Inspiration Hub

Libations have been a part of social gatherings for ages, and have certainly been a big to-do in event planning of all types. However, as we continue to shape this new millennium, it’s time to reconsider how we include a growing number of attendees who don’t consume alcohol. Read on for our thoughts on why mocktails and/or booze-free drinks are important, and how to serve them at your next event. 

For many, January is a month replete with resolutions. Goals often include some kind of improvement in healthy behavior—exercise more, eat better, drink less. One way to keep committed to the latter is to share the effort in a monthlong (totally hashtaggable) campaign.

So much of sustainability is about making do with less: less meat on menus, fewer plastic water bottles at meetings, carefully curated giveaways to eliminate waste. But Air New Zealand has introduced a green initiative which gives passengers an extra treat: Edible coffee cups which taste like biscotti.

Lights are shining brighter. Colors are popping with vibrancy. As the holiday season falls upon us, the drinks and food start to get a little tastier, too. And what better way to talk about Kimpton’s 2020 Culinary and Cocktail Forecast, or what’s up and coming, than over some F&B?

The most important trend I’ve seen in food and beverage in 2019 is customization. By curating the perfect menu tailored to guest preferences, event professionals can ensure a higher quality experience for everyone involved. Delivering personalized meals allows planners to stand out—and it can be fun. Here are some my top recommendations on how to utilize current food trends to create a memorable and lasting event.

Benchmark, a global hospitality company, queried their restaurateurs across 80 luxury properties at home and abroad to compile a list of dining trends for 2020. Here’s the forkful on planning fresh offerings for your next event:

If you’re planning a modern meeting or event, there’s an increasing likelihood that some of your attendees are going to be vegan. While this may seem like a nuisance at first, it is not that difficult to accommodate them. By doing so, you’re sure to earn their appreciation and good graces. Follow these simple tips and guidelines and we promise the process will be easy.

Planning a menu for an event can be a hassle, especially in our gluten-free, keto and vegan world. Whether an attendee has a food allergy, is health conscious or stands firmly by their personal or religious beliefs on how food should be prepared, creating a menu that accommodates everyone can be a headache.

Luckily, most venues are pretty accommodating to dietary restrictions. They just need to know ahead of time.

Attendees are hungry. It’s your job to feed them before they get hangry. A new Eventbrite and OnePoll survey shows that food matters more to attendees than almost anything when they’re deciding which events to attend. In fact, 74% of Americans are sure to show up to an event if they know the food served will be good, no matter what kind of event it is.

You don’t want to be the meeting planner in charge when your CEO, who’s vegan, gets served carrots for dinner at the awards banquet. And that cringe-worthy scenario will be the least of your worries if an attendee with an egg allergy is mistakenly served a salad dressed with a vinaigrette made with eggs.

You’ve probably worked to improve your conference sustainability—waste diversion, less paper, fewer single-serve plastics—but have you thought about the carbon footprint of the food you serve? The Greenbuild International Conference and Expo has, and the 3,500 plated lunches it served at McCormick Place in Chicago at its November 2018 event were 100 percent vegan.

The food revolution that has transformed American taste buds over the past several years has brought more pressure than ever for event organizers to deliver healthy, local food creatively presented—all while respecting a growing array of dietary restrictions and sustainability practices. 

If you’re waiting for organic ingredients in the foods you eat at meetings today, you’re going to go hungry—most of the time. According to a new a study on wellness in meetings and incentive travel from the Incentive Research Foundation, only 4 percent of planners make organic ingredients standard at their events, but another 28 percent say that organic fare is “often offered.”

In the latest Smart Meetings webinar, Toni Zoblotsky, director, B2B marketing and sales valet, Hilton Worldwide, offers a wide variety of foods that are healthy, fun and instagrammable, as well as a few recommendations to get attendees active. In “Love your Attendees by Keeping Them Well in Body & Spirit,” she gives some valuable suggestions to show attendees that you care about their health and well-being.

With food costs rising, chefs and event planners will have to work together to create exciting menus at just the right price. “Cost is going up. Gas prices are going up. Delivery costs will be reflected in the prices,” says Brian Stapleton, vice president of food & beverage at Aramark. “It is going to require chefs to be creative and source some things differently.” Chefs may have to turn to lesser cuts of meat and use different cooking methods or seasonings to create menus that will wow attendees, says Stapleton, who began his career as a sous chef in 1985. He’s worked at hotels across the U.S., including The Carolina Inn, Siena Hotel and various The Ritz Carlton properties.

The choice of food and beverage can have a big impact on an event’s environmental footprint. Sustainable menu planning reflects the decisions that organizers make regarding the selection of food and beverage served at conferences and events.