Making Adult Zero-Proof Beverages Part of the Networking Reception
My friend Vincent Alonzo recently wrote an article, “Last Call for Alcohol? The Open Bar Faces Competition at Trade Show Receptions,” for Trade Show Executive about how networking receptions are changing as attendees drink less. He asked for my take on zero-proof beverages at event, but I got back to him just after his deadline, so it isn’t in the article. Here’s my full answer.
- Talk to the beverage manager. Start with the convention center’s beverage manager, not just your Catering Sales Manager (CSM). Planners assume the venue will have adult Non-Alcoholic (NA) options on hand. They usually don’t, and the CSM won’t always know what the beverage team can source.
- Make them visible. Give NA options real estate on the bar top, with signage. If they’re tucked behind the bar or only offered on request, attendees won’t even know they exist to ask for them.
- Share the menu in advance. Send event menus ahead of time and include what’s on the bar. Attendees know what to expect, and the NA options get the same billing as the beer, wine, and cocktails.
- Don’t stop at a canned option. There are some great ready-to-drink canned NA cocktails. You can also have the property design a signature cocktail and an NA version of it. They can batch-make both, so it doesn’t slow down the bar line.
- Plan it from the start. Build all of this into the overall beverage program from the beginning, not as an add-on.
The article also includes some numbers worth seeing. IACC’s Meeting Room of the Future report found that 65% of North American business-event venues are seeing attendees drink less, and NIQ data shows that 94% of people who buy nonalcoholic beer, wine, or spirits also buy the alcoholic versions. Guests aren’t giving up the reception. They want a better choice at the bar.
A few great points I found in the piece:
- “…treat zero-proof drinks as a regular part of the bar menu…” (Kaleigh Theriault, NIQ)
- “A nonalcoholic beverage is no different than a well-plated entree or dessert” (Maeve Webster, Menu Matters)
- “…declining alcohol consumption is not necessarily producing smaller reception budgets. It is producing different ones.” (Vince Alonzo, on Aramark’s experience)
Read the full story: Last Call for Alcohol? The Open Bar Faces Competition at Trade Show Receptions
See what others are saying about NA beverages in Vince’s LinkedIn post.
Want more on NA beverages? Check out Tracy’s Eating at a Meeting podcast.
