I like to have a theme for potluck get togethers.
Mexican food is my favorite. Last fall I had several people help me cook that grew up in a village in Mexico with no roads. We made everything from scratch on a fire. We played Mexican music and there was plenty of Spanish being heard. It was a smash.
Other great themes are Italiann food, Carribean food, Spanish paella, Chinese food, or pioneer food. I had a Lewis and Clark party in 2006 on the 200th Anniversary of their return. I cooked a buffalo roast in a Dutch OVen and roasted salmon on cedar fence boards over an open fire. People came in costumes. Great fun.