Meetings and events catering needs to meet exacting standards, sure, but does that mean it should remain stuck in time? The main tenets of Food & Beverage planning — cost effectiveness, sustainability and wide appeal — are risking failure if you don’t continually refresh your offerings. Because if delegates don’t enjoy the food, there will both be massive waste and a general air of discontent. Food trends may be fleeting, but societal food shifts cannot be ignored — so here are some simple ways you can update your events’ F&B.
Inclusive offerings
Dietary restrictions can isolate attendees, so ensure your menus and snacks include a wide array of options that avoid the most common allergens (soy, wheat, dairy). Sure, it requires more creativity on the F&B team’s part, but isn’t that what you’re paying them for? This way of enhancing your event’s inclusivity will ensure your delegates feel truly welcome and pampered, which will go a long way to giving your event the legacy you seek.
Plant power
Vegetarian options are still a growing trend in the international food economy, with more and more people choosing to eat plant-based on more than just Meatless Mondays. The good news for event professionals is that vegetarian food can help reduce your F&B costs considerably: on average a plant-based flexitarian diet is estimated to cost 14% less than the standard diet, plus it has the benefit of being more sustainable.
Booze optional
You’ll have noticed them on restaurant menus far and wide: mocktails are having a moment right now. Among the driving forces behind this is the growing demand for healthier drink options, especially in an events context where the celebrating is constant, and where the crowd is composed of one’s professional peers. Give your attendees the option to reduce their alcohol consumption for whatever reason — personal health, lifestyle goals, pregnancy, intolerance — without standing out as a “club soda, please” party pooper.
Alternative energy
Let’s be honest – what’s an event without caffeine? It’s the perfect fuel, but coffee does come with a crash that more and more health seekers are looking to avoid. By offering alternatives beyond coffee and tea at your refuelling stations you’ll satisfy those looking for a kick without the downside, all the while giving your event a trendy feel. Some favoured alternatives? Kombucha, green juices, or infusions like matcha or yerba mate, a brew native to South America that’s known to slow the heart rate while sharpening focus and concentration.
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