A NEW ERA
OF F&B:S U S TA I N I N G TO M O R R OW ’ S
D E L E GAT ES TO DAY
By Elaine Pofeldt

Developed in partnership with

Once relegated to the bottom of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs,
meeting professionals no longer think of food and beveragefunctions as simply fulfilling physiological needs.
Instead, they seek to design these experiences to cultivate
love, belonging, esteem and self-actualization.
Nearly 61 percent of meeting professionals said food andbeverage is one of the most important factors in selecting ahotel, after location (80 percent) and room rates (76 percent),
according to an early 2023 trends report released by Meeting
Professionals International and Meetings Today magazine.1
And with food and beverage playing such a leading role,meeting professionals pay particular attention to five key
touchpoints of an attendee’s experience: (1) registration,(2) arrival, (3) meals during the event, (4) breaks and (5)departure.
New practices for dietary accommodations, plant-based
entrees, sustainable and eco-friendly meals that lower the
event’s carbon footprint, purpose/brain foods and evennostalgia are influencing the attendee experience at eachof these touch points. Many meeting professionals arewelcoming these trends and others that raise the bar on theirown creativity.
However, there are two challenges to achieving thesegoals: the rising costs that have come with an inflationary
environment and staffing shortages that make it harder to
execute on creative food and beverage experiences. In a
recent survey, nearly 68 percent of meeting professionals
said increasing costs for food and beverage, and other event
needs were some of their biggest challenges for 2023,
followed by facility staffing levels (30 percent).
Despite the challenges, many meeting planners have beenable to find creative solutions, collaborating with hotels andother venues to keep pace with the trends in designing theend-to-end journey for attendees.
Here is a look at how food and beverage trends are reshaping
every aspect of meeting and event delivery, according to leading
experts and professionals.

With food and beverage playing such a leading role,meeting professionals pay particular attention to five key
touchpoints of an attendee’s experience: (1) registration,(2) arrival, (3) meals, (4) breaks and (5) departure.
_________________________
https://www.mpi.org/docs/default-source/research-and-reports/0123_mpi_trends_for_2023_ehandbook.pdf?mkt_
tok=NzkxLVpOTi00NzEAAAGKDuKRlq0qyG_MdRl8EiFqsn7FOR1iaVEd2JeL6EGtxXfTxhPfBG3VmVVTAL10H-1uUEAOTxt_
SLcnDPByPiBdERAoV1JT-xU7BJeZHs9V

1

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TOUCHPOINT #1:
REGISTRATION
Registration can be an important time to set the tone
for an event and let attendees know they are welcome andwill experience a sense of belonging, regardless of foodpreferences or allergies.
Special diets—vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-freeor “flexitarian”—are now common, and meeting planners are
giving more attention than ever before to accommodatingthese preferences, as well as religious diets such as Kosher
and Halal, as they make menu decisions.
“People are more health-conscious and health-minded,”says Loren Maisels, CMP, meeting professional and founderand president of LoMA Marketing Agency in Toronto. “Morepeople are leaning toward a less-meat, more vegetarian/vegan-style diet. Five years ago, that might have been 10
percent to 15 percent of the audience. Now it is closer to 30
percent.”
With more guests on special diets, meeting planners andorganizers are paying scrupulous attention to the registration
process to make sure they have planned ahead for options
that satisfy a multitude of diets.
“The kinds of events I do these days are much more
about accommodating those who are coming,” says Sandy
Lyons, a meeting planner in California, USA. “It’s less about
what they’re greeted with at the very beginning and more
about how we can do it in a way that really makes it easy forsomeone, regardless of their needs, to have a really goodexperience.”
Against this backdrop, many meeting professionals
continue to increase their attention to the earliest stages ofinteracting with attendees around dietary preferences andneeds. “You have to be proactive,” Maisels says. “A lot ofkitchens and properties can’t necessarily add something like alarge amount of tofu or Beyond Meat at the last minute. They
don’t necessarily carry all those things in large quantities. It’s
not something you can buy 48 hours before.”
Organizers are referring to the IACC’s Guide To Managing
Conference Delegate Dietary Requirements2, developed withindustrywide collaboration from groups such as the World
Obesity Federation and Events Industry Council and tailored
to individual regional markets.
“It is not wise to see dietary choices as a personal option,
as often they are medically, religiously or culturally necessary
and should be taken seriously,” according to the IACC guide.
“Dietary restrictions should not be taken lightly; everyone
should know that they can pose a health risk if someone isserved the wrong ingredient.”
To ensure that the most common special diets (vegetarian,vegan, pescatarian, ketogenic, flexitarian, Whole 30), healthrelated diets (gluten-free, celiac disease, diabetes) andallergies (peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, eggs, milk, soy andwheat) are considered, IACC suggests using check boxes.
“Avoid at all costs, adding an open text box, which simply asks
delegates to enter in free text ‘Any Dietary Requirements,’”
the guide cautions. “This will result in a single category of
everything from the need-to-have, to the like-to-have.”
To make sure attendees are cared for, the groupencourages meeting planners to request that a confirmation
be signed and returned by the venue, and that the venue
include the requests in the BOE/event order.

