When it comes to decorating your banquet stations for your Food and Beverage events, knowing what everyone else has been up to can be great fuel for inspiration. In this Internet age, we are all more aware of opportunity and competition. The sheer array of options can be overwhelming. Worry not, there are still solid ways of standing out. Here are our tips on how to spice up the next celebration on your calendar.
Go Green For Your Banquet Stations
Pantone, whether intentionally or not, unites many ongoing trends in food and fashion with 2017’s color of the year: “greenery.” This season, choose a party theme
that tips your cap to rebirth, recycling, and farm-to-table. Greenery is particularly beautiful when accented by any number of verdant shades. Think Eucalyptus, Ferns, Sage, and Thyme.
Ferment It Up A Notch
Continuing with the theme of green, keep your color game going strong by serving up hors d’oeuvres on your banquet stations that playfully set off the centerpieces and drapery. Restaurants and DIYers alike have been getting into fermentation in a serious way. Whether you choose to serve kimchi, or (my personal favorite) a sour dill pickle, give your guests a break from sweet snacks with something that packs a little more punch.
Get Vertical With Your Banquet Stations
Most event venues are intended to be relatively blank canvases, to be gussied up or stripped down depending on the event itself and the organizer’s preferences. One of the dependable features of many a banquet hall, their high ceilings, means that in a large event like a wedding, it can hard to parse the layout of the room, where all the service stations are, etc. This can be fix
ed with a sign or two, amended to fit the rest of the party.
Experiment With Meat Substitutes
Vegetarianism is no longer a niche; in fact, more and more people are looking to eat healthier, and many of the most popular diets borrow from vegetarianism. Be considerate and cheeky at the same time with a veggie option that also plays with the carnivore crowd; think along the lines of a meaty mushroom or a whole cauliflower. They’ll be lining up at the buffet table for thirds.
Spice For The Maniacs
It’s always fun to cater to some of the more extreme tastes of a few of your guests, as this can also serve to introduce other guests to something they may not otherwise be inclined to try. Intersperse something with a dash of cayenne or habanero pepper to add a little excitement to the canapés.
Cocktails Banquet Stattions
Run with a discerning crowd? Provide them with a short mix-and-match menu or a range of a few different templates to lend a more participatory vibe to the bar experience.Besides essentials (like gin and vodka), be sure to stock up on fun add-ons like mint syrup or a melon puree, bonus points if they’re locally grown or sourced. Include some simple off-beat recipes on index cards for those just getting the hang of mixology.
