Conferences and Events Posts

When you’re trying to plan healthy meals for a conference, there’s one simple tip that can help promote balanced eating at the corporate catering table: start with salad. A big bowl of leafy greens right up front will prompt attendees to fill their empty plates with a healthy salad, and by the time they get to the meat dish or dessert section, there won’t be as much room left.

Great – for one day. But if you’re orchestrating a multi-day event, what about day two? Or even day three? The same leafy lettuce that was a refreshing start at the first lunch will quickly become a passed-over obligation if it keeps showing up at the head of the table.

So what’s a health-conscious meeting planner to do? On days two and three, skip the leafy greens altogether and serve a lettuce-free salad at the front of the line. It will help reach the same goal (attendees will fill their plate with vegetables first) without boring your conference attendees.

Need some salad inspiration? From Italian menus to Mexican fare, there are plenty of greenless salads to start your lunch off on the right foot. Here are seven of our favorites that deserve a place at the head of your corporate catering table:

1) Caprese salad

Juicy tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and fragrant basil are drizzled with balsamic vinegar for a fresh and filling start to a meal. The mozzarella makes it feel a little indulgent, but plays second fiddle to the tomatoes — especially during the peak of summer, when you can likely find local and heirloom varieties to star in your Caprese.

2) Shaved Brussels sprouts salad

Brussels sprouts aren’t just meant to be served all roasty-sweet in the winter: shaved into thin strips, they make a deliciously light salad. Look for one paired with lemon and walnuts for a summery take on this cool-weather vegetable that will work well with classic catering staples like chicken and salmon.

3) Roasted corn salad
Serving a Mexican menu? Opt for a roasted corn salad with black beans, cherry tomatoes, cilantro, and a healthy dose of lime juice — cotija cheese optional!

4) Broccoli slaw

Shredded broccoli, nuts, raisins, and a creamy dressing? Attendees who might skip a pan of roasted or steamed broccoli won’t be afraid to dive into this refreshing (albeit retro) salad. Just request a light touch on the dressing!

5) Watermelon & feta salad
Yes, watermelon salad is a thing. Chunks of juicy pink watermelon pair beautifully with cheese — and a sprinkling of mint leaves makes it even more refreshing.

6) Greek salad
Bite-size slices of bell peppers, red onions, tomatoes, olives, and feta, tossed with olive oil and fresh cracked pepper, make for a colorful and surprisingly hearty salad… but don’t forget to provide a few breath mints after all those red onions!

7) Panzanella
This Tuscan classic eschews lettuce in favor of bread — maybe not the healthiest swap for a salad, but it’s still full of fresh produce, like tomatoes, onions, and basil.

Don’t settle for boring, repetitive meals during your next big event: enlist the corporate catering experts at Waiter.com to provide a wide array of healthy meals for all your conference attendees. From Italian to Japanese to Mexican food, we can help provide the perfect menus to keep your multi-day meetings fresh!

Airport concourses full of fast food, and executive lounges with free-flowing cocktails. Meeting tables stocked with snacks, and post-conference happy hours on the company card. Lavish business lunches. Little sleep. Red-eye flights. Stressful schedules.

It’s an understatement to say that business travel and healthy living do not go hand in hand. With long lines, long meetings, and long days, it’s easy for even the most health-conscious traveler to justify indulging in an extra cocktail or drool-worthy dessert — after all, you deserve a little comfort when you’re working nonstop and far away from home.

Unfortunately, tonight’s indulgence equals tomorrow’s headache, sluggish morning, or stomachache… and if you travel regularly, those late-night cheeseburgers or airport-lounge champagnes can add up to long-term weight gain. Rather than treat business travel as an excuse to let loose, look at it as an opportunity to prove to yourself that living better feels better, regardless of the circumstances. Here are a few strategies to help you stay healthy at work — even when you’re on the road:

At the airport

On travel days, take advantage of any chance to move. Bypass the moving sidewalks in the airport and take the stairs in the parking garage: since you’ll be crammed into a small airplane seat for hours, your body will appreciate the extra exercise. During a layover, don’t collapse into yet another chair while you wait; take a few laps around the concourse to get your heart pumping.