_________________________
2https://www.iacconline.org/guide-meeting-delegates-dietary-requirements
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REGISTRATION:(CONTINUED)
While in the past it may have been acceptable to offer avegetarian option to accommodate people who are not meateaters, many planners have reconsidered that approach toaccommodate dairy-free preferences. “Now I would switchthat to, ‘Can you include vegan options?’” says publicist Olga
Luz Tirado of New York, U.S.A., whose projects have included
planning galas.
Some meeting planners find that if they think creatively,
they can find options that satisfy several dietary preferences
simultaneously, helping to keep costs in line. For instance,
opting for menu items that are naturally gluten-free may
eliminate the need to add an option that is specifically forpeople who don’t eat gluten. Someone who eats Kosher orHalal may find the vegan or vegetarian options suitable.
Given the plethora of requests, Karen Shackman,president of the destination management firm Shackman
Group New York (U.S.A.), has sometimes opted for buffetstyle dining that includes menu options for those on special
diets, to avoid “short-order cooking” that overwhelms the

kitchen. “Every client is trying to accommodate the attendees
as much as they can,” she says.
Lyons enables guests to make their own choices as they
go along. “I do a lot of ‘requires assembly’ kind of food,” shesays. “It’s salad bars, taco bars, assembled lettuce wraps.
You can easily make it a lettuce wrap versus a sandwich, ora salad versus an assembled dish. We do a lot of different
things creatively. It is all about identifying exactly what is ineach item, so someone doesn’t have to be embarrassed bywhatever their restrictions are.”In these cases, Lyons says, “proteins are always on theside, with plenty of vegan and vegetarian options.”
In a similar vein, for breakfasts, she might opt for a yogurt
parfait bar that stays out for a while. “I’ll do a couple ofdifferent types of yogurt—dairy and non-dairy, with fruit andnuts—assembly required,” she says. “People grab their mealand go make phone calls. It’s not as social as it used to be. It’smuch more functional.”

People are more health-conscious
and health-minded.

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TOUCHPOINT #2:
CHECK-IN
The point at which travelers arrive at a destination is
the ideal one to make them feel welcome, break the ice andmake them feel appreciated—and many venues are looking
to get more creative with food and beverage than giving
them a bottle of water. The idea is to give guests something
to connect around so they can make the most of networking.
Options include personalized welcome gifts including
the following.
• In-room snack baskets that include treats andbeverages from local makers and establishments• Complimentary movie rentals with popcorn• Gifts with a theme that celebrate the surrounding area,such as a local food festival or outdoor attraction, suchas packets of trail mix or picnic supplies3

a number of special things for our attendees,” says Jessica
Matthews, DBH, an associate professor of integrative
wellness at Point Loma Nazarene University, who is cofounder of Health and Well-Being Coaching Conference in
San Diego, California, USA.
She promises to “practice what we preach” in the
promotional materials, through “early morning group
movement experiences, guided mindfulness activities spreadthroughout the event, social gatherings while enjoying plantforward appetizers and meals (and a great assortment ofdelicious beverages) and other special elements, including anawards ceremony to celebrate and honor incredible coaches
and leaders making an impact in the field.”• Nostalgic food gifts, such as fresh baked treats• Grab-and-go snack stations in the lobby withspecial extras available for purchase4
For some planners and organizers, check-in is the criticalpoint to set the tone for the entire meeting. “We are doing

To stay consistent with the event’s promise, she is providing
the attendees—professional health and wellness coaches—with an arrival gift of sustainable, reusable insulated lunchbags packed with healthy snacks, rather than the standard
tote bags most conferences provide.

