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2018 culinary trends showcase ethnic cuisine and fun

February 12, 2018 by Anne Thornley-Brown, MBA Leave a Comment

2018 culinary trends showcase ethnic cuisine and fun

2018 culinary trends showcase ethnic cuisine and fun

Filed Under: Attendee experience, Food and beverage, Menu design Tagged With: food and beverage

How to survive a business dinner anywhere in the world

August 3, 2016 by Marcus Clarke Leave a Comment

How to survive a business dinner anywhere in the world

Hosting or attending a business dinner may be fairly simple in your own county, but one overseas could be a different story. Unfamiliar surroundings mixed with cultural differences can lead to simple misunderstandings that can easily offend or upset, and ultimately diminish business relationships. But with a bit of homework avoiding offending your dinner guests when traveling on business needn’t be difficult.

Filed Under: Being professional Tagged With: etiquette, food and beverage

Come and get it: 8 hot catering trends for 2015

October 2, 2014 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

Culinaire International’s Senior VP David Wood discusses what planners and attendees will be munching on soon.

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: david wood, f&b, food and beverage, meetings and events

Fight event fatigue with a boost from superfoods

June 13, 2014 by Kim Bercovitz, Ph.D. Leave a Comment

Give up cookies for dark chocolate-covered strawberries? These tips, and others, can make your event one that runs on energy and clear thinking.

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: brain boosters, energy boosters, food and beverage, health and wellness, meetings and events

Back to Dallas, plus standing up for yourself

April 28, 2014 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

I’m thrilled that my column smacking a bit on Dallas’ private dining scene did exactly what I wanted it to do: Get people talking.

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: ask questions, catering, catering managers, chef-owners, claire gould, f&b, food and beverage, meetings and events, private dining in dallas

Dallas on Sunday: No lunch, no how, no way

March 25, 2014 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

What I’ve discovered in my years as a culinary consultant around the world is that the hospitality community in any given city can take on a particular nuance. Dallas is no exception.

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: catering, catering managers, claire gould, f&b, food and beverage, meetings and events

Attention all exhibit managers, this one’s for you

May 21, 2013 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

When does it make sense to do catering in an exhibit? We have some food for thought.

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: banqueting, claire r. gould, culinary, exhibitions, f&b, food and beverage, glassware, group meals, monthly morsel

The dirty business of banqueting cleanliness

April 18, 2013 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

Talk with the banqueting team during your planning process and share with them what you expect. All necessary cleaning must be done back of house and not on the floor.

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: banqueting, claire r. gould, f&b, food and beverage, glassware, group meals, monthly morsel

Guarantees: The shorting and the wrong of it

March 12, 2013 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

Today we’re going to talk about the fine art — and I do mean the fine art — of shorting guarantees.

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: f&b, food and beverage, food guarantees, meal guarantees, monthly morsel, planning 101

Attention restaurant catering managers, please listen up!

February 12, 2013 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

The bottom line: Restaurants, if you sell group business have a staff trained to handle the request. Most importantly, have a catering manager who will get back to the customer on a timely basis.

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: best practices, caterers, catering, f&b, food and beverage, group dining, group travel

Jell-O, anyone? Banqueting trends and tips for 2013

January 18, 2013 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

Let’s talk trends. As I see it, 2013 isn’t going to be just about the food anymore. It will encompass many aspects of the entire experience.

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: f&b, food and beverage

Twitter becoming key ingredient in culinary strategy

December 19, 2012 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

Centerplate, the contract catering company, had a staff person dedicated to following this trade show’s Twitter hashtag in real time, so if someone tweeted a viable comment or complaint, managers could fix it right away.

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: centerplate, claire gould, food and beverage, monthly morsel, social media, twitter

6 tips for innovative banquets

March 26, 2012 by Claire R. Gould 1 Comment

Don’t confuse “innovation” with “popular.” They are two very different areas.

Filed Under: Engagement strategies, Food and beverage, Meeting and event design, PYM Blog Tagged With: advice for meeting planners, banquets, food and beverage

F&B shortfalls? You have options

March 2, 2012 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

I did some work for a client last month who had a nice-size food & beverage minimum to play with. Or rather I had a rather large-size F&B minimum to play with. We fed and watered the people all day long. All the guests of this high-income group enjoyed themselves very much. No one wanted […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: catering advice, concessions, contract negotiaions, food and beverage, food and beverage negotiation, minimums

Please, no chocolate fountains!

