Attention to detail always impresses guests at special events.
Personalized Details Are More Important Than Ever Before
The joy of guests getting dressed up for special banquets, weddings, and events is returning with a vengeance for 2022. Yet, as you prepare your plans for a record year, it’s time for a brush up on what’s trending from a customer’s perspective. Here is the latest from those in the trenches of big event planning for the new year.
1. Smaller Groups. Over-The-Top Personalization
While the guest list might be whittled down post-pandemic, customers aren’t skimping on personalizing their party. Instead, their ideas are oversized.
Micro weddings or special occasion events call for intimate touches ranging from bedazzled displays of friends and family to live music, instead of a DJ, and monogrammed face masks to make it memorable.
The days of walking through a buffet line may still cause some stress among guests after the pandemic. Instead, leverage service tables and deliver plates to guests or let guests select their food from smaller service stations. Whether at the table or a service station, go over the top with detail on your bread offer. One easy example is using balls of butter or butter roses instead of standard butter pats and a variety of breads.
2. Making Unique Flavors Easy
Steak, chicken, and fish are typical menu options, so how do you make your menu unique while saving time and labor? Pre-portioned flavored butter easily adds craveable flavor. Butterball® Farms is the market leader in pre-portioned dollops ranging from garlic herb for steaks, to pesto for chicken and lemon herb for fish. Made from fresh cream, the dollops hold well while refrigerated and melt quickly and evenly when heated, saving time and labor. The result is flavor that lives up to a promise of something uniquely memorable.
3. Name Your Cocktails
Look at classic bourbons and tequilas or vodka cocktails and give them a name to make them unique. Ask your bar staff for some unique ingredient twists on familiar drinks or add mixes made from regional soft drinks or citrus to make it local. Have fun with clients during a planning session with a private “tasting” and let them choose a name for their favorite cocktails.
4. Keep Your Eye on Sustainability
Did you know that climate change has risen during the pandemic to become second only to healthcare and the economy*? Bring it up in your planning discussions regarding disposables and note your attention to detail regarding your sustainability practices. When possible, use disposables made from recycled materials. Ask if food leftovers can be taken to shelters for those in need.
5. It’s Shaping Up to a Banner Year
If holiday shopping in 2021 is any indication, consumers are ready for the next normal and enjoy the great new days of parties and events. As you meet with your clients along with some of our recommendations for adding unique ways to personalize their special occasion—they will think you thought of everything.
*Datassential, 2021