Food & Beverage for Events

A recent article in BizBash discussed the 2009 holiday party. Due to the economy and a rather unfavorable view on excess spending, most companies are—not surprisingly—cutting back this year. Event planners are opting to keep parties in the office, choosing casual hors d'oeuvres over plated dinners, and even arranging charitable activities for employees to do together rather than hosting a party.

Though I knew this downscaled party to be the norm based on other items I've read recently, there was one quote in the article that did come as news:

"The good news is that people are concerned about availability for 2010 holiday parties," Peter Callahan of New York's Callahan Catering told BizBash. "We are back to 2007 levels of interest in holiday parties 13 months away."

I was surprised, especially considering some recent studies that seem to suggest 2010 may be a better year for meetings, but only compared to the poor 2009 levels, not to those prior. What do you think? Will your holiday party be back and better than ever in 2010?