“The idea is to give guests something to connect
around so they can make the most of networking.”_________________________
3
4

https://www.cvent.com/en/blog/hospitality/hotel-welcome-basket-ideas
https://www.cvent.com/en/blog/hospitality/hotel-amenity-ideas
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TOUCHPOINT #3:
MEALS
If there’s one trend that dominates the rest when it
comes to mealtime, it’s sustainability, and meeting planners
are being creative in catering to organizers and attendees’
desire for menus to be sustainable and supportive of ahealthy climate and environment. This means recognizingthat the way food is cultivated, transported and distributed,
served, consumed and disposed of all have an environmental
impact. It is all about good food attendees can trust.
According to a World Travel & Tourism Council
international benchmarking exercise conducted across27,000 accommodation providers, a third of venues now
provide vegetarian options for every course in their food andbeverage provision. For example, Radisson Hotel Group has
set ambitious goals of offering up to 70% vegetarian and 40%
plant-based options at their hotels in Central Europe.

Eating local
The question for sustainability often intersects with adesire to prioritize healthy local fare that doesn’t requirelong-distance transportation and offers a taste of the area’s
culture. For instance, in Copenhagen, there is currently anemphasis on low-cost ingredients from Nordic countries,
such as carrots and root-based local products. “You are trying
to create some interest with that,” Ankaer says.
The trend is also popular in the U.S. and Canada. “I’mseeing a lot of our clients wanting to support local foodentrepreneurs and small businesses,” says Gina Mariko
Rosales, an event planner at Make It Mariko in San Francisco.

Many meeting professionals find that doing so allows
attendees a more interesting and authentic experience. It
also helps to support small, community-based vendors andsuppliers, including those from underrepresented groups. “I
had one client ‘If I’m going to get a beef empanada, I wantto order from an Latinx vendor. They want authentic foodcooked by people trained in that cuisine and supporting small
business. They don’t want to have any caterer doing Asiancuisine—they want an Asian chef doing Asian cuisine.”
Some chefs provide micro-history lessons. When
Executive Sous Chef Laura Clawson at Canyon Ranch in
Tucson, Ariz., offers a menu item such as Three Sisters Salad,which has roots in indigenous communities, she shares it.
“You really get a good sense of history, and it makes you
bond with your food. You start a relationship where you’re
understanding your food in a way that you didn’t really
understand it before,” Clawson says. “We find a story andturn it into a learning experience.”
Meeting professionals are also looking to bring in notes
to the cuisine that attendees won’t experience elsewhere.
“Having global flavors and leveraging global flavors using
local vendors will continue to be important, to give people
that variety of experience,” Maisels says.

Transparent menus
Many guests are seeking greater transparency in menu
choices than in the past and want to know what ingredientsare included and where the food originated. Sometimes, that

