PRODUCT LAUNCHES & BRAND EVENTS | CAIRO

Maserati Grecale Egypt Launch: Two Audiences, One Brand Story Told Through Food

A press reception and an evening VIP launch shared the same gallery, but needed two different hospitality strategies — from efficient branded finger food to a four-wave Italian pass-around experience.

DATE: 18 MAR 2023
CLIENT: MASERATI
VENUE: TAM GALLERY, DISTRICT 5
AUDIENCE: ~50 PRESS + ~120 VIP

The day was effectively two launches in one

Maserati engaged LOriental directly for the Egyptian launch of the Grecale SUV at TAM Gallery in District 5. The earlier press session welcomed approximately 50 journalists. After the media programme ended, the venue shifted into the main evening launch for roughly 120 VIP guests.

The press audience needed food that worked around presentations, interviews and vehicle coverage. The evening audience needed a more immersive hospitality experience. Treating both groups as the same catering brief would have weakened both.

Press first: branded food that stayed out of the way

For the media session, LOriental used a branded finger-food buffet. The format was intentionally practical: polished enough for the launch, but easy for journalists to eat while continuing to move, work and cover the event.

That service model ended with the press programme. The evening reception then reset the hospitality strategy rather than simply extending the same buffet into a different audience.

For the evening, Maserati heritage became the menu logic

The VIP reception was built as a four-wave Italian pass-around experience. The culinary concept drew on Maserati's Italian identity and the geography around Bologna, where the company was founded, and Modena, its historic home.

Regional references included Parmigiano Reggiano, Modena balsamic vinegar and fresh durum-wheat pasta. Representative dishes included salmon piadini, eggplant caponata, Bolognese arancini, Gamberi Fra Diavolo, Zuppa Inglese and tiramisu.

The four service waves were aligned with the evening agenda so food progressed with the guest journey rather than competing with the vehicle presentation. The exact dish-by-wave sequence is less important than the principle: the menu was designed around the launch rhythm.

Branding lived inside the service pieces

Maserati branding was integrated into selected presentation elements rather than added as conventional signage around the food. LOriental used laser-engraved crystal details and branded touches on selected trays, allowing the identity to appear inside the hospitality experience itself.

The client response was particularly positive to these presentation details and to the overall fit between the culinary concept and the Maserati story.

The gallery had no usable catering preparation area

The launch took place at TAM Gallery in District 5, where there was no usable internal catering preparation area.

To make service possible, the organizer constructed a temporary back-of-house room outside the gallery and supplied power to it. LOriental brought the remaining catering infrastructure and equipment required to prep and stage the operation.

That temporary BOH had to support two different service models on the same day, then send hot and cold food into the gallery in controlled sequence. The operational reset between press and VIP service was part of the event design, even though guests never needed to see it.

Two audiences, two hospitality strategies

The final programme changed character with its audience: efficient branded finger food for the press, followed by a four-wave Italian experience for the evening guests, supported by LOriental's full non-alcoholic beverage bar. Maserati operated a separate alcoholic bar.

The case is strongest as proof of translation: one brand, one venue and one launch day, but different service formats chosen for different guest behaviours — with the food concept tied directly to the story of the product and the brand.