The science behind picking the right food for your event

Great events are often accompanied by great food, but there is a careful science in picking the right food for an event.

From catering to people’s dietary requirements to ensuring the food on offer complements the overall theme of the day, many different elements go into crafting a culinary experience that is the right fit for your event.

For those unsure where to start, we’ve broken down what event planners need to consider when deciding on the right food for their event.

What kind of event are you hosting?

Before you delve into selecting the foods you want to offer at your event, it’s a good idea to first take a step back and assess what type of foods complement the event you are hosting.

Consider how long you want people to spend eating and how long your event is. Do you have a dedicated slot in the day for a formal sit-down meal, or are you envisioning a busy agenda that will require attendees to ‘grab and go’ throughout the day? Understanding and respecting your delegates' time can ensure you begin by selecting the types of food that respect the time of everyone in attendance.

Food should also be seen as an extension of your event, meaning it should also reflect the nature and formality of it. If your event has a focus on health and wellbeing, for example, having menu items that are conventionally seen as unhealthy may not complement the overall theme. Picking food that matches the overall look and feel can go a long way in providing one cohesive experience for your delegates.

Similarly, the food on offer should also match the formality of your event. If it involves a black-tie sit-down dinner, then your guests will expect a culinary experience that matches the decorum.

Focus on inclusion

Everyone wants to feel included when at an event, and ensuring your food is as inclusive as possible can go a long way in ensuring your attendees feel that way.

While asking for dietary requirements such as allergies, veganism and non-alcoholic is a good starting point, how you take these requirements and incorporate them into your culinary offering is the difference between a good catering experience and a great one.

Everyone wants to feel included, so a vegan only having one option on the menu or a tee-totaller only being offered Coca-Cola or water while everyone else has a wide variety of alcoholic options is not a great way to help those with these requirements feel included.

When it comes to veganism, ask your caterer what options are available and if meat-free versions of things already on the menu have vegan versions as well. Similarly, for those that are tee-total, explore what non-alcoholic options are available, such as mocktails and alcohol-free versions of popular alcoholic beverages.

You also want to ensure there is enough food for everyone. It can be a delicate balancing act in providing enough food but not wasting any more than you need to, with just under a third of event professionals admitting to throwing away at least 15% of the food from their event.

Ensuring accurate attendee numbers and sharing these with your event hosts can be extremely helpful in helping to provide enough food for everyone without any going to waste.

Excite the senses

Dining is a multi-sensory experience, so ensuring the food on offer excites all the senses is a great way to appeal to your guests and make your event extra memorable.

Looking at an event venue’s catering menu online is a good first step to getting an idea of the food on offer, but the best way to know what you’re getting is to go for a tasting session at the venue.

Doing so will allow you to get first-hand experience as to what’s on offer and allows you to work with the catering team to help craft a menu that both plays to the team’s strengths and will also delight your guests.

Remember, it’s not just about the taste. Consider how the food looks and how it will be presented on the day – what colours are used and do they complement or detract from the overall feel of the event? Does the food smell enticing? Are there certain sounds that complement the presentation or consumption of the food?

Choosing the right food

Ensuring an enticing food offering at your event can help turn a good event into a great one, and together with our award-winning in-house caterers Houston & Hawkes, we’ve been helping event planners create memorable events with memorable food as well.

For more information about our food offerings at events, explore our catering options or contact our venue team.