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MEALS:(CONTINUED)
means providing ingredients lists at the buffets. “I give away
my recipes at every event,” Lyons says.
“It’s less about the story and more about the source,
more about exactly what’s in it,” Lyons says. “I almost feellike I need a liability waiver these days. We don’t start withany sauces. Mine are all from scratch. I go to really goodsources. Even then, I can’t absolutely guarantee there were
not pesticides in the ground before the organic produce wasgrown there. It’s labeled organic.”
Some meeting professionals mention local vendors on themenus or on their websites. “Because they are wanting tosupport local businesses, there are always shout outs in termsof who the vendor is,” Mariko Rosales says.
Much of a hotel’s environmental impact is generated
through sourced products, services and activities. As an
example, Radisson Hotel Group partners with like-minded
suppliers committed to doing business responsibly, providing
integrated projects and solutions for our hotels. Suppliers are
required to respect a code of conduct and request the samefrom their supply chain, including third-party labor agencies.
Other times, there’s a more personalized approach, where
the chef becomes part of the dining experience. “If it’s a small,
intimate event that’s 20 people … maybe they’ll come out andtalk about the menu,” she says.
To personalize smaller events, Alicia Schiro, the CEOof Aced It Events in New York City, creates special menus.
“If we’re doing an intimate dinner, we’ll create a specialty
menu for the client with their logo,” she says. “The chef
will come out, talk about the entire menu and pair eachcourse with a wine. Most chefs are sommeliers. Or we’llbring in a sommelier to talk about the wine. It’s all about theexperience. It just changes things up a little bit.”

Small plates
Small-plate appetizers, featuring nostalgic foods likesliders, are also popular. “There are beef sliders, chicken
sliders,” says Schiro. She says it is possible to customize
sliders to be vegan or vegetarian.
Jason Allan Scott, a keynote speaker and MPI member,recently attended an event for an affiliate in the U.S. South.
“It was small plates, all-around constant eating,” he says. “Butit was vegan, dairy-free, wheat-free. That surprised me.”

Avoiding waste
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United
Nations estimates that 1.3 billion tons of food is thrown away
every year, representing almost 40 percent of the total foodproduced globally—and a misuse of natural resources. This
waste contributes significantly to the world’s carbon footprint
because of the energy needed to grow and transport food.
Many meeting planners are working with hotels to makesure that the way food is served reduces waste, in keepingwith clients’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the UN
sustainable development goals (SDGs)—or more informal
goals. “Buffets have attendants to mitigate waste, and theplastic serving aspect,” Maisels says. “A lot are shifting tobiodegradable, no straws. We have seen less plastics.”
One growing emphasis is on reducing the amount of foodthat gets tossed, a trend that began five to 10 years ago but
has gathered new urgency as the climate crisis has called
attention to the carbon emissions related to food production.
“Venues and hotels have come up with plans to make sure

Mental Health and Meetings | 7

MEALS:(CONTINUED)
there is not too much food waste,” Ankaer says. “They try
to limit how much food they put out on buffets, so you
don’t take out a lot of food that is not being eaten. You limit
yourself in how much you put on the buffet, to limit the foodwaste. If buffet is emptying out, you refill it from the kitchen.”
They are also using smaller plates, to help attendees makebetter decisions on how much food they will actually eat,versus what they leave on their dish.
Many hotels in his region donate leftover food to area
nonprofits or homes for the elderly. “They will take the foodover and deliver to them so it can still be used. They do thatwithin four hours, so they can have fresh food there. If it’spacked in plastic, it will stay a bit longer. Normally, you canhave it up to 24 hours.”
To that end, Radisson Hotel Group has partnered with
Too Good To Go to reduce food waste. Too Good To Go isa solution that allows businesses to sell surplus meals at
the end of the shift or day to combat food waste. Users andbusinesses save food and help preserve the environment—
reducing food, energy and water wastage, as well as CO2
emissions. The Too Good To Go app enables hotels to sell thefood for a set, reduced price, helping to reduce waste andprotect the planet.

Maximizing tight budgets
Avoiding waste must be balanced with making sure there
is enough food at the event, especially if there is a big uptick
in registrations at the last minute.
“Some of our clients are significantly under-guaranteeing
their food and beverage,” Shackman says. “They’re unclear
how many people are going to show up. On a couple ofoccasions, more people showed up than they expected, andit’s been a bit of a scramble. In one case, it was a very large
group. It put a lot of strain on the kitchen.”Some hotels are finding ways to allow organizers to offer
exciting menus at a lower cost by offering day-of-the-week
options. “Monday is one buffet option; Tuesday is another,”
Maisels says. “ If you pick the menu of that day, you achievesavings. I’m seeing that a lot more.”“You start a relationship where you’re understanding yourfood in a way that you didn’t really understand it before.”

