As F&B becomes more expensive, planners seek ways to reduce the cost while keeping the value. Make sure not to over order to eliminate waste. Courtesy of Darryl Diamond / American Headache Society

With rising food and beverages prices and fewer menu options being offered at hotels and resorts, today’s planners are adapting to new service trends and getting a bit more modest with their F&B budget. But regardless of how low they negotiate the rates, and how long they plan for an event, nobody can guarantee what the food prices are going to be this year or three years from now. Still, there is one thing planners want for their event: How to WOW! their attendees with delicious bites at their event banquet tables and buffets.

“Everything with hotels is becoming more expensive and food & beverage costs are seeing that increase as well,” said Megan Moloney, director of Meetings & Exhibits for the National Pest Management Association. Fortunately, “The association I work for keeps detailed notes from year to year about food & beverage ordered vs. how much we had to order onsite and how much was left over. Still, we build out our budgets a year in advance, and sometimes it’s hard to factor in exactly how much to add to our per person costs with the increases we’ve been seeing at hotels lately.”

Lindsay Poss, CMP, director of meetings & events for California Society of Association Executives, Inc. isn’t too surprised by event price increases considering “when you go to your own grocery store you see the rising prices which spills over to hotels and F&B.”

Sandi Hall, vice president of events management for American Bankers Association, added, “Hotels have shrunk menu options. There doesn’t seem to be as much variety. It always feels better when you have some options, but it frustrates me when I have to come up with the options. Hotels know what their options are.” Plus, said Hall: “I’m shocked how much coffee has escalated in price. I feel like hotels are trying to make up costs from the pandemic.”

Like Moloney, Hall and Poss, Darryl Diamond, associate director of meetings & events for American Headache Society, finds: “F&B is getting more and more expensive. Some of it is raw ingredients and some of it is labor. While we recognize that, we look for ways to be more economical and still provide that great experience for our attendees.”

Beyond rising prices and fewer food & beverage options, planners are creating strategies and solutions to overcome ever-evolving obstacles to achieve successful meeting outcomes.

The good news? Event organizers cite several ways venue hosts are creating Five-Star F&B experiences that WOW! meeting-goers despite these ongoing challenges. Here’s how they’re succeeding.

Wise Budgeting

“Budget will almost always be the first and most important element in event planning,” said Diamond. Poss agreed. “We’re a state association so budget is always top of mind.”

To Moloney, increased F&B costs means tightening their numbers a bit. As an example, Poss suggested: “If we have 300 at a meeting, knowing they won’t all come to every meal, [so] being more conscious of that,” or “We have [luncheon] dessert for PM break instead.”

Diamond recommended that planners think about the experience and helping to craft that narrative. Also consider food waste. If you have 100 people coming to a buffet, maybe you only order for 80. Not everyone is getting seconds and then there’s only a fraction of the wasted food compared to ordering for 20% more.

“I would encourage planners to pay attention to what they’re ordering vs. what their group is consuming onsite,” said Moloney. “Referring back to previous year’s notes can really help you cut down on over ordering, which in turn can help your budget and help reduce the amount of food waste associated with your event.”

Understanding that budgets are tight, Diamond is looking to combine receptions into one space which can help minimize waste when signing off on minimums. Moving away from liquor-filled receptions and more attendees looking for non-alcoholic options beyond water and sodas has seen great results. “We’ve started to introduce zero-proof crafted cocktails at our events and attendees have been very responsive,” said Diamond.

Another option that planners overlook is the opportunity to partner with another in-house group on menu planning. Moloney sees that as opportunity to lower costs and food waste. “I’ve heard this concept discussed in quite a few education sessions I’ve attended, but I have yet to meet another planner who has done it.”

Communicative Partnerships

Event organizers cite open communication with onsite staff as a critical element of creating a five-star F&B experience. “What really made the difference for our event at Westin Kierland Resort & Spa in Scottsdale, AZ, was being able to work with the staff to find options that fell within our budget and not really having to fight for that to happen,” said Moloney. “It’s important for us to have that pre-event communication with the hotel letting them know about our groups F&B trends so they understand the logic behind our orders. We stress the importance of open communication throughout our event in regard to our food & beverage to help head off any ‘oh shoot!’ moments before they even happen.”

Partnering with a banquet staff that was attentive and in constant communication throughout the event helped Moloney handle any issues early and quickly. Staff was also very thorough about labeling the food as some of the attendees had a couple dietary restrictions that were a factor in planning out the menus.

For that reason, planners should get creative and speak with the venue chef(s) before sitting down to plan their menus. Tell them about your attendees. Are they big breakfast fans or do they tend to go light in the morning and crush the lunch buffet? Do they prefer meat or veggies? Are they fancy drinkers?”

In regularly partnering with The Newark Airport Hotel Marriott in Newark, NJ and Delta Hotels by Marriott in Sommersett, NJ, CMP Corrine Statia Thomas of Absolute Events by Corrine, said “Certainly it all started with the sales contact. I explained what I was looking for and then I was introduced to the banquet manager, who was extremely helpful at both places. We worked well together, whether I had to change the schedule by giving them enough time or if I needed them to hold food, though it’s a little bit of a science or art as far as when you need to ask for help.”

