Vegan and Vegetarian food at events – is this the way forward?

As a chain of sustainable London conference venues, the question of food at events is a subject very close to our hearts. So we ask ourselves – is vegan and vegetarian food at events is the way forward?

In the events industry, just like in any other sector, it is always important to be conscious of the new developments including nutritional needs and encourage healthier lifestyles by making informed and eco-friendly choices such as having vegan and vegetarian meals at your conference or meeting.The real upside of vegan and vegetarian dishes is that they are made from fresh, sustainable and locally sourced ingredients and this promotes a global shift to a more plant-based diet to combat the environmental impact of the consumption of animal products.  The issue is at the forefront of many event organisers agendas since events are typically a source of significant waste and leave a large carbon footprint.One of our dearest clients, the Institute of Fundraising has already chosen to take a step towards change and made their foods more sustainable by having only vegan and vegetarian lunches at all conference venues, which we can only applaud and encourage other clients to follow, but at the same time we have to ask ourselves – is it always appropriate to serve vegetarian/vegan food at the events? Even though small and simple decisions can encourage future events to follow the plant-based diet and inspire delegates to make healthier choices, this unfortunately may not always be the most appropriate choice!Some industries are still heavily male-orientated and may have different priorities.  They may not enjoy such changes and others may also argue that veganism is not all that great and could potentially cause certain deficiencies. So should you, as event organiser, enforce these changes onto delegates who might be set in their ways? Will the change be well accepted in your sector and will your guests’ expectations be met and satisfied or will you get more criticism, which simply could compromise the quality of your future events?I guess there is no right or wrong answer! If your audience is not ready for a change, if the step towards veggie/vegan choices would do more damage than good, then perhaps it’s best to keep things as they are? However, if you think your audience is up for it and the sector allows you to embrace the lifestyle promoting healthy choices at your events, then go for it! Our planet could certainly use a helping hand!Due to our high expectations throughout all our London event venues, we have invested a lot of thought and dedication into our award-winning catering team; ensuring that all our customers enjoy delicious dishes cooked from an array of fresh, sustainably sourced, organic ingredients. All our London conference venues have variety of menus to please everyone – our regular lunch menus for meat lovers or vegan and gluten free menus for those embracing healthy and sustainable lifestyle. Unlike the majority of London’s conference centres, all our food is freshly prepared on-site. Our dedicated team of chefs can cater for a huge range of special requests, be it dietary & allergy requirements or birthday cakes and specially themed menus. Allow yourself to relax at our award winning conference venues and indulge in our great selection of dishes!