial background fit into your work today?
My editorial background drives my creative approach to event planning and production. I also bring a unique angle where I see all sides of the event, but more importantly, how the event’s legacy, if you will, will be carried long after the event ends. I create an opportunity to tell a continued story. I never allow the end of the event to become the official end. Many of my events are still talked about by guests years and years later.
What have been some of your most memorable and rewarding projects in the Hamptons?
The most rewarding projects are the ones where, at the end, a client tells us, “We could not have done this without you.” That really speaks to how we work. We are very hands-on and responsive, and communication is one of our greatest strengths. We take a true partnership approach and can support everything from storage and transportation of brand products to staffing, photo and video, creative direction and full-service production. The Hamptons Interactive Brunch is always memorable because it evolves every year. I also produced a special 40-person luncheon with LDV at The Maidstone that was particularly meaningful, led by six women-owned brands, including East End Taste. This past summer, we partnered with Porsche Southampton and Audi Southampton to create a signature wellness series, the first of its kind in the Hamptons.
How do you deal with weather challenges in the Hamptons? So many events are held outdoors.
We have actually been very lucky with the weather over the years, but we always plan for the possibility that it may not cooperate. In the Hamptons, some of the heaviest rain can come in late August. August overall typically experiences considerably more rain than July overall. June is inconsistent with the weather. For our larger events, we build in a rain-date contingency plan from the beginning. For smaller events, we typically make sure there is both an outdoor and indoor option so we can pivot quickly if needed. Wind is another major consideration that people sometimes underestimate, particularly near the ocean.
What are the challenges in hosting events in the Hamptons?
Logistics are probably the most overlooked challenge. People don’t always think about storage, shipping and freight, runners, trash removal, glassware pickup or what happens to all of the leftover product and materials once the event is over. Understaffing can also create major problems, especially when an event requires constant movement behind the scenes. Strong relationships with local vendors is extremely important, especially in the Hamptons. Knowing who you can call for rentals, transportation, staffing, storage or a last-minute solution completely changes how smoothly an event runs.
What do brands misunderstand about doing events in the Hamptons?
This ties in a to the previous question. One of the biggest things brands underestimate is how limited resources can be in the Hamptons, even during peak season. The best staff, vendors and rental companies are often booked months in advance. We have absolutely been able to secure great vendors at the last minute, but it is never easy and it usually comes at a considerably higher cost. The more lead time a brand gives us, the more options we have and the more strategic we can be with the budget, creative and overall execution.
What are the best questions people should be asking you when you first meet?
“How can you help us?” or “Here’s what we need. Can you make it happen?” I always encourage people to be as direct as possible, even if the request sounds unusual. We have heard just about everything, and the more specific someone is about what they need, the easier it is for us to find the right solution.
How far in advance should someone reach out to you if they want to do an event? Is it possible to pull something together in a month?
Typically, we recommend reaching out at least 60–90 days in advance, especially during the busy Hamptons season. That said, it is absolutely possible to pull something together in a month. We’ve done several events with about a three-week lead time, and we’ve even stepped in with just a few days notice to fill in the gaps or tie up loose ends at the last minute. We’re very comfortable coming into an event at different stages and figuring out what still needs to be done. Of course, the more lead time we have, the more flexibility we have with vendors, staffing, rentals and the creative direction.
What are some of the most unique activations you’ve seen in the Hamptons over the years?
I loved a laundromat activation I saw in the summer of 2025 because it was playful and such an unexpected use of space. I also loved the Green Beetz fundraising events at Ronald Perelman’s estate, which I attended with my son and daughter for several years. They had things like birdhouse building, beautiful gifting suites with full-size products, plenty of food, and a great mix of indoor and outdoor space where you could actually relax and enjoy the moment. I also love events that really let you seize the moment, like Chris Burch opening his home for the Lang Lang concerts, or more recently NIHI’s Happiest Hour celebrating NIHI Sumba. And this past summer, the Citi Strata Elite Supper Club at The Maidstone really stood out to me for the pacing and presentation. The table reveal, Instamatic cameras, personalized hat decorating, incredible dinner and gelato cart were all very thoughtful and well executed.
What’s next for East End Taste?
Defining an even more distinct point of view in events through full-service planning and production, signature activations and creative concepts that people immediately associate with us. We’re expanding what we can do with Hyperice, getting more creative with caviar stations, and looking at ways to intertwine Edberg’s Venezuelan heritage into some of those experiences. We also want to develop concepts that can live across multiple events and markets, rather than just as one-off moments. At the same time, we want to get more creative with private events, especially rehearsal dinners, family reunions and birthday parties, and bring the same level of thought, storytelling and experience design that we bring to brand events.
