2018 culinary trends showcase ethnic cuisine and fun
Event food and beverage
Tips and advice on hitting a grand slam with your event food and beverage strategy.
Food allergies and the ADA
Our meetings should be considerate of people with food allergies—because it’s the right thing to do and because of the growing risk of liability for failing to do so.
Celebrating International Sushi Day (June 18)
Under the guise of International Sushi Day, take a moment to luxuriate in the delicacy and pick up some sushi knowledge nuggets.
Vegan inclusion tips for meetings and events
It is not that difficult to be inclusive of vegans at your event. Follow these simple tips and guidelines to ease the process.
The fastest way to save time and money
At PYM LIVE New York, an executive assistant who planned several of her company’s meetings shared her biggest challenge: finding time to work more efficiently. With so many meetings coming in at the last minute, her boss suggested that she look into giving some planning tasks to an outside contractor.
The geopolitics of hospitality free online course
Want some heady, thoroughly accessible yet detailed deep background of human hospitality, its evolution and reach? It sure looks like the free course The Geopolitics of Hospitality will help sate your hunger for knowledge.
Classy cuisine for galas and festive events
When attendees typically participate in a number of special events and galas, it’s important to “spice up” menus and add some variety. Replacing or supplementing traditional seasonal dishes such as turkey with classic entrées is the added touch that guests will appreciate.
4 top tips for satisfying special meal requests
One of the biggest changes planners have had to deal with in recent years is the increase in special-meal requests. These tips from experienced planners can help you navigate.
You asked, we answer: Nutrition labeling on hotel menus
As meeting planners, we order the food for our attendees, so we must be conscious of what we’re serving during our watch.
What’s hot now: 6 top catering trends
Look for these options at your next event: hyper-local, craft food and drink, gluten-free, ancient grains, mini-comfort foods, umami, meaty flavors and gourmet vegetarian.
Orlando’s Grande Lakes gets its catering so right
Hat’s off to the JW Marriott Grande Lakes in Orlando, where the catering team is anything but ordinary.
Come and get it: 8 hot catering trends for 2015
Culinaire International’s Senior VP David Wood discusses what planners and attendees will be munching on soon.
Bravo for a legendary experience at AT&T Stadium
An event at AT&T Stadium in Dallas exceeded expectations and offered lessons.
To tip or not to tip, that is the question
When in doubt I recommend going with your heart.
On Jim Barto, the Atlanta Hilton and doing the right thing
In the case of longtime senior sales manager Jim Barto, everyone at the Atlanta Hilton Downtown did the right thing down to the last detail.
Fight event fatigue with a boost from superfoods
Give up cookies for dark chocolate-covered strawberries? These tips, and others, can make your event one that runs on energy and clear thinking.
Time management: Easier said than done
The crux of this Monthly Morsel is trust, when it’s earned and when it’s not.
Back to Dallas, plus standing up for yourself
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.
Dallas on Sunday: No lunch, no how, no way
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.
Ready, set, eat! 2014 trends favor the small, potent
Imagine a milkshake spiked with chocolate-cherry liqueur and topped with whip, crushed chocolate wafers and a cherry. Who’d miss this meeting?
Say what you mean, mean what you say
The point of this rant? Read your banqueting menus very carefully. When you see print that you think isn’t true, call them out on it.
2001 called and it wants its spuds back
Our Monthly Morsel column shares tales from the dark side, what catering managers can do to make sure they book an event and some of the major turnoffs.
Wise words for hosting holiday events at home
Since the holiday season is upon us, I thought I’d write about entertaining at home. Some people look forward to this all year long; others dread it. Which are you?
For on-site staff, stick with a catering manager
People try to cut corners by using someone who enjoys food or has minimal food knowledge. When that happens, the inexperienced managers almost always shoot themselves in the foot.
For planners, the ABCs of BEOs
To a catering manager, culinary team or banqueting department, change a four-letter wor
What happens in Vegas is too often a lose-lose
Venues in the gambling capital leave a bad taste with their refusal to bend for a Sunday event. What’s a planner to do?
Don’t get burned when booking a caterer (enter our contest)
What’s wrong with this picture? Read this month’s morsel on “Hiring an outside caterer” and, if you can answer the red flag question, you’ll qualify to win a Starbucks gift card.
Specify plate size so clients get their money’s worth
It’s our job as planners to specify the plate size and give our guests the food we have purchased.
Attention all exhibit managers, this one’s for you
When does it make sense to do catering in an exhibit? We have some food for thought.
The dirty business of banqueting cleanliness
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.
Mandatory service charges: Where does the money go?
The little “++” that appears on each menu page don’t mean you’ll receive extra food, service or attention.
Guarantees: The shorting and the wrong of it
Today we’re going to talk about the fine art — and I do mean the fine art — of shorting guarantees.
Attention restaurant catering managers, please listen up!
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.
Jell-O, anyone? Banqueting trends and tips for 2013
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.
Twitter becoming key ingredient in culinary strategy
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.
Stay out of hot water with this bit of wisdom on coffee service
My two exhibitors saw an attendance of more 2,500 people at their trade shows; only one person asked specifically for decaf coffee.
Banqueting = fun
Remember, banqueting needn’t be complicated or splashy in order to be fun. It can employ simple things that are done cleanly.
