With new health-safety protocols, meeting and event planners together with host venues and service providers have had to retool everything from seating to menus and more.
As we all know food can make or break an event. The food and beverage portion of your event timeline is the most social time which makes networking so important to event ROI. So how can you deliver artfully prepared food and beverages that appeases your guest while still keeping safety in mind? Here are a few popular trends to get you started:
Be transparent about how food is prepared. Consider an open kitchen, where guests can watch their meal be prepared and ask questions. This builds trust and also adds an excitement. Not only that but it provides an opportunity for guests to customize their individual serving to meet their needs. Here you will continue to see plexiglass separating your attendees from the station chef as well as disposable gloves.
Attendees love a variety of foods. New safety protocols don’t mean you need to sacrifice small dishes. The most popular and safe ways to serve them are passed, pre-plated or set-up at server-attended stations. From single serving charcuterie boards to cones to sliders and single taco salads, the sky is the limit!
Long gone are the days of open buffets. Instead, most organizers are opting for plated food service, where masked and gloved servers bring dishes directly to each attendee. Adding to the safety, meals are kept covered until placed on the table.
Since the pandemic, single-use products have become the safest choice. That being said plastics are not sustainable. Consider alternatively bamboo or palm leaf plates, both of which are biodegradable.
After the last two years, attendees have yearned to network. Traditional seating at standard rounds may not only limit this but make some attendees uncomfortable as you will be unmasked while eating. Instead, offer new seating options that accommodate varying comfort levels. Perhaps you have a table with plexiglass partitions, separating it into four quadrants with centerpieces in corners of barriers. Mix in high-top tables for those who are more comfortable or eight-food tables with two seats at either end together with large communal tables with chairs spaced apart to give east attendee extra space.
Should you decide to offer alcohol, consider cutting cocktail hours from two hours to one, or from an hour to 30 minutes. By limiting the duration of the cocktail portion of your event, you will not only save money by reducing the number of beverages people drink but additionally reduce the likelihood of unsafe behavior.
Creator of digital platform meetingpages complete event planning directory and resource delivering leads and national, regional and local exposure for event venues, suppliers and destinations in MN, WI, IA & CO markets. In her free time, this 19 year industry veteran enjoys dance, group fitness, and training her young golden retriever dog in competition obedience and confirmation.
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