February 1, 2012 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

Love is in the air … Valentine’s Day — Feb. 14 is here (or gone). The day we either love, or hate, or the day we would love to hate. It’s always a bit awkward for planners who have an event falling over Cupid’s holiday. Especially if your attendees are primarily men and the destination is out of town. […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: advice for meeting planners, catering, food, food and beverage

What I learned from catering to queens

January 19, 2012 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

I am late (again) with writing this morsel because I just got done doing the food for the Miss California USA beauty pageant. The first thing that should come to everyone’s mind is this question: What am I doing feeding girls that are participating in a beauty contest?! Those girls don’t eat. Well, my dear readers, you are […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: advice for meeting planners, catering, food, food and beverage

Executing creative catering ideas without the cost

December 11, 2011 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

I had a major corporation ask me to participate in an RFP for a 10,000+ person annual event. Most people would have been overwhelmed by this daunting task, but for some reason I wasn’t. I thought it was a wonderful opportunity to dig deep within and show this company what I had to say about […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, catering, cost-saving, creative, culinary, food and beverage, menus, negotiation

Culinary lessons learned in Las Vegas

November 4, 2011 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

As many of you know, I spent 10 days in October working in Vegas for four different clients. Suppliers in this town say they haven’t recovered from the recession. If you’re like me, you’d expect them to be flexible and accommodating so they leave a positive impression that encourages business, right? Nope. Here are some […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, catering, food and beverage, las vegas, rip-off, tips

Say ‘I do’ to these wedding planning tips

August 5, 2011 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

This month I want everyone to hold on to your bouquets because I am doing a … wedding!  The lucky couple are getting married in Los Angeles,Calif. They are having a  midday wedding/lunch and a party that evening at the groom’s second home, so this has turned into a destination wedding. So what I have learned from planning this event (other […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage, PYM Blog Tagged With: best, catering advice, culinary, fandb, food, food and beverage, plan, reception, tips for planning a wedding, wedding, wedding menu, wedding planning tips

Meet, eat, achieve!

March 24, 2011 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

Planning a meeting or event in a restaurant has several advantages, especially for small to mid-size groups.

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: corporate meetings and events, fandb, food and beverage, how to plan an event at a restaurant, off-site meetings, planning a meeting at a restaurant, restaurant buy-outs, restaurant venues, restaurants, special facilities

Healthy menu options

March 7, 2011 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

As we are happily heading into spring the one thought that goes through people’s minds is how do we shed our winter “coats” (a.k.a. pounds)? In this morsel, I am going to share a couple of food ideas that will leave your attendees grateful for having food options that are clever, healthy and tasty. Fruit. […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, banquet menus, catering, catering advice, claire gould, fandb tips, food and beverage, group dining, healthy snacks, how do you plan a menu

F&B: The good, the bad and the ugly, Part II

March 2, 2011 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

Claire Gould shares her best practices for culinary negotiations, how to avoid blowing out your budget, handling bar inventory and more.

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: applications, bar inventory, bar trends, bartenders fees, canned beer, catering advice, catering relationships, claire gould, contract negotiations, corporate meetings and events, creating a partnership with catering managers, culinary trends, find hiden fees, food and beverage, food packages, planning menus, pym knowledge series

Bringing it home for the holidays: December 2010 morsel

December 3, 2010 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

As we are winding down the calendar year, but gearing up for professional and personal holiday gatherings, the same question gets asked over and over: What to serve on a budget? For the month of December I want to take this morsel out of the banqueting kitchen and bring it into your home for the […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, catering, dinner party, entertaining during the holidays, f&b, fandb, food and beverage, fun desserts, holiday, how to host

Food and beverage: The good, the bad and the ugly, Part I

November 29, 2010 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

The first area planners tend to trim money from is their food and beverage budget. But how do you save money without sacrificing the experience for your attendees, avoid getting hit by hidden banquet fees and best work with the director of food and beverage and catering manager to create exceptional events? In this PYM […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, bad menus, best practices, buffet tips, catering, claire gould, culinary negotiation, custom menus, fandb, food and beverage, food safety, get what you pay for, good menus, Hans Ritten, kosher 101, menu planning, one ocean resort, pym knowledge series, sample timeline, save money with catering, service charges

Respect the numbers: October 2010 morsel

October 8, 2010 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

I am going to make this morsel so short and sweet folks aren’t going to believe it. Here is the deal: When we, as planners, give a third party company or facility a budget number, this is what the appropriate vendor needs to do …  RESPECT IT! It amazes me when I  give someone a […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, budgets, catering, fandb, food and beverage, handling budgets, how to

Why it’s important to educate your hosts: September 2010 morsel

September 1, 2010 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

Last week I was working for a client, hosting a Friday night reception at a charming wine store owned by a husband and wife. The wine store is in a very sweet and intimate setting that accommodates up to 50 people. During the event, I had a couple of situations happen that I wasn’t so […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, catering, fandb, food and beverage, help, monthly morsel, renting stores for events

How not to launch a new event space: June 2010 morsel

June 1, 2010 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

Recently, I went to a party to celebrate the opening of a “new rooftop event space” at an Atlanta office building along with many other event planners and vendors. Atlanta doesn’t have much of a skyline, but that wasn’t what bothered me. What bothered me is that they wanted people to experience their space, atmosphere, […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, catering, claire gould, fandb, food and beverage, how to, special events venue