The ins and outs of menu tastings
Clients ask a lot of questions about menu tastings. Here’s a sampling of those questions from meeting and event planners. The answers should help guide you the next time you’re in a place to taste.
Today’s lesson: What you see isn’t always what you get
In banqueting, learn to ask questions and then go in and negotiate price points accordingly.
An ‘industry standards’ story: Seeing red when someone is green
To me, and based on my experience, industry standards are best practices that are formula based, not scenario based.
Onions, orchids and mint, oh my!
Garnishes make Claire Gould a touch crabby (who knew?). Find out why …
Invitations: Please be clear!
Be specific when you do party invitations. When you host a party, it’s your responsibility to write the invitation with as much clarity as possible.
Sustainable Meetings Conference 2012: A whole lot of wonderful
The annual Sustainable Meetings Conference, organized by the Green Meeting Industry Council (GMIC), convened in Montreal this year on April 22-25. Read Part 1 of our report.
6 tips for innovative banquets
Don’t confuse “innovation” with “popular.” They are two very different areas.
Dedicated social ‘hubs’ keep attendees nearby
One of the most important parts of a conference or event is a place dedicated to the art of networking. Social spaces are quickly becoming the go-to place or “hub” at a conference or event. It’s where you meet peers, collaborate and network. Gone are the days of finding a coffee shop or bar to […]
F&B shortfalls? You have options
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 […]
Please, no chocolate fountains!
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. […]
What I learned from catering to queens
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 […]
Executing creative catering ideas without the cost
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 […]
Culinary lessons learned in Las Vegas
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 […]
Tips on tipping
As I was working a wedding last weekend, the Director of Catering at the “wedding in a box” venue (Mike) and I got into an interesting conversation about tipping. To give you some background, this venue is pretty exclusive, so you need to have a healthy budget ($400 pp+) to hold your wedding at Mike’s facility. What surprised — […]
Say ‘I do’ to these wedding planning tips
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 […]
Picnic picks for summer
Everyone who’s tired of seeing picnic lunch menus that feature grilled 6-oz. burgers and chicken raise your hand and say “I”! Since we’re in prime picnic months, allow me to suggest some picnic-themed banqueting items that can give this ho-hum menu a “food lift.” Salads I am not a fan of deviled eggs, yet I […]
Warm weather wines
It is very rare that I write my column based on meeting someone, but I came across such a “find” while working the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. I was so blown away by Ashley Hall and her extensive wine knowledge that it would be wrong of me not to share both with you, my dear readers. […]
The 2011 PYM Annual digital guide is here!
Bringing you “Motivation for Innovation,” the 2011 PYM Annual is designed to help you navigate new technologies, find solutions for current challenges and, hopefully, inspire you to create something big, bright, beautiful and business-friendly at your next meeting or event. But, like everything we do here at Plan Your Meetings, this was a group effort. […]
Cost-saving strategies and solutions to industry challenges
Despite reassurances that the recession is over, corporate purse strings aren’t getting any looser. And that, coupled with increasing hotel and transportation costs and short booking windows, is leaving meeting and event planners feeling pinched. On the meeting supply side, hotel and convention sales managers are having a hard time connecting with potential clients and […]
A true taste of the South: Atlanta’s inaugural food and wine festival
This month I want to pay tribute, tip my culinary cap to a group of people and give them a bow of respect. My monthly morsel is dedicated to the hard-working staff that is in overdrive, as I write this, to ensure the inaugural Atlanta Food & Wine Festival is one that the city can […]
Tips for working with inexperienced off-premise caterers
While working in Nevada last week, I went to the final meeting with the off-premise catering company who was catering my client’s customer appreciation event. This party was being held at a museum, and the caterer was from a chain of locally owned restaurants that recently started an off-premise catering division. Their first big contract […]
Meet, eat, achieve!
Planning a meeting or event in a restaurant has several advantages, especially for small to mid-size groups.
Healthy menu options
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. […]
F&B: The good, the bad and the ugly, Part II
Claire Gould shares her best practices for culinary negotiations, how to avoid blowing out your budget, handling bar inventory and more.
You do the math …
This morsel takes place in a southwestern convention hotel. My client decided to do an add-on of an omelet station at one of her breakfasts. There is a chef’s fee associated with this station for a 1.5 hour breakfast. I was purchasing 200 omelets, but the property wanted to provide me with only two chefs […]
Dietary restrictions … What’s a planner to do?
Nut allergies, seafood allergies, low-fat, low-carb, vegetarian, vegan, Indian vegetarian, kosher, non-dairy, gluten and soy-free … when the heck did dietary restrictions get so complicated? And where, as an event planner, does it end? To be honest, I don’t have an answer on this question. But “where does it end” does go through my mind as I am writing menus. Since […]
Bringing it home for the holidays: December 2010 morsel
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 […]
Food and beverage: The good, the bad and the ugly, Part I
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 […]
Guarantees vs. actual – A lesson learned on food replenishments: November 2010 morsel
I recently did a reception in Atlanta where the past history indicated 450-500 people would be attending the annual customer party. I have done this event for four years in various cities and have kept strict group history. Because convention attendance was up this year, the client and I decided that we would increase the […]
