Welcome to our new column on planning food and beverage for meetings. Our expert, Patti J. Shock, is a professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and author of several books, including Hotel Catering: A Handbook for Sales and Operations and On-Premise Catering. Look for her take on everything from consumption patterns to the psychological effects of room setups.

One of the most influential food and beverage trends is driven by attendees, who have become more sophisticated in food matters than they used to be. They seek a “dining experience” for even the smallest catered function. They are more exacting and more educated about food. To keep attendees happy, planners must follow the latest “in” foods.

New trends seem to start on either coast and work inland, jumping from city to town. Coastal cities tend to be the gateways for ancient foods from around the globe that are new to the United States. Consider the evolution of sushi in the U.S., which came from Japan to cities on the West Coast and spread to all parts of the country.

To keep in touch with food trends, you can check sources such as the Food Network, both on television and the Web (www.foodnetwork.com); Epicurious (www.epicurious.com); and the plethora of food blogs.

Healthful, Yet Special

Attendees want to eat in a more healthful manner, but when attending meetings, most still want “special” food. This has given rise to the increasing popularity of buffets, which can offer something for everyone.

Health trends include organic foods, low-fat foods, low-carb offerings, sugar-free options, no trans fats, and no corn syrup. (And people want fresh anything.)

There also is a trend toward “bad food with good ingredients.” Instead of doughnuts and Danish, order items that have nutritional components, such as blueberry muffins, zucchini bread, carrot cake, pumpkin pie, and banana nut bread. Avoid foods with trans fats and/or corn syrup.

More Trends to Watch

Fusion: Blending cuisines remains a hot culinary trend. This involves carefully combining foods from parts of the world not geographically close, such as Thai and French, American and Indian, and Southwest and Asian.

Tastings: Try several versions of the same food or beverage, such as cheese tastings, chocolate tastings, etc.

Miniature portions: Tapas, dim sum, and mini-desserts allow attendees to sample more than one item. Smaller sizes mean that you can use expensive ingredients such as lobster or white truffles. It also encourages attendees to try more eclectic items. Since it's only one bite, it's OK if they don't like it.

Edible centerpieces: Baskets of ethnic breads, such as pita, focaccia, tortillas, Indian puff-fry breads, olive bread, ciabatta, breadsticks, and flat breads such as lavosh make great centerpieces.

Happy endings: Always end the meal with a spectacular dessert — the last impression of a meal. If you start with a modest fruit cup but end with a fabulous, decadent dessert, attendees are sure to forget the fruit cup.

Presentations: Today's attendees don't just want their tastebuds dazzled — they want their socks knocked off by the presentation. People truly do eat first with their eyes.

Patti J. Shock, CPCE, is professor and chairwoman of the Tourism and Convention Administration Department, Harrah College of Hotel Administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas. To learn more, visit tca.unlv.edu/shock.html, or send an e-mail to patti.shock@unlv.edu.