By 2030, event planners expect at least 40 per cent of their delegation to have dietary requirements, up from just 20 per cent in 2022.
Research conducted by Lime Venue Portfolio indicates that the rise of veganism and vegetarianism will continue to grow alongside allergen requirements such as having a gluten-free diet.
Lime Venues Portfolio has deemed this trend toward meat- and dairy-free menu options as ‘Green Eating’, citing the reason behind the choice as largely driven by sustainability. “It’s our belief that many delegates who ask for vegan, vegetarian, plant-based or plant-first menus are doing so from a purely sustainable stance. We should see these as a new wave of ‘green eaters’ who are going to change the way we create menus at events,” Lime Venue Portfolio sale director, Jo Austin said.
Austin added that the rhetoric and language around vegan and vegetarian menu choices need to change. “The world has changed and by 2030 we believe that the majority of people at an event will want a different menu. They are no longer the outliers; they are the main make-up of the delegation and need to be treated as such.”
Food remains a large part of the success of an event with the research highlighting that 56 per cent of organisers spend between 30 per cent and 40 per cent of their event budget on catering. It also highlighted that 72 per cent of respondents said they would be willing to pay more for a demonstrably sustainable menu. Of these, 48 per cent suggested they would be willing to pay up to 10 per cent extra, with 19 per cent extending to 20 per cent extra.
“We’ve talked for a long time about making events more sustainable, and one of the biggest hurdles has been cost,” Austin added.
“This is especially true at times of crisis, so the fact that event organisers are already willing to invest in sustainable menus, if they have to, is an amazing turn around. It shows the amount of corporate will there is out there and we, as an industry, need to react to it.”
The survey was conducted amongst event organisers including in-house, third-party agencies and freelancers, with the intention of looking at Future Food, the fifth and final chapter in Lime Venue Portfolio’s Beyond Food Report. The report, which has already provided chapters on #FORO (fear of running out), The Blue Planet Effect, Food & Mental Health and Food in a Covid area, is now available for free download here.
A desire to travel led Holly Patrick to the business meetings and events world and she’s never looked back. Holly takes a particular interest in event sustainability and creating a diverse and inclusive industry. When she’s not working, she can be found rolling skating along Brighton seafront listening to an eclectic playlist, featuring the likes of Patti Smith, Sean Paul, and Arooj Aftab.
