Food Network

South Beach Wine & Food Festival
Miami Beach · 2016

MODA Role

Creative Direction · Experiential Design · Custom Fabrication · Technology Integration
(Authorship established while leading creative direction within an agency context)

Context

The South Beach Wine & Food Festival is one of the most active and visible culinary events in the United States—defined by scale, density, and constant social engagement.

Food Network required a fully custom environment that could operate at festival intensity while supporting content creation, audience participation, and brand storytelling in real time.

Rather than relying on off-the-shelf activations, the project demanded bespoke design objects that could seamlessly integrate technology into the physical environment.

Scope & Contribution

MODA led the creative direction, experiential design, and custom fabrication strategy for the Food Network installation as part of a broader agency-produced collaboration

The work included:

• Developing the overarching creative and spatial concept

• Designing a fully custom architectural environment for live programming and audience engagement

• Conceiving and designing “selfie sofas”—custom furniture pieces that integrated built-in photo booth technology

• Engineering and coordinating complex technical integration within furniture-scale objects

• Designing the experience so technology felt embedded and intuitive rather than added-on

• Overseeing fabrication, technical coordination, and onsite execution

Every element—from furniture to technology to circulation—was designed as part of a single, cohesive system.

Design + Technology

The selfie sofas were conceived as experiential hybrids: part furniture, part media device.

Rather than isolating technology into standalone kiosks, the design embedded photo capture directly into seating—transforming passive furniture into active, social interfaces.

From an execution standpoint, the integration was highly complex, requiring precise coordination between fabrication, hardware, software, power, and user flow. The result was a seamless experience that felt effortless to the audience despite its technical difficulty.

This project marked an early example of MODA’s approach to design-led technology integration—where form, function, and interaction are inseparable.

Design Intent

The environment emphasized energy, accessibility, and participation, while maintaining architectural clarity.

By making technology social and human-scaled, the design encouraged spontaneous interaction and content creation—aligning naturally with Food Network’s audience and media presence.

The goal was not spectacle for its own sake, but engagement through thoughtful integration.

Outcome

The Food Network installation functioned as a highly active, custom-built platform—supporting live programming, audience interaction, and continuous content generation throughout the festival.

By introducing original experiential objects like the selfie sofas, the project demonstrated how custom design and technology could work together to create memorable, functional experiences at scale.

Attribution

This project was developed while serving as Creative Director at Allied Experiential. MODA’s role reflects creative authorship, custom design leadership, and technology integration within that collaboration.