72 percent of respondents agree that food and beverage offerings should become healthier moving forward. As part of the increased emphasis on “experience creation”, almost two thirds believe food stations should become more creative.
Figure 25: Preferences for future of break and mealtime formats
Common frustrations with the food and beverage offerings for meetings include high costs and low value for money, rigid menus with a lack of flexibility, unhealthy food, a lack of options for dietary requirements including vegetarians/vegans, and food wastage. Another notable trend, many planners feel frustrated when a venue’s F&B does not represent the local or regional cuisine. In line with the rise of meaningful travel post-pandemic, attendees want to truly experience the destinations they are travelling to. Business travel is not solely business, but also travel! For an event to be meaningful and worth making the trip as opposed to attending virtually, it must offer the full “experience” of the destination.
Food and beverage is the highest expense on an event budget. Do planners appreciate how much of that budget
is thrown away? Typically 30-40%. Giving more focus to menu planning could not only reduce food waste, but save money.” —Tracy Stuckrath, Founder & Chief Connecting Officer, thrive! Meetings & Events
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