Food trends in the event industry are evolving more towards sustainability and diversity, often following the trends for event planning in general. The only thing that isn’t changing is the need to ensure that the food at the event is healthy and delicious — but there are many ways of accomplishing that!
Nowadays, there’s an emphasis on making sure that even the food is part of the story and that it enhances attendee experience in a meaningful way. To take your event catering to the next level, let’s have a look at new event food trends for 2019:
Location-Specific Food
There’s a reason why location-specific food is so popular at events — when going to a unique place, people are more open to experiencing new things. And once they try authentic food made by the local masters of the kitchen, they’re sure to like it. Location-specific food also has one important benefit for the event planners — it’s easy to fit into the event story and message.
However, those aren’t the only pros of serving location-specific food at an event. It’s also worth noting that using locally grown ingredients is considered a good ecological practice, which always has a lot of appeal with your guests.
Food Stations and Food Walls
An eye-catching and new interactive way of displaying and serving food, are wall displays which have been gaining popularity. They’re exceptionally well suited for food such as donuts, bagels or pretzels.
If your presentation is creative and picture-worthy, it is sure to inspire the attendees to create their perfect combination on their plate. And might even be good for a photo op or two
All Dietary Options
Planning a menu for everyone including the attendees with dietary restrictions is no easy task. However, it’s becoming increasingly more critical in the event industry. Every attendee needs to be able to eat, and for that to happen, at least a few of the major dietary restrictions should be addressed.
Make sure to provide vegan options, gluten-free options, as well as food that doesn’t contain any common allergens like nuts. This effort will pay off, considering that one in 13 Canadians has a severe food allergy and more than 3 million Canadians are vegans or vegetarians.
Sustainability
Sustainability is being implemented at events in more ways than one, especially when it comes to food. Even biodegradable wares are becoming highly demanded, from plates and cutlery to toothpicks and straws.
There are a few different options that event attendees are beginning to expect, sustainability-wise. The first is to combat food waste, which includes the wasting of the food itself and the trash created by the food packaging at an event. With the growing focus on location-specific food, sustainability is going to thrive as a trend.
The event industry depends on trends, especially when it comes to food. Knowing what’s popular can significantly impact the organization of an event, turning it from a moderate success into an outstanding one.
If you need help coming up with on-trend food ideas for your event, call us at Bright Ideas Events. We’ll be happy to assist you in any way we can.
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