As an event planner one of the biggest choices you have to make is food selection for your delegates. With the rise in organic foods and farm-to-fork menus, you want to offer healthy and local foods, not because it’s a trend, but because it can affect your overall conference experience. According to Destination Hotels & Resorts, more than 78 percent of planners identify culinary offerings as an important part of their selection process. Of those, 43 percent want smart, well-planned packages that focus on health and nutrition.
Picking the right foods will help maintain energy levels, brain power and moods. We’ve all experienced food coma, especially in an afternoon session after eating a high carb lunch or filling up on cookies during the afternoon break. The secret recipe to keeping your delegates energized and productive throughout the day is natural sugars in fruit and slow-releasing complex carbohydrates in whole grain, vegetables and legumes. Good moods derive from nuts, seeds, wild berries, leafy green and beans.
As America’s Farm-to-Fork Capital, Sacramento’s chefs use the freshest, tastiest and most nutritious fruits and vegetables in the world. Classique Catering, the exclusive caterer at the Sacramento Convention Center and Memorial Auditorium, understands the direct link between food and an energized meeting. To assist planners with a healthier menu, Classique Catering has introduced several healthier menu options:
Farm-to-Fork use of locally sourced and nutritious food items to keep the menu seasonal, fresh and healthy
Heart-Healthy Continental Breakfast features house-baked multigrain bars, yogurt and granola instead of danish, muffins and bagels
Entrée Salads continue to be a popular healthy option
Afternoon Brain Boost is an assortment of dried fruits and nuts versus cookies and brownies
Dessert-tinis a three- to four-bite dessert just enough to get a sweet tooth satisfaction, but not over-indulge
For more on planning healthy meetings, The American Cancer Society has published a guide that offers tools and tips toward a healthier meeting. Click here to read more.
