Two new IACC guides detail new approaches to serving food and beverages at business events, conferences and meetings.
The IACC Guide to Re-Imagining Refreshment Breaks and the IACC Guide to Re-Imagining Conference Breaks were developed from research and insights from global IACC-certified venues. They can be downloaded HERE.
The association worked with food and beverage experts, many of whom have been operating venues successfully over the last eight months, exploring the key differences in a range of areas including the sales and planning process, service styles, attendee flows, waste and pricing strategies.
Commenting on the new IACC guides, the association’s CEO Mark Cooper said: “These two guides offer such rich advice because they are the perspectives of those experts who have already experienced serving groups again and can see the change in behaviours that can shape the way we serve our attendees for years to come.
“When I see solutions that will improve the experience for our clients even when compared to pre-pandemic, that is when I get very excited about these innovations,” he added.
The guides emphasize communication (venue to planner, planner to attendee, etc.) and reassurance as well as following all necessary health security protocols. They also contain practical suggestions for operating in the new normal. These include:
- separating entrances and exits when reconfiguring restaurants for groups;
- extending f&b service to other areas of the venue (taking lunch to the people in the meeting space);
- offering a range of service types (eg. self-serve buffet, staffed buffet, mini-stations, lunch bags break boxes, outdoor breaks, etc.);
- and offering the option of a dedicated chef and service team if the group’s budget allows.
The new IACC guides were produced with the support of Meeting Professionals International (MPI), the Events Industry Council (EIC) and MeetingsNet. IACC’s membership is comprised of more than 400 small- and medium-sized conference/meeting venues from countries around the world, including Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Malaysia, Belgium, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, Wales, Canada, Costa Rica, Mexico and the United States.