Meeting and event planning this year has been a challenge, due to the low or nearly non-existent budgets. With many corporations in saving mode, it comes as no great surprise that the event planning industry too has cut down heavily on unnecessary expenditure. The days of extravagant meals and rich cuisine have been replaced by a much more economical plate full of health-conscious food that causes less heart burn- both physically and fiscally.

Event planners are no longer focused on the status of a banquet rich with off season fruits or vegetables flown in from exotic countries. The new idea is to simply get it right, and get it right on the lowest cost. However, don’t get it wrong – cost cutting does not have to equate to low grade or below average. In fact the new concept of serving food at meetings and events never looked so healthy before. A platter full of assorted meals that are beautifully presented is what you are looking for. The food menu in most events these days might be missing some of the excessively rich dishes that were offered in previous years, however it tastes just as good.

Thanks to the smart work of some intelligent event caterers, a whole new look has been introduced to food items in corporate events. Eating smart and spending smart seems to be the new motto of the event planning industry in the midst of an economic crisis. A good example of one of these innovative event meals is a beautiful set of small sized glasses neatly arranged in a row with small servings of dessert in them. This is definitely not “just” cost cutting, it is indeed “stylish” cost cutting that rather pleases the eye. This concept of serving healthy and economical food is also good for the environment as food does not go waste. A few years back, event meals used to be so lavish and extravagant that half of the food would go wasted.

Fortunately, these days most corporate groups are realizing the value of food, encouraging event meals that are high on nutrition and low on costs. The modern consumer has also turned health conscious and avoids eating too many meals in conferences and other kinds of corporate events. Healthy meals offered in small quantities seem to be gaining popular ground in the event planning industry.

These are all things to consider when planning your upcoming holiday events.

An incentive travel program is just what corporate groups need to keep their staff happy and motivated for future work. Any employee who works hard feels the need to get appreciated. Other than giving away corporate gifts and awards, incentive travel programs are excellent ways to show employee appreciation. All employees may not like a corporate gift, not knowing what to do with it, but they will definitely like an incentive travel trip sponsored by the company. After all who does not want to travel to exotic locations and have a great time, with all expenses being taken care of by someone else!

The great news for event planners is that these days companies are not hesitating to send their employees on an all-expense paid trip as part of an incentive program. All these incentive trips need to be organized and supervised by someone and that’s where the event planner comes into the picture. Read the rest of this entry »