The new trend, says Michele Polci of Caesars Entertainment, is being reducetarian, or committed to eating less meat and dairy. Courtesy of Caesars Entertainment

What is one of the most talked about aspects of a meeting or event? The food and beverage (F&B). With some creativity, give your attendees something to talk about, and remember. F&B must be appealing, filling, accessible to all and healthy.

What’s trending? Being together. “For so long we couldn’t celebrate being together, and we really didn’t want to go over the top, but now I’m seeing gatherings where people are embracing each other. They’re so happy to be together again in person. I call it ‘extra extra’— really getting into thematic events, getting into more of the experience and the touch and feel, and getting back to some really memorable food and beverage events,” says Michele Polci, CPCE, CMP, director of citywide catering sales, Las Vegas, Caesars Entertainment.

One of the most important things is to know your audience. Vegan, vegetarian, pescetarian, halal, kosher, gluten-free and food allergens — the options that must be included in your offerings are extensive and always evolving and you must know the needs of your audience.

There are more than 170 foods that have been reported to cause allergic reactions, according to Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE), but the vast majority are caused by the “Big Nine” – milk, eggs, nuts, fish, crustaceans, shellfish, soy and sesame.

In registration materials, be sure to include at least the top common food allergies for attendees to check off. Some planners stick to the top eight the FDA regulates in the U.S. An open-ended box is a good idea for those who have food allergies outside the top eight to have the opportunity to explain.

Consider the catering department and chef as team members and the lines of communication with them must be wide open. Let all know as soon as possible what allergies your attendees have to consider when preparing meals. When it comes to vegetarian meals, let the kitchen staff know they should prepare extras. Meeting professionals say that it happens without fail that someone gets a vegetarian meal and the others at the table decide it looks better or tastier than theirs and they request the same. This scenario can turn F&B counts upside down.

Caesars Entertainment supports offering more healthy F&B options that have lower emissions. Courtesy of Caesars Entertainment

Reducetarians Are Trending

Flexitarians have been around since last year, says Polci. They want a flexible eating style with a focus on adding plant or plant-based foods and beverages, incorporating dairy and eggs with smaller meat portions. The new trend, she says, is reducetarian, being committed to eating less meat and dairy and fewer eggs. Vegans and vegetarians are considered reducetarians. “So, you’re flexible but you’re going dial it back a few steps more and become a reducetarian. The goal is to shrink our footprint, doing what’s best for the environment and health,” says Polci. “Plus, people want to know where their food is coming from, where is it grown, how is it grown, and if it is sustainable.”

Be Sustainable

Caesars supports offering more veggies and grains and healthy offerings that have lower emissions. Its chefs are given the charge to deliver everything to everybody. “When we source, we are looking at carbon emissions and looking at providing more meat-less items. So, back in the day, there was less focus on this and maybe we would offer tofu and less innovative plant-based menus. But now healthy, meatless and sustainable menus have become so sought after. Our chefs have stepped up their game and are creating unique and beautiful menus with this in mind,” says Polci. “Planners have laundry lists of likes and dislikes from their attendees, items that this person can’t have or can have, and planners eliminate the outliers to accommodate everyone. The culinary team is flexible and offers many options to accommodate all the different dietary needs. It goes beyond zucchini noodles. It goes beyond embracing the seasons. It’s challenging in Las Vegas as we are in the middle of the desert. In Atlantic City, where we also have three properties, we are in the Garden State, so our options are quite different.”

Make it an Experience

Why plan a typical F&B function when you can orchestrate an experience, asks Dianne Devitt, a consultant and author of the book, “What Color Is Your Event? The Industry Resource on How to Think and Plan Creatively.” One of the most memorable F&B functions she planned was for a board of directors meeting in The Berkshires. The seven-course meal included a chocolate tasting with a different type served with each course. “We encouraged the group to take a bite of their food, then enjoy a piece of the chocolate, and then a sip of their wine,” said Devitt. “It was the ultimate experience. The evening ended in a separate room where port was served, and a Shakespearean actor entertained with famous sonnets.”

There are a few questions planners should consider in planning their F&B functions, said Devitt, included in her book. They include: “How will food choices encourage interaction and participation among the guests? What will give people something to talk about that is different? How will the F&B portion of the event impact its theme? Its energy? What can be done that hasn’t been done before?”

She orchestrates participation during her F&B functions with tastings. A balsamic vinegar and olive oil tasting was especially well received, and the attendees enjoyed receiving a bottle of aged balsamic after the event, something that was in their kitchen for months to come.

Salt, tea, pizza and even water tastings have been successful activations Devitt has planned. “The history of the product and how it impacted the destination gets the group talking. Think tea and the story of the Boston Tea Party shared during a New England meeting,” explains Devitt.

Courtesy of Caesars Entertainment

Creating Wow Moments

Melissa Johnson, VP of Cameron Mitchell Premier Events (CMPE) and community relations at Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, stresses the importance of adding a wow factor to F&B functions.