In Moloney’s view, being able to work with the venue’s chef and their event manager on things like pricing and menu modifications really helped in customizing the experience for their attendees. Sometimes providing examples of what the hotel had offered to them in the past along with an ideal price point helped them to give the chef a starting point to build options that could work for their group.

“We tend to need a lot of grab and go options at this event because attendees are always on the move during our food & beverage functions. The hotel was able to work with me on some options that fell within our budget range, and still provided us with a delicious meal spread,” said Moloney.

For Jessica Bennett, CMP, DES, senior event planner for the American Conference Institute, working with the catering manager and chef at the Seattle Convention Center was a breeze. “The group I was planning for has some interesting catering requests and requirements. They offered us custom menus for almost all of our all-conference food events and helped us cover all the dietary requirements and stay within budget.”

Partnerships also extend to building positive relationships with CVBs and DMOs to enhance meeting success. Poss credited a tour of the Paradise Ridge Winery with a team member from Visit Santa Rosa and working with a local DMO to bring in local vendors to the meeting as instrumental in the group’s well-received experience at the off-site venue.

“Working with the CVB is very helpful as they are the local experts. As a non-profit, it’s important for us to do our part to support local businesses,” said Poss.

Menu & Venue Customization

When it comes to Five-Star dining, which offers attendees the highest levels of luxury through personalized services and the ultimate dining experience, planners emphasize the ability to customize menus as essential for addressing attendees’ dietary needs. Bennett, for instance, praised the flexibility and rapid response of Seattle Convention Center’s (SCC) culinary team.

“This particular group had a large number of vegan and vegetarian attendees,” said Bennett. “We like to try to offer a vegan entrée, and if that is not available, a vegetarian entrée with each meal so everyone has something they can eat. We also have a large percentage of gluten free and allergies. The SCC made sure everyone was accommodated and no one went hungry during our event. It really made the F&B portion of our event much more seamless and less stressful to plan. Making sure those who require a custom meal can get their dish in a timely manner was key.”

Just be sure, cautioned Moloney, “to leave enough time when creating your F&B requests to allow for some back and forth with the hotel. If you’re looking for modifications to menus, the hotel is willing to work with you, but you need to allow enough time for the chef to think through options that might work for your group and the venue. Trying to create modified menus as the last minute will really limit the options they’ll be able to provide for your event. I would also encourage planners to be open and upfront about their needs right off the bat. It never hurts to ask for something you want. The worst they’re going to say is no.”

Even creativity with the presentation of dishes can resonate well with meeting attendees. “I’m big on presentations,” said Hall. “I want to give people something special.” Presentation is also an important menu factor for Thomas who said at Marriott, “The presentation is always amazing. The displays are so appealing, even some of the unique serving vessels were aesthetically pleasing.”

Customizable venues as needed can also raise the bar for meeting outcomes. For Hall, having the ability to change location because of the lighting and having different food items at breakfast made a difference in the quality of the event.

Unique F&B Experiences

Poss credits having local vendors set up in a reception style at individual stations that included a wood-fired pizza oven, oysters and cheese tastings, and honey samples for a fun event unique to the group’s destination. “It was especially nice to have little giveaways, like a jar of honey or olive oils at stations as a way to bring in the local flavors of the destination,” said Poss.

Once budgetary needs have been finalized, planners want to create a unique experience for the attendees. For example, if you’re in Arizona, you want your attendees to know it. Anybody can serve spring rolls and meatballs at a reception. What can you do with those passed items to make it feel like you’re at the base of Camelback Mountain? Planners should always work with chefs to add that special ‘touch’ that their attendees get to experience.

In the end, attendees want authentic experiences and destinations, and food & beverage is such a powerful way to build those connections. On the other side of the spectrum, generally, event venues take exceptional pride in crafting menus to tell the stories from their regions, their information and their paths to regenerative tourism. The passion that they have for cuisine shows in their creations.

What’s Trending

The industry shows that things are trending back to where they were pre-pandemic. People are back to sharing food. Grazing tables are the rage. Chef action stations are very popular too, where you have a chef in front of them, preparing food to order and building a perfect place for the attendees.

Planners know that people are still eating beef, but as they “plant forward, plant forward,” they are working with hotels and restaurants to serve attendees the dishes they love — a great balance of meats, plant-based, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free small and large plates — food and beverages that will continue to smash it past 2024. The ultimate plan is to ensure that everybody is included in the menu planning and nobody feels left out. It all depends where you are. If you’re in Texas, well, beef is king. But regardless of the destination, event planners shouldn’t be afraid to accept help in coordinating a five-star F&B experience for meetings and events attendees. Building positive partnering relationships with hotels, restaurants, CVBs, DMOs and event planning companies to make their events shine is key. | AC&F |