Mental Health and Meetings | 8

TOUCHPOINT #4:
BREAKS
Breaks are one of the most important opportunities for
networking at any event, and meeting professionals arelooking to make the most of them to ensure attendees have agreat experience.
The days when organizers could simply offer plentiful
food in big portions at mealtimes—and rely on sugary pastries
to keep everyone awake during breaktimes—have ended, forthe most part. “Soft drinks and granola bars are not cutting it
anymore,” says Alicia Schiro of Aced It Events.
Many organizers are looking to make breaks more exciting
and Instagrammable. At some recent events, for instance,
Schiro’s clients have opted to make coffee part of theentertainment. “They’re doing specialty coffee with an onsite
barista,” she says. “It’s all about the experience.”
Creative coffee break stations that incorporate activity arealso catching on. “You don’t have to stand around the buffet
all the time,” Ankaer says. “You can take something and go fora nice stroll. Some people feel it’s more engaging to go for awalk with a couple of colleagues, or other participants. Someof the venues are also situated in a nice location, where you
have green areas outside.”
Some planners are keeping things interesting through thepacing of how they serve food at breaks. “It isn’t an open barof cookies and pastries all day,” Lyons says. “It is small bites ona plate all day long that are coming in.”The “brain food” trend is catching on, with more planners
looking to keep attendees energized with foods rich in
phytonutrients and Omega-3 fatty acids, lower in sugar or
more eco-friendly, such as sustainable coffee. Ankaer says
he is seeing locally grown fresh strawberries or cherries, andenergy bars, served in addition to the pastries—“somethingthat is easy to take away.”That’s not to say that sweet treats are gone from menus
entirely. Some organizers are opting for a hybrid approach,alternating a “healthy” coffee break with one featuring
traditional pastries and sweets, Maisels says. “They’refocused on balance,” she says.

For later in the day, one option that’s growing in
popularity is the milkshake bar, sometimes including a boozymilkshake. “Guests get to choose their toppings—strawberry,
coconut, etc.—and what kind of alcohol,” Schiro says.
Nonalcoholic beverage options like mocktails are also
more present, as non-drinkers make their preferences known.
“We can’t just assume everyone wants a glass of wine orbeer,” Maisels says. “There is a large group of people who arechoosing not to drink but still want to participate socially.”
However, some beverage options have become
prohibitive for some meeting organizers in today’s
inflationary environment, requiring an imaginative approach
to breaks. “Inflation is real,” Maisels says. “Prices haveincreased exponentially. We’re finding you have to be very
creative and cost-effective. Things like a kombucha bar or acoffee bar, those kinds of things are very dependent at theend of the day on budget. It’s a very pricey time right now.”
It is also important to stay attunded to local sensitives
around social distancing. With anxieties from covid still
lingering in some parts of the world, Shackman has noticed
that stations at break times remain more separated than theyused to be, and many of the snacks being served are still
wrapped or have lids. And there are other sanitary measures.
“The staff, at least in New York City, are still wearing masks,”
Shackman says.
At one recent event in Copenhagen, the organizers served
energy-bars made with protein from grasshoppers on breaks,
according to Per Ankaer, managing director at the eventsagency MCI Copenhagen.
At another gathering in the city, the chef went evenfurther. “They were serving live ants as one of their meals,”Ankaer says. “Everyone is trying to experiment.”
Although these trendy approaches are beyond what moreconservative markets might implement, there’s no doubt that
innovation is reinvigorating the food and beverage choices atconferences and events around the globe this year.

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TOUCHPOINT #5:
DEPARTURE
Making an event memorable as guests are starting tothink about departure requires meeting professionals to
become even more creative about food and beverage.
Melinda L. Burdette, CMP, CMM, senior director of events
at Meeting Professionals International, says the approachto departure depends on the type of event. “If it is a lunch,dinner or other food function, then having desserts ‘to-go’
as a takeaway treat can be nice and fun with activations on
their way out,’” Burdette says. “I am still seeing room-drop
amenities as the basic ‘treat’ for guests at events.”
At some events, Schiro brings in a master mixologist
to teach guests how to make the perfect Manhattan. As
a parting gift, Schiro recently had cocktail kits made, with“everything you need to make a cocktail” inside of a velvet
travel bag where someone can roll up all all eight tools,
including a spoon and shaker. “This is a travel cocktail kit. You
can bring it anywhere,” she says. “It rolls up really cute, andit’s easy for them to travel back home with it,” she says. Even
better, “they were branded with the client’s logo,” she says.