Local. Seasonal. Organic. How to green your meeting menu

May 19, 2010 by Johanna R. Walsh, CMP Leave a Comment

As meetings incorporate more and more green programs, the most delicious way to accomplish your eco-event goals and educate your attendees about your actions is through food and beverage. Below are tips to work with your caterers to provide green food to reward your attendees during their long meeting days. Local When building your menu, […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage, Meeting sustainably, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, catering, f&b, food, food and beverage, how to, local, organic, seasonal, sustainable, sustainably

The culinary X factor: May 2010 morsel

May 2, 2010 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

I was in Indianapolis working an intense food weekend at the NCAA Final Four and I had something interesting occur that rarely happens. What, you ask? I met a chef. Well, that’s not the interesting part because it is only natural that I would be dealing a chef. But this wasn’t any executive chef; it […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, catering, claire gould, fandb, female chefs, food and beverage, help, how to

The unspoken event: January 2009 morsel

January 5, 2010 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

Throughout the years with this column, I have written about weddings, all types of corporate parties and given tips about entertaining in the home. This month, I am going to discuss something that no one is ever really prepared for and which I’ve never seen any event professional discuss: a funeral. On Dec. 19, 2009, […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage, Meeting and event design, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, catering, claire gould, event planning, food and beverage, funeral planning

Finding inspiration to excel: December 2009 morsel

December 4, 2009 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

As we round out the year, I know many of you are exhaling a collective sigh of relief that 2009 is nearing its end while simultaneously sucking in your breath in anticipation of 2010. With that being said, I want to close out my 2009 monthly morsels by writing about the Executive Chef at The […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, catering, claire gould, culinary, fandb, food and beverage, inspiration

Beware when buying out fine dining restaurants: November 2009 morsel

November 1, 2009 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

Buying out fine dining restaurants is something I am a big fan of for several reasons. But lately, I am a bit frustrated. I negotiated a buyout of a big-name chef restaurant in Orlando and very clearly told the catering manager up-front that I was going have some menu tweeks. The catering manager said, “Fine, no problem. […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage, PYM Blog Tagged With: Advice & Best Practices, catering, claire gould, fandb advice, food and beverage, help, restaurant buy out

Buffet brouhaha: October 2009 morsel

October 5, 2009 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

I am currently negotiating menus at a downtown property and my client is doing lunch buffets. What a buffet is all about is choices, that is why many clients prefer this option of food instead of plated. Here is my problem: This particular property has a hefty price buffet with only ONE choice of dessert. I said to the […]

Filed Under: Food and beverage, PYM Blog Tagged With: buffet menus, catering advice, claire gould, fandb help, food and beverage

Need a prescription for savings?

June 25, 2009 by Ashley Brazzel Leave a Comment

Sometimes outsourcing part of the planning process can save you a lot of time and money. If you have difficulty reading contracts, feel uncomfortable negotiating, or just want some help creating interesting themes or finding quality vendors at your price point, check out Rx for Catering or Rx for Weddings.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: catering help, food and beverage, negotiation, Outsourced catering, Rx for catering, Rx for weddings

Sustainable food and beverage: An interview with Tim Stein of Levy Restaurants

May 7, 2009 by Lindsay Smith Leave a Comment

Every month I interview leaders within the various sectors in the meetings and events industry, focusing on the steps they are taking towards implementing sustainable practices. This month, I talk with Tim Stein, the director of operations for Levy Restaurants, the food and beverage contractor for Denver’s Pepsi Center.

Filed Under: Food and beverage, Meeting sustainably, PYM Blog, PYM profiles Tagged With: food and beverage, green meetings, levy restaurants, lindsay smith, sustainable meetings, tim stein

A taste of the south

December 18, 2008 by pym Leave a Comment

Rib Ranch Events and Catering, located in Marietta, Ga., coordinates with other companies to provide tables, chairs, tents, bands, balloons and bartending for special events. Rib Ranch’s wide array of menus include barbecue, breakfast, and Italian food. For more information, call 770-422-7746 or email sales@theribranch.com.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: barbecue, catering, food and beverage, rib ranch, Spotlight

Catering tips, trends and advice

August 29, 2008 by Kristi Casey Sanders Leave a Comment

How do you plan a traditional banquet without it appearing stuffy? How much liquor do you buy if you have to supply it for a 500-person event? How do you spruce up barbecue? How do you deal with a client who insists on serving mashed potatoes in a martini glass? And how do you tell a venue you hate their preferred caterer?

Filed Under: PYM Blog Tagged With: catering advice, food and beverage, menu planning, tips, trends

Watch the bar: October 2006 morsel

October 2, 2006 by Claire R. Gould Leave a Comment

Every planner knows that the bar bill can drive costs way up. Here’s some valuable advice from our resident F & B expert, Claire Gould.

Filed Under: Food and beverage Tagged With: bar, costs, food and beverage, inventory, liquor







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