Food & Beverage for Events

Welcome! As a Marketing Communications Associate for Cvent, I am fortunate to have the responsibility to not only manage the Cvent blog, but also to write my own! 

My blog, Food & Beverage for Events, merges my love for dining, drinks, and, yes, even pop culture, with the world of meetings and events. Best practices for planning menus, cost-cutting tips for F&B spend, restaurant venue reviews and more are among the topics on the table, so to speak. I also often share some of the interesting trends and facts that I come across during my day-in, day-out experience and collaboration with event planners and suppliers.

If you have comments, questions or suggestions for stories, please feel free to post a comment!

Professional associations are always looking for ways to boost contributions from their members, but, especially in today's economy, it's tough to do. In fact, a recent ASAE & The Center for Association Leadership found that fewer than 15 percent of members contribute beyond dues and fees to their respective professional associations. The question leaders and association planners must wonder is, why aren't they deciding to give?

ASAE's study The Decision to Give: What Motivates Individuals...Continue Reading »

Early bird discounts can be a great way to boost attendance to your event. After all, it's hard for anyone to resist a deal!

But what about all those attendees who managed to resist your reduced registration rate—how can you encourage them to sign up as well?

• Send reminders. We're all busy professionals, and it's not uncommon for our inboxes to be maxed out. Especially during the summer when many of us take days off for vacation (i.e. aren't around to check the inbox every five minutes), it's...Continue Reading »

I couldn't let my mom down and not write a post about Fourth of July cocktails. It is a tradition, after all (remember Halloween? and St. Patty's?).

There are plenty of hotels and restaurants across the country that have come up with their own unique twists on holiday drinks. So, here are some of the top options that are sure to make the fireworks displays just a little bit brighter:

The Terrace at Trump

Chicago always puts on great firework shows. You can catch the Navy Pier spectacle from the...Continue Reading »

In addition to Donna's tips on name tags that get people talking, I recently came across another idea for using name badges for networking in Meetings & Conventions' Daily Hot Idea.

At your next event, take a cue from Shawna Suckow, CMP, of the Senior Planners Industry Network. Suckow puts the name of an out-of-town member behind the name tag in everyone's badge. Planners are asked to find that person after the event to meet and get to know them.

Be crafty like Suckow—she matches individuals...Continue Reading »

As you start planning more events again this summer and fall, are you confident that you're still in the know on all the important trends? When it comes to what attendees want on food and beverage menus, things have changed just as your event styles and budgets have.

A recent Hotel News Now article uncovered what hotel properties across the country are doing to adapt to diners' new tastes. Here's a summary on what you'll find:

• Meals to satisfy savvy diners—as Ed Layton, VP of hotel food...Continue Reading »

More meetings, less money were two of the main findings of MPI's recent FutureWatch 2010 study. The report, which drew responses from 1,832 MPI members representing 39 countries, found that U.S.-based planners will be expected to plan 21 percent more meetings in 2010 while spending 3.5 percent less per meeting.

Doing more with less will certainly be a common theme across all planner segments, though it's certainly not the only challenge this year. According to the survey, 61 percent of meeting...Continue Reading »

A quick update from my recent post on the effects of the Arizona immigration law on travel and tourism in the state: according to STR data, Arizona hotels saw occupancy rise 2.4 percent for the week of April 25 through May 1 (the first week following the signing of the law), but RevPAR dropped 2.6 percent and ADR decreased by 4.8 percent. The Arizona Hotel and Lodging Association reports that at least 23 meetings have been cancelled throughout the state and estimates it may end with as many as... Continue Reading »

According to Attorney General Eric Hoder, the U.S. Justice Department may file a civil lawsuit against Arizona's new immigration law, which is making waves not just among government officials but also among meeting and event industry professionals. According to CNN, Hoder said Sunday on NBC's "Meet the Press" that the Arizona law could cause civil rights violations.

"I think we could potentially get on a slippery slope where people will be picked on because of how they look as opposed to what...Continue Reading »

I haven't had much time to blog lately, but I just couldn't let a holiday like Cinco de Mayo go by without posting about, you guessed it, cocktails! Commemorating the Mexican army's victory over the (much larger) French at the 1862 Battle of Puebla, Cinco de Mayo isn't that much of a celebration in Mexico outside of the state of Puebla. However, in the United States, we tend to take every opportunity we can to party, and so Cinco de Mayo is a fun celebration of Mexican ancestry, full of dancing,...Continue Reading »