May offers great opportunities to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. This is a great time to reengage and recognize the business and contributions of your employees and clients that belong to the AAPI community.  

There are many possible ways to celebrate with them, but events offer you the most powerful advantage of all, the human connection. 

Outdoor AAPI Month Celebrations

Outdoor events are exciting expressions to celebrate in a COVID-Safe environment. Open-air stadiums, public parks, beer gardens, shopping centers, terraces, and rooftops… The city of Los Angeles and all of Southern California offers a variety of venues with the most unique amenities (including outstanding views)  

We have helped our clients create live experiences in many different outdoor venues like The Los Angeles County Arboretum, The Americana at Brand in Glendale, and Disneyland.   

Some of our favorites are the Los Angeles State Historic Park, where we helped produce the first AbiltyFest for over 2,000 attendees, and the LA Memorial Coliseum where one of our favorite clients celebrated a 20th-anniversary partnership, hosting over 3000+ attendees.  

Holiday Hope Bazaar Orange County was another festive outdoor event at SteelCraft Garden Grove that brought people together for the holidays and to celebrate our vibrant AAPI small business community. 

No matter the size, your company can count on outdoor events to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. And, if you want to leverage the larger possibilities of hybrid events, we can help you create a fun and interactive celebration, making sure all attendees (in-person and virtual) enjoy the same experience.   

Make sure to listen to Edward Simon’s (California Water Association) and Kevin Iwamoto’s (CCO at Bizly) podcast episodes, both strong advocates of the AAPI community in the Los Angeles and Southern California region.  

Food Is Always a Good Idea.  

CULINASIA is the perfect example of AAPI Month events and celebrations. In May of 2021, the virtual event hosted a series of panels featuring chefs, food writers, food entrepreneurs, home cooks, cookbook authors, and other participants to discuss the “Future of Asian Food in America” and to support Chinatowns against racism and Asian hate.  

This year, your organization can support the members of the AAPI community by helping amplify the voices of their leaders, like they did in CULINASIA, but with a plus: recognizing all the different cultures and ethnicities behind the name of Asian American Pacific Islander. 

Food is for comfort and connection. Behind every iconic recipe, there is a story behind it, and you can discover it together. Events can be interactive adventures of flavor. What an amazing experience to share! 

Many are the Asian-Pacific Islander chefs that have changed the face of our food in America. Some of them are: 

Rotanak Ros (Chek “Nak”, Cambodian Cuisine),  

Robert Wang (the Steve Jobs of Kitchen Appliances),  

Andrea Nguyen (cooking teacher and Author),  

Cristeta Comerford (Philippines, Iron Chef America),  

Momofuku Ando (founder of Top Ramen and Nissin Foods),  

Niki Nakayama (Japanese cuisine, owner of Michelin-starred Los Angeles restaurant),  

Rober Oliver (leader of Pacific Island Food Revolution),  

Christine Ha, (Vietnamese American chef in Houston, first blind contestant on “MasterChef”)  

and of course, Korean-American chef David Chang from the Netflix docuseries “Ugly Delicious”.  

You can have a top chef at your event!

Together we can design the most delicious experience for your attendees, and from there, we will handle all the details, make sure everything runs smoothly and keep your events tasty until the last moment.  

If you want to throw the ball out of the park, you can create a delicious hybrid culinary experience to combine the best of the two worlds. A series of virtual and In-Person events and experiences will delight your attendees.  

“Asian foods and cooking have long been an indelible part of America’s food culture,’ Culinasia  

Community Events to Celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month in Person Again! 

Events that bring people together are more important than ever. DEI/Culture events and Community events are perfect for reconnecting and reuniting. They are also great opportunities for companies and organizations to show support to the different sectors of their communities.  

During May, the country will see plenty of manifestations of support for the AAPI community. Live experiences can include lectures, artist talks, interdisciplinary performances, art trails, talent shows, scavenger hunts, and hands-on activities… the possibilities are endless. 

We have helped different companies and organizations in the Los Angeles and Southern California area, to produce events that celebrate and unite the community. Examples are the 2020 Virtual Gala and Auction for the Japanese American National Museum and the Holiday Hope Bazar Orange County,  hosted by Well Fargo and the California Asian Pacific Chamber of Commerce.  

Some Final Advice to Make Your Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month Celebrations Less Stereotypical 

Let the community speak:  

One thing you can do is host an event or a series of workshops and conferences that can help the members of the AAPI community amplify their voices. This is not about telling the community what they should celebrate but to give a voice to their leaders and let them lead the experience. Enjoy the memories together.   

Highlight diversity without excluding countries and ethnicities 

Do not exclude all countries and ethnicities that comprise the Asian and Pacific Islander community.  This is a common mistake. When people hear “Asian,” they only think of Chinese, Japanese, or Korean descent. Asia comprises over 40 countries, and Pacific Islanders are often forgotten entirely in these celebrations. 

Let’s Celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month

According to the White House, today’s AAPI workforce is the largest it has been in American history. That means your company must have an active role in opening spaces of support where they can feel represented and supported. 

Don’t let this opportunity pass you by without showing love to your best clients and top collaborators.  

Someone said cooking is like poetry to a culture.  The good news is that you don’t need to be a poet or an expert on diversity.  

WE ARE!  Well, not poets, of course, but we are experts in Event Planning and Design, DEI certified, and active members of the AAPI community 😉  

We are here to help! You are in good hands.