CHICAGO, Ill. — For Monique Rochard, CITP, CMM, CMP, CTSM, MBA, the future of food at conventions and trade shows can sometimes be measured in what she leaves on the plate.
A beautifully prepared entrée arrives during an event. Once, it might have looked like lunch. Now Rochard, Head of Global Commercial Services & Operational Efficiency at Cordis, looks at the same generous portion differently.
“I can look at a beautiful plated meal and know immediately that I’m probably going to eat a third of it,” she said.
Rochard has spent her career planning meetings and events. She also takes a GLP-1 medication, giving her a personal view of a change the meetings industry is beginning to confront: Attendees still want the meal and the reception, but they may not want nearly as much food.
New Rules of Hospitality
Traditionally, hospitality at trade shows and conventions has operated according to these unwritten rules: Abundance is reassurance, buffets should look full, running out is a failure and having too much is the cost of doing business.
“We have to get away from the idea that abundance automatically equals hospitality,” Rochard said. “For years in events, the fear has always been running out of food, so we over-order.”
Now there are numbers behind that observation.
A 2026 U.S. Food Waste Pact study, “Low-Waste Events: Measuring & Reducing Food Waste in Events,” examined six business and professional events serving more than 20,000 meals.
More than five tons of food went uneaten. At buffet functions, attendees consumed just 58% of what was prepared.
The other 42% never made it onto a plate.
At one plated dinner, the banquet event order called for 1,200 entrées. Only 1,061 were needed, yet the kitchen produced 1,440 plates.
Meanwhile, appetite itself is changing.
In its February 2026 Global Research analysis, “How Demand for (and Supply of) Weight Loss Drugs Is Playing Out in 2026,” J.P. Morgan reported that GLP-1 users consume 21% fewer calories and projected that as many as 30 million Americans could be taking the medications by 2030.
Long-standing banquet assumptions may increasingly be disconnected from attendee behavior.
But Rochard cautions against simply cutting every BEO by an arbitrary percentage.
“Look at what was actually consumed at your last event, talk to your catering partners, track guarantees versus actual attendance and consumption, and adjust from there,” Rochard said.
The Buffet Goes on a Diet
Francesca Malin, Event Director at Smithbucklin, is already making those kinds of adjustments.
At a Florida conference earlier this year, Malin worried the hotel’s traditional hot buffet, combined with the climate and meeting schedule, would leave attendees sluggish during afternoon sessions.
Instead, she worked with the hotel to expand a sandwich-and-salad menu with more protein-focused choices.
Attendees wanting something light could choose half a wrap or a protein-topped salad. Hungrier guests could add chips, dessert or a full sandwich.
The result offered more choice without increasing food quantities — and cost less than the hot buffet Malin historically might have selected.
She has changed breakfast ordering, too. Rather than purchasing a full hot buffet for 100% of attendees, Malin often orders it for about 60%, then supplements the final 30 minutes of service with protein-forward grab-and-go breakfast sandwiches and yogurt parfaits.
“I am gravitating toward menus that are lighter, buildable, healthier and protein-focused while still delivering a high-quality hospitality experience,” Malin said.
This shift extends beyond GLP-1 users. Both Rochard and Malin say attendees generally are becoming more deliberate about portions, protein, wellness and dietary preferences.
Related. TSE Magazine Preview: Trade Show F&B Trends
Here for the Contacts — Not the Calories
Smaller appetites do not necessarily mean smaller social lives.
Morning Consult’s June 2026 Category Advantage analysis, “How GLP-1 Reshapes Users’ Relationship to Casual Dining,” found that GLP-1 users, despite eating differently, are not retreating from social occasions, and are more likely to get together with coworkers and clients.
That matters because Freeman research has found 51% of attendees say successful networking alone can be enough to bring them back to an event.
In other words, attendees still want the reception. They just may not want as much of what is traditionally piled onto it.
Food and beverage (F&B) still help create the setting. But increasingly, they may be scenery rather than the star.
For organizers, that creates an opportunity to rethink the reception: smaller portions, protein-forward dishes, build-your-own stations, sophisticated non-alcoholic drinks and more frequent replenishment.
Dollars saved on excess F&B could go toward lounges, matchmaking, hosted introductions and other tools designed to make connection easier.
The Food Waste Pact study suggests reducing waste does not require reducing hospitality.
Targeted interventions cut waste in key food categories by an average of 55%. At one venue, buffet production dropped from 3.5 pounds per person to two pounds without running out.
“More food doesn’t necessarily mean a better attendee experience,” Rochard said. “Sometimes better food, more choice and less waste does.”
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This article’s featured image was made with ChatGPT.
