Food and Beverage Trends for Meetings and Events

 

By Beth Buehler

 

When planning a gathering, considering how to keep people happily fed and liquid refreshed is a priority. So, let’s take a look at food and beverage trends for meetings and events.

 

When selecting a venue, meeting and event planners ranked food and beverage options right up there with size and capacity (50%), services and facilities (44%), and cost (42%), according to the American Express 2025 Global Meetings and Events Forecast. The survey of 519 meeting professionals from across North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia Pacific revealed that 34% looked closely at food and beverage when analyzing venue options followed by date and seasonality (33%), accessibility (32%), technological needs (32%), and layout and aesthetics (31%).

 

Part of getting F&B right is understanding trends. The National Restaurant Association’s culinary forecast for 2025 summarizes what industry professionals see as the top trends for the year with sustainability and Southeast Asian cuisine topping the list. “Generationally, we can expect that customers’ support of businesses that support environmental stewardship—through local sourcing, reduced-waste cooking, sustainable ingredients—will grow stronger rather than diminish,” the report notes. In terms of Southeast Asian foods, Korean, Vietnamese and Filipino cuisine all ranked high.

 

Other items on the National Restaurant Association’s list that provide food and beverage trend ideas for meetings and events include the following.

• Top Ingredients – Honey and seeds, functional mushrooms, pineapple, tamarind and ube
• Top Flavors & Condiments – Hot honey, fermented/pickled foods, matcha, miso and spicy maple
• Top Beverages – Cold brew, wellness drinks, boba, kombucha/fermented drinks and energy drinks
• Top Beverages with Alcohol – Hyper-local beer and wine, creative spritzes, flights, innovative old fashioneds, 1990s martinis

 

I also found BizBash’s 10 food and beverage trends for 2025 interesting. Among the list are elevated mocktails; sustainably sourced ingredients and waste-management programs; wellness-focused dining experiences; family-style catering; and innovative plant-based menus. Thoughtful approaches to accommodating dietary restrictions, ultra-luxury food experiences, classic cocktails, incorporating coffee (in dessert for example), and real-time personalization of food and drink round out the top 10.

 

For Colorado-specific information, I looked at a sampling of Destination Colorado Meetings’ 170-plus members to generate food and beverage trend ideas for your next meetings or event in the Centennial State.

When I receive a work-related gift in the mail or a welcome amenity in my hotel room, anything created by local makers or an on-site culinary team catches my attention. For example, when I attended Camp Sheraton, an event for meeting planners and a handful of media and influencers at Sheraton Denver Downtown, the artistry of the hotel’s pastry team was made evident by a miniature campfire scene made from chocolate that was waiting in participants’ suites upon arrival. Not only was the amenity stunning, but it also kicked off the theme in tasty style. I also remember the deluxe s’mores with handmade marshmallows and hand-rolled chocolate cigars at the opening reception.

 

Liddy Romero, a third-generation Mexican-American entrepreneur, is baking irresistible Mexican wedding cookies—a dessert deeply rooted in Mexican tradition and a must-have at Hispanic celebrations across the U.S.—in Denver using a cherished family recipe. Romero Mexican Wedding Cookies not only sells its three types of cookies—Luna, Stell and Valentina—in individual tins, there are customizable taster sets available to corporate groups. Or purchase in bulk to serve these tasty treats at any event. The cookies were favorites at Destination Colorado Meetings’ Colorado Meetings Showcase in December.

Make sure to plug into food and beverage trends for meetings and events through the guidance of hotel teams and see if touring of the property’s kitchens is a possibility during an on-site planning visit. I’ll never forgot traveling with the Sheraton Denver Downtown’s team to Colorado’s Western Slope for the Palisade Peach Festival and sourcing visits to jam, sweetcorn and cheese producers. Also top on my list of food-related experiences is witnessing The Broadmoor’s impressive bakery and chocolatiers in action. Seeing the massive gingerbread creation revealed during The Broadmoor’s annual holiday festivities also is a highlight when in Colorado Springs.

 

Caterers are a major source of inspiration when implementing food and beverage trends for meetings and events. As mentioned in the National Restaurant Association report, sustainability remains a priority for many in 2025. Not only is the team at Serendipity Catering in Lakewood passionate about creating unforgettable experiences for gatherings of all kinds, but the company was also the first Certifiably Green caterer in Denver. In fact, CEO and Co-Founder Laura Zaspel has a master’s degree in environmental policy and management and worked for the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Technology before becoming part of the food industry.

Meanwhile, Deshebrado Catering, a family owned and operated business with a focus on creative and thoughtful menus, was founded in 2012 by two Colorado natives, Jared and Alyssa Ramos. The business specializes in preparing elevated comfort food with a global influence. Alyssa’s formal training from Johnson and Wales University, Jared’s hands-on kitchen experience and their shared love for food translated into a food truck and then a catering business. If you are looking for quirky and imaginative ways to integrate food and beverage trends for meetings and events, consider this Broomfield-based team.

 

With food experiences on BizBash’s Top 10 list, let’s turn to Rocky Mountain Food Tours for a taste of all things culinary in the heart of downtown Colorado Springs. There are four tour options that range from one to three hours: Original Colorado Springs Food Tour, Cocktails and Canapes, Downtown Brewery & Bites, and Coffee and Culture Art Walk. For example, the three-hour Original Colorado Springs Food Tour is a dine-and-dash and historical storytelling experience that includes four or five casual local restaurants, hole-in-the-walls and artisan food shops. Upgrade to add three pre-set pairings of Colorado beer, cocktails, cider and wine. Groups of eight to 45 people can join in tours open to the public, replicate one of the four available tours or develop a custom experience.

 

Here’s a toast to food and beverage trends for meetings and events in 2025 and giving them a try at Colorado gatherings. May they serve as motivation for breaking out of what may have become a tiresome tradition.

 

Top Photo: Beautiful outdoor spread, courtesy Serendipity Catering

 

Colorado native Beth Buehler has been editor of Colorado Meetings + Events magazine for 20 years, helped launch Mountain Meetings magazine, and was on the team that introduced Southwest Meetings + Events. She has planned numerous meetings and events and enjoys exploring Colorado.