Skip the sugary beverages on the plane, whether that means complimentary wine in business class or sodas in coach. Drink water — plenty of water — on the plane, even if it means you have to squeeze by a seat mate to make frequent visits to the restroom. Dehydration can cause headaches and lead to fatigue, which you’ll already be fighting if you’re traveling across time zones.

After following a family of five through the security line for 45 minutes, it can be tempting to make a beeline for comfort food at the Cinnabon stand… but you’ll end up feeling bloated and overfed instead of happy and, well, comforted. Instead, find a small market and stock up on healthy snacks for the plane: nuts, string cheese, popcorn, fresh fruit, and even dark chocolate are all smart choices.

At the hotel 

At the hotel breakfast bar, beware of sugar. You’ll likely be better off taking a plate of bacon and eggs than a DIY waffle, mini-donut, or even a sugary, fruit-flavored yogurt. Try to include some fiber — like a piece of whole-wheat toast or a little unsweetened oatmeal — to help you feel fuller longer.

Try to make time for at least 20 minutes of exercise daily: a short run on the fitness center’s treadmill, a few laps around the pool, or even just skipping the cab ride and the hotel elevator in favor of a long walk and few flights of stairs at the end of each day.

At meetings & conferences

Remember: just because food is free doesn’t mean you need to eat it. Ask yourself whether you’re actually hungry before you help yourself to the snack table.

Choose water or unsweetened iced tea instead of soda — whether diet or regular. Regular soda is full of empty calories all on its own, while sipping artificially-sweetened drinks can make you crave sugar and lead to higher calorie consumption when you eat.

At mealtimes & social hours

Opt for one glass of wine instead of beer or cocktails at post-meeting happy hours, then switch to club soda with lime to keep the party going without overindulging. No one will be the wiser — and you won’t end up chowing down an extra order of nachos at the end of the night!

Don’t be afraid to customize at catered business lunches. Ask for dressing on the side of your salad, fruit instead of chips with your sandwich, or steamed vegetables instead of bread or potatoes.

When dining out with colleagues, indulge by starting with a cup of broth-based soup or a lightly dressed salad — not by ordering the priciest (and biggest) steak on the menu.

Bottom line: plan ahead, and don’t be afraid to get creative

One of the best ways to prepare for a healthy business trip is by doing your homework. Pick out restaurants near your accommodations or meeting site with healthy options, and then you won’t end up defaulting to a burger at the hotel bar. And if there aren’t nutritious options nearby, or if you want to just relax in your room, have healthy takeout delivered! With online ordering and prompt delivery available in many cities across the U.S., Waiter.com makes it possible to order healthy business lunches and dinners… wherever your travels may take you.

Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer, but it may as well be the official start of company picnic season. And since swimsuit season is right around the corner as well, we think it’s high time to examine how to have a healthier picnic lunch. It can be all too easy to pile a plate with hot dogs, rich side dishes, and hearty desserts… and think that just because you might play a game of Frisbee after, you’re in the clear!

The good news is that it’s not hard to have a healthy picnic; only a few simple swaps can help reduce your calorie, fat, and sugar consumption at the big event. Whether you’re attending a lavish company picnic at the park or simply ordering up an Americana-style spread for a summery staff lunch at the office, here are six ways to stick to your diet goals while still partaking in all the fun:

1) Instead of hot dogs or hamburgers, opt for grilled chicken. Chicken is a wonderful source of quality protein, without the added nitrates and sodium of most hot dogs, and is a leaner meat than most beef. Plus, a chicken breast doesn’t require a bun (easily saving around 200 calories alone) or cheese to be delicious — just a decent cook manning the grill.

2) Go for coleslaw instead of potato salad. Made with fiber-rich cabbage versus starchy potatoes, cole slaw offers more nutritional bang for your buck (even though the mayo-based dressing is probably still on the heavy side).

3) Bypass the lemonade for iced tea. Even if the tea comes sweetened, it’s still likely lower in sugar, and richer in antioxidants, than most store-bought lemonades.

