No doubt about it. Events and meetings changed dramatically over the past three years and will never be the same. According to a recent CBRE Hotels Research report, F&B revenue declined 72.5 percent on a per-available-room basis in 2020. Labor shortages, supply chain issues and rising costs have all contributed to a temporary hobbling of this sector, even as average room revenues kick up nationally to 2019 levels. The party and event planning market size was valued at $3.2 billion in 2022, a growth vector of 4 percent by the start of the year after a negative -9.1 percent annualized growth from 2016 to 2021, marking a decline larger than the economy’s overall average.
But, despite ongoing challenges, event industry indicators are showing plenty of optimism toward full in-person recovery for the meetings and events industry this year, even as new hybrid practices maintain their permanent presence within the evolving meetings landscape.
As hotel food and beverage offerings evolve around these new precepts, we look at the current uncertainties and opportunities afoot. What are the challenges now and moving forward? What are the trends? What do meeting planners need to know to achieve smoother, more effective results? What are the black swans waiting to take wing?
“When you think about the travel industry, we got hit really hard in the pandemic,” notes Melissa Moten, vice president experience and event solutions, The Collective at BCD M&E. “The meetings sector was hit hard and long. People left the industry and found other options. And now, as a global industry that is rebuilding, we have to look for new talent, and in that, we’re getting so many fresh perspectives and different ways of thinking and creativity.”
For the food and beverage piece of that equation, fresh perspectives and creative license can come in handy, not only for smart solutions to immediate problems but in conjuring wowing moments for meeting attendees. Planners have to be all of that – the artists, the stylists and the bean counters – as the core themes and purposes of a planned event often echo through staging memorable meals and parties.
Ask the Right Questions
Tracy Stuckrath, founder of Thrive Meetings & Events, has seen it all and from varying sides. A former meeting planner, she now acts as a planner, speaker and consultant, and offers courses to train planners in how to properly engage with attendees for critical information exchanges to optimize their events planning. She also works side-by-side with planners and organizers, managing much of the behind the scenes heavy lifting with chefs, hotels and destinations to ensure events and conferences move smoothly.
A key piece of the puzzle she sees repeatedly in the F&B space with clients who seek her services is a lack of attention given to food allergies, religious dietary requirements and restrictive preferences. While the pandemic has helped planners become more conscious of health issues and concerns about what’s in the food being served, the industry still has a long way to go in keeping attention on these critical factors.
It’s estimated that up to 10 percent of the US population has food intolerances and around eight foods are usually responsible for these reactions with lactose, casein and gluten standing as the worst offenders.
“You have a dietary need, whether it is medical, emotional or a religious issue, and you are in a business meeting and you have to eat,” Stuckrath says. “If there’s nothing you can eat, then that business conversation is a bit of a waste. This problem reduces the opportunity for collaboration and connectivity and is easy to solve.”
Simply Sensible
Digging in, communicating, asking tough questions, playing hard ball at times and simply being sensible can become the difference between a successful outcome or a sticky field of complaints. This can be as complicated as ordering special meals from a kosher or halal kitchen to as simple as making sure the labels on the items at the buffet presentation are properly translating ingredients.
“Sometimes that is where I get involved,” adds Stuckrath, “finding that special catering kitchen or talking to the chef and making sure the buffet cards are as accurate and detailed as they need to be for that special touch.”
Naturally, getting a handle on personal meal preferences of attendees remains a challenge in the best of times. Vegan does not mean vegetarian. And what about pescatarians? The broad options for food preferences can be dizzying for chefs and planners, and almost as good as a blind aim to get right – and there will always be those attendees who decide they want the mushroom pizza instead of the garlic chicken as the plates fan out from the kitchen.
“It’s not just about putting fake burgers out there and thinking you have solved all the problems,” says Suzy Badaracco, the president of Culinary Tides, Inc., a food trends think tank. Much of what seems to check all the boxes – meatless meats, fake milk, or vegetarian dishes that are high in fat and salt – are more window dressing than solutions, Badaracco says, offered up with a dual purpose of satisfying specific needs while attempting to save the planet.
“And people are no longer buying it,” she adds.
Eye on the Planet …
Yet, attending to these needs while keeping an eye on sustainability is an F&B trend that is only getting stronger and more demanding, says Siddharth Singh, director (APAC) of global corporate communications for CWT.
“F&B planning in event design has never been as important as it is today, and there are many factors contributing to this. It has become essential to cater for different dietary requirements and have a fully inclusive offering for varied preferences and restrictions. We also need to ensure that event catering contributes to the client’s sustainability objectives by minimizing wastage, sourcing locally where sensible, and reducing our carbon footprint with the choices available,” Singh explains.
“Sustainability and well-being have really become top priorities,” he adds. “Planners are increasingly seeking options that have a positive impact on the environment and the health and wellness of their attendees – if only because the attendees themselves are much more aware, educated and conscious about these issues. Planners and attendees expect greater transparency about where the food comes from and reassurance around how it’s being prepared, so we’re seeing growing demand for open kitchen concepts and live food stations, for examples. Healthy alternatives are now a must-have, and clients are willing to replace an elegant set up with natural, rustic ingredients and grazing tables. We’re also seeing more vegetarian and vegan options supplementing or replacing meats on event menus.”
… And on the Budget
The F&B line item can take up as much as 30 percent of a meeting planner’s budget as coffees, cocktail hours, meeting breaks and galas are layered in through the days between regular and expected meals. But managing such feats does not have to be expensive and it can be fun. Badaracco suggests working with chefs to source interesting local ingredients, perhaps those that are aligned with the destination, such as key lime in Florida and grits in Georgia, and coming up with creative ways to present and label them that will arouse curiosity and make an impression.
“Maybe look at world events – the next soccer cup coming up in Chile or even the war in Ukraine – and create dishes from those regions that will get people thinking and talking,” she suggests.
Stuckrath advises scoping out local chefs that may be renown in some way and including a recipe from that kitchen. Or working with the chef toward incorporating local, in-season and abundant fruits and vegetables and giving the dish a boost by giving it an interesting name or label. Evaluate the menus and see where modifications can be made to give a dish more meaning, or give more wow to a cocktail. Is there a legendary bar or a noteworthy drink one can offer that will pay homage to the location? For something as simple as iced tea or lemonade, Badaracco suggests adding pomegranate or some unexpected local ingredient to make it pop.
Also, a small event does not take the same about of work a large meeting does. “Small meetings in unique venues, such as restaurants, make sense,” says Alisa de Gaspe Beaubien, COO for Groupize, a meetings and events planning platform. “The ideal size is under 20 and often better for meetings involving local attendees.”
To that end she notes, “Planners need to know what food outlets are open and available and staffed during their events. Hotel operations have not yet resumed in many instances and many attendees are having a bad experience trying to get coffee/food in on- and off-peak hours.”
It always comes down to working with the chef and the F&B personnel, says Stuckrath. A chef or department may stand fast on what they have offered, but it may not go far enough to accomplish the goals identified – be they centered around sustainability, meat substitutes, low wastage, wellness, variety, lightness – and may require some pushing and a bit of hard negotiating. “Remind them that it’s their job to work with you,” she says.
But planners must also note the limitations of their hotel choice and destination – and sometimes the fit is not ideal. “Does a 600-person event really fit into that destination?” asks Moten. “Does it resonate with the younger Millennial and Gen Z attendees that are now coming to these events?”