Departure can be a great time to reinforce the messagingof the event through food and beverage. At The Health andWellbeing Coaching Conference, Matthews—looking to stayconsistent with the event’s wellness-oriented theme—isclosing the event with “a full (and amazing!) make-your-own
acai bowl bar, which is very fitting both for the nature of ourevent and our location of San Diego.”
Sometimes, the most welcome touch at the end of any
food- and beverage-driven event is leftovers. In keeping withthe sustainability trend, Lyons makes it possible for attendees
to bring home food that hasn’t been eaten in provided
containers. “All our leftovers are going to individuals, with thethought process that people take it home to their families,”
she says.
It’s not only about sustainability but also about being partof the human family—the reason for connecting at meetings
in the first place.

CONCLUSION
The barriers between meeting professionals and catering
companies and executive chefs have collapsed.
Today’s food and beverage environment is a collaborative
one in which accommodations are seen as opportunities forcreativity and innovation and functions aren’t just designed
to meet physiological needs.

Meeting professionals consider every facet of event
design and execution strategically, ushing in a new era ofconsideration for nourishment and an exciting space forinnovation in food and beverage.

Mental Health and Meetings | 10

TEMPTINGHEALTHYSUSTAINABLE

At Radisson Meetings our delicious menus are designed tofuel productive gatherings and keep the conversation flowing.
Enjoy beautiful presentation, amazing taste, fresh and sustainably
sourced ingredients, and a great range of flavours and options
to suit any diet, culture, or lifestyle.

radissonhotels.com/meetings

About Meeting Professionals International
Meeting Professionals International (MPI) is the largest meeting and event industry association worldwide. The organization
provides innovative and relevant education, networking opportunities and business exchanges, and acts as a prominent voice
for the promotion and growth of the industry. MPI has a global community of 60,000 meeting andevent professionals including nearly 14,000 engaged members. It has It has nearly 70 chapters, clubs and members in morethan 75 countries worldwide. “When we meet, we change the world.” For more information, visit https://MPI.org.

About Radisson Hotel GroupThe Radisson family of brands can be found around the world in more than 120 countries, with currently over 1,700 hotels in
operation and under development. Radisson Hotel Group operates the business in EMEA and APAC with over 1,100 hotels
in operation and under development. The international hotel group is rapidly growing with a plan to double the portfolio
by 2025. The Group’s overarching brand promise is Every Moment Matters with a signature “Yes I Can!” service ethos. The
Radisson family of brands portfolio includes Radisson Collection, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, Radisson Individuals,
Park Plaza, Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, and prizeotel brought together under one commercial
umbrella brand Radisson Hotels.
Radisson Rewards is Radisson Hotel Group’s loyalty program, which delivers an elevated experience that makes Every Moment
Matter. As the most streamlined program in the sector, members enjoy exceptional advantages and can access their benefits
from day one across a wide range of hotels in Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific.
Radisson Meetings provides tailored solutions for any event or meeting, including hybrid solutions placing guests and theirneeds at the heart of its offer. Radisson Meetings is built around three strong service commitments: personal, professional andmemorable, while delivering on brilliant basics and being uniquely 100% carbon neutral.

About Elaine Pofeldt
Elaine Pofeldt is an independent journalist and speaker who specializes in entrepreneurship and careers. She is author of
the books Tiny Business, Big Money and The Million-Dollar, One-Person Business. As a senior editor at Fortune Small Businessmagazine, she was twice nominated for the National Magazine Award for her feature stories. Her work has appeared in
FORTUNE, Money, CNBC Inc., Forbes, Crain’s New York Business and many other business publications and she is a contributor
to the Economist Intelligence Unit. Elaine also helps clients with projects such as blogging, ghost writing, white papers, reports,
ebooks, custom content, academic editing and proposal writing and editing.

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