4) Instead of dishing up baked beans and corn on the cob, go for a zesty black bean and corn salad instead. Baked beans are high in sugar and saturated fat, thanks to the pork fat they’re cooked with (what did you think made them taste so good?), while corn on the cob is nearly always slathered in butter. On the other hand, a Southwestern-inspired mixture of black beans, corn, tomatoes, and a squeeze of lime juice is packed with fiber, vitamins, and antioxidants — plus, it’s way more refreshing on a hot day.

5) Don’t save watermelon for dessert: eat it first! Thanks to its high water content, having a few slices of watermelon as an appetizer will help you feel a little fuller — cutting down on the chances you’ll double-dip at the dessert table by the meal’s end.

6) And speaking of desserts… skip the brownies for the cookie tray. Gooey, rich brownies tend to be higher in calories and fat than comparatively lighter, crispier cookies — especially if you can opt for oatmeal raisin instead of double-chocolate-chip.

Whether you’re planning a barbecue in the park or a festive catered office lunch, Waiter.com has you covered. With a wide range of menus and easy online ordering, arranging for a healthy company picnic – indoors or out – has never been easier!

At most business conferences, there’s no meal as predictable as the box lunch. A little cardboard square containing a deli sandwich, bag of chips, and a cookie — maybe an orange, which no one will eat, because it’s too messy to peel and consume while trying to take notes.

Attendees take their box, grab a can of soda, and head back to their seat, because there’s another PowerPoint presentation coming up. Suddenly, a sense of deja vu washes over: haven’t we all been there before?

No one wants to attend a predictable conference or training seminar; the whole point of a special event or meeting is to create an engaging atmosphere of learning or collaboration that can’t be experienced in the course of a regular day. If you’re organizing a conference and really looking to create an environment where attendees feel like their time is being well spent, you should probably extend your efforts to the catering table, too. Don’t let a boring box lunch ruin the spirit of innovation — aim for the food you serve to match the creativity and quality of the conference’s content itself.

We’ll keep our “think outside the box” puns to ourselves, but here are a few ways to put an unexpected twist on the traditional catered box lunch:

1) Go bento. Traditional Japanese bento boxes are a healthy, delicious, and unpredictable choice for a catered meeting or event. Most bento boxes are served in special trays with several compartments, and may include white or brown rice, teriyaki meat, steamed or pickled vegetables, and occasionally sushi like a California roll or a small cup of miso soup. Some may even substitute healthier broiled fish (like salmon, which is rich in omega-3’s) for the more American diet-friendly teriyaki chicken or beef. While certainly more exotic than deli sandwiches, bento boxes are prevalent enough in the U.S. that most of your conference attendees will be familiar with them. Still, it might be a good idea to have a few traditional box lunches on hand for attendees who may not like Japanese food… or trying new things.

2) Skip the chips. Even switching up the “side dish” — if you can call a bag of potato chips a side dish — can keep your box lunch from feeling too familiar. Instead, include a serving of a healthy whole-grain based salad like quinoa and black beans or whole wheat pasta salad. Other options include a fresh fruit salad, roasted potatoes, or a small wedge of cheese and crackers.

3) Think Mediterranean. Not only is the Mediterranean diet incredibly popular, but it translates well into a single-portion, low-maintenance lunch. Have your box lunch include a grilled shrimp kebab, tabbouleh (a salad made from bulgur, cucumbers, tomatoes, and herbs), hummus with raw veggies and whole wheat pitas for dipping, and roasted nuts. Your attendees will welcome the refreshing change of pace, and since their lunch is packed full of whole grains and vegetables instead of highly processed carbohydrates, their energy levels will remain steady throughout the afternoon — no drooping eyelids at 3 pm.

4) Switch up the sandwiches. Rather than attendees’ only choice being turkey or roast beef (or, for the poor vegetarians, a cheese sandwich), include an assortment of deli-friendly items: a scoop of chicken or tuna salad and plenty of raw vegetables, Southwestern-style chicken wraps with salsa, and leafy green salads provide more interesting alternatives to traditional sandwiches. Include whole-wheat crackers or a bean salad (the fiber will help attendees feel full) and a serving of fruit that’s easy to eat while working — think apples and berries rather than oranges or peaches.

At Waiter.com, we’ll help you find the perfect box lunch solution for your conference or business event — whether that means Japanese bento boxes or an entirely gluten-free menu. Our Virtual Cafeteria Service and takeout and delivery options make it easy to find the right box lunches for any audience, so that you can spend your time and energy on your meeting itself instead of worrying about the food!