“Using the senses to guide the culinary journey creates a fun and memorable moment. By mixing current and classic trends you can curate unforeseen and pleasing adventures for guests to discover throughout the entire event,” says Johnson. “Food and beverages should always be visually appealing, but when you add an action element, the food becomes experiential, an added wow.”

She uses CMPE’s pasta dalla forma station as an example. The chef starts with a fresh wheel of carved-out Parmesan cheese, flambés the inside of the wheel to melt the cheese, and then adds the hot pasta and stirs it around. This allows the melted cheese to stick onto the pasta.

“Seeing the large wheel of cheese ignite from the flambe’ provides attendees with a showstopper moment,” says Johnson. “Add in the smell of the melting cheese and then taste all the comforting goodness and you have a mouthwatering dish guests will talk about and remember. This is great on station style events.  Our latest version is a Carbonara style with chicken, alfredo, smoked bacon, asparagus, onions and chili flakes, in addition to all the parmesan. You can offer gluten-free pasta for an added crowd-pleasing experience.”

CMPE also mingles together unexpected flavors. An example are hot chicken donuts. “Our chef uses fresh glazed yeast donuts from a local bakery, and this becomes the bun for our sandwich.  He double fries some pickled juicy chicken breasts with a spice blend that is just hot enough to awaken your tastebuds. That crunchy spicy chicken with the soft sweet donut is almost the perfect combination. To finish the taste sensation, chef adds some tangy umami with pickle slices, creating the ultimate taste and texture experience for the tastebuds,” she says.

Consider Higher Prices

Higher food prices are impacting today’s F&B functions. Take the egg shortage for instance. Skyrocketing prices have forced many chefs to become creative with their menus. The average price of food in the United States increased 8.5% in the 12 months ending in March, after posting an annual increase of 9.5% in February, according to the latest inflation data published by the U.S Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Work with the chef, catering and F&B departments to keep costs down. Give the chef permission to be creative with fruits and vegetables that are in season that will be cheaper than those that have to be shipped in. Be sure to order early.

Have Alcohol-Free Alternatives

Give as much thought to the beverages that are free of alcohol as you do the others. Don’t just serve water. Infuse it with fruit and create a water station.

Mocktails with different fruits and juices are well-received and will often be enjoyed by even those who drink alcohol. Hotels and convention centers are responding to the trend toward non-alcoholic drinks at meetings. Take Hyatt. It has a Zero Proof, Zero Judgment line of non-alcoholic cocktails featuring products from Ritual Zero Proof and Fever-Tree. Each participating hotel has created unique, non-alcoholic beverages using a variety of the spirit alternatives and mixers, as well as seasonal ingredients and flavors for guests and locals to enjoy – from a delicious beverage featuring Ritual Zero Proof Gin Alternative, basil, cucumber, lime and ginger at Hyatt Centric Times Square New York’s Bar 54, to an enticing option comprised of Ritual Zero Proof Rum Alternative, blueberry, honey, lime and Fever-Tree Ginger Beer at Thompson Savannah’s Lobby Bar.

Make it Fun

Although it is important that the F&B at your meetings and events is healthy to keep your attendees engaged and on task, that doesn’t mean it has to be lacking in fun. CMPE creates fun little sushi bites that focus on all one’s senses. For touch, each sushi piece is placed on mini bamboo chopsticks that add a tactile experience that are placed in colored glass chargers that complement the vibrant ingredients.  All the guest does is squeeze and enjoy the various textures that make the sushi a standout culinary bite. “It is a mess free and playful way to enjoy popular sushi rolls during a cocktail hour or standing reception,” says Johnson. “For example, we serve vegetable sushi with tempura sweet potato, cream cheese and avocado. This bite is so flavorful, appeals to many and is a unique twist on familiar sushi.”

Stay Away from Sugary, Carb-Heavy Food

Danish, sweetened yogurt, donuts? These are not a good idea for your meetings and conferences. Your attendees are sure to have a sugar rush, but what will happen when it plummets? They will be sluggish and less likely to retain information. Meeting professionals are focused on the intersection of food and beverage, and health and wellness more than ever for good reason. Healthy foods keep attendees minds fresh and clear. The right selections can help attendees focus, stay on task and be energized throughout the day.

Experience Local Flavors

Today’s convention and meeting attendees want authentic dining experiences with a focus on local. Be sure to include at least one F&B function that focuses on the food of the given location. Remember, fancy isn’t always better. Attendees want to experience “real” food — street food, cooking demonstrations, food trucks.

Jambalaya and crawfish etouffee or other Cajun specialties are expected during New Orleans meetings and conventions. Cheesesteaks and pretzels should be part of a Philadelphia menu. Salmon, shellfish and other fresh seafood are perfect for Pacific Northwest gatherings.

Offer Variety

Smaller portion sizes are increasingly being requested as they allow guests to sample a variety of offerings. Plus, smaller portions give the guest the opportunity to try a variety of dishes. Interesting and novel presentations should be a focus. Think of appetizers on a stick, bites on a spoon or mini anything. Sliders, dessert samplers artfully arranged in unique containers, mini cups, edible spoons are also ideal. C&IT