{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Flanigan's Eco-Logic","title":"Nikita Khandheria - How to Design Unforgettable Environmentally Friendly Social Events","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1938,"description":"Nikita Khandheria is the founder and CEO of Eria Hospitality, a high-end event planning and execution company in the San Francisco Bay Area that is making waves. Nikita, born and raised in California and India before college in Scotland, says she gets her standard for immaculate hospitality from Asia, her efficiency and decorum from England, and much of her drive from America. \nSo far, in four years, Nikita and her firm Eria Hospitality have opened four venues to create unforgettable experiences... and things are going really well. She is hosting birthday and anniversary parties, and corporate events. At a recent wedding, the bride was delivered by a hot air balloon onto a deck overlooking water. At one venue, she and her team recently managed 52 events in a single month. \nNikita explains that her job is to make peoples' lives more fun. In addition to providing unforgettable experiences... she is true to her values, which include being green. Ted presses on this point: Isn't the hospitality industry at odds with sustainability? Seems that when one is on vacation, or partying, being green is not important. Isn't it fundamentally a decadent industry?  Nikita says no... and that her scale of operations made it clear to her, waste was getting out of control. She discusses temporary materials like banners, marquis and the like... and how her team now uses high-tech projection instead of paper and cardboard that goes to waste as soon as the event is over. Her works with branding and corporate logos are now more poignant, and gone is the costly waste. \nWhile each venue is equipped with a full commercial kitchen, all of the events are catered. She notes that the firms that cater her events all must uphold a green standard too... with food locally sourced, purchased from farmers markets, organic as requested. All plates are ceramic; glasses are glass. There are absolutely no paper plates or napkins, and no plastic utensils. These are classy events... and luxury is green...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/7kUbICrzk0aEuZffrVBGprBuBqZJlmqp9h-fda_2pHg/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9zaG93/LzM1MTQ0LzE3MTE1/NjgzMTctYXJ0d29y/ay5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}