I recently attended a technology conference in Orlando, Florida. I met amazing people and learned extraordinary things. My lasting impression of the conference is that it was worth every penny and more. On our way to the airport to return home, my colleague stated, “That was wonderful.  They didn’t cut any corners.  Everything was top notch…even the food.”  At that moment it occurred to me that we were both impressed with the food provided at the conference primarily because so many of the conferences we had attended before fell short when it came to catering meals and refreshments.

Planning a meeting or a conference can be stressful. An unfortunate byproduct of the enormity of conference planning is that food and snacks are often an afterthought when putting together a meeting of coworkers or professional colleagues.  Perhaps an assistant is directed to “order in food” for a specific number of people if the event is smaller.  For larger events, a conference center kitchen coordinator is given an attendee count and told to offer a beef dish, a chicken dish, and a vegetarian alternative.

Talk about a missed opportunity.

People that attend professional networking events and conferences are investing not only their money but also their time to take part in your event.  Time away from working.  Time away from family.  Time that they might rather be spending doing something more productive or more fun.  With that kind of commitment from attendees, is it really a good idea to cut corners?

Here are five conference food Ideas sure to leave your conference or meeting attendees raving and eager to return for your next event:

1. Local Flavor – If attendees of your conference or meeting are traveling a great distance to join you, try inviting a caterer or vendor who provides popular local fare.  For example, offering BBQ at a conference in Texas, crab cakes in Maryland, or deep dish pizza in Chicago is an excellent way to give guests a unique (and great tasting) experience.

2. Hearty and Healthy – Instead of offering a line of chaffing dishes with the standard “chicken, beef, vegetable, and starch” options, why not try new, healthier options, such as a robust salad and risotto bar?  Offer a choice of hearty greens or risotto at the beginning of a the line followed by choices of toppings like carrots, sautéed onions, cheese and tomatoes.   Give guests the option of adding sliced skirt steak or sirloin, sliced chicken breast, or boiled shrimp to top things off.   A customizable offering will make attendees feel more comfortable.

3. Fun finger foods – Not every meal needs to feel formal with china and fine cutlery.   If time is of the essence, consider offering your guests an assortment of simple finger foods like chicken strips with dipping sauces, grilled shrimp skewers, and hamburger “sliders.”  These also make it easy for conference-goers to mix and mingle while they snack, allowing for more networking time.

4. Sweet and Savory – So often, afternoon snacks at a conference or meeting are limited to a tray of stale cookies and mixed fruit.  How boring.  Why not offer a sweet and savory bar of pretzels and different flavors of popcorn supplemented by toppings like marshmallows, white chocolate chips, and melted milk chocolate?   This offers a unique snack that is tasty and allows attendees to have some fun while putting their food together.

5. Get off to a great start – Despite the increase in popularity of coffee shops in the last twenty years, most meetings and conferences treat coffee and tea offerings as an afterthought.   Typically there is a carafe of regular coffee, a carafe of decaf, and a pot of hot water greeting guests in the morning.   Surprise your attendees with multiple flavors of coffee (such as a bold flavor to complement a mild offering) and real condiments.  For very little extra expense you can offer things like ground cinnamon, honey, flavored syrups, and fresh cream instead of powdered creamer and artificial sweetener packets.

Offering attendees high quality refreshments and food choices should be high on the list of important details when organizing a conference. While presentations and networking are at the core of any meeting of professional colleagues, the hospitality offered those that attend goes a long way not only in their decision on whether or not to attend in subsequent years but also in their enjoyment of the present event.  Offering good food and snacks is a direct way to thank each attendee for being there and lets them know that you value their complete satisfaction.

Much to the surprise of many conference planners and office managers, services like Waiter.com exist for the sole purpose of helping organizations of all sizes plan and deliver meals and refreshments.   Whether you are responsible for organizing lunch for a small office staff or planning an entire menu for a three day conference, providing excellent food and drink choices doesn’t have to be a chore. Waiter.com can help make food planning for your next corporate event or office meeting less of a burden and more of an advantage. Click here to learn more about Waiter.com!