“When designing a meeting break, make sure you understand the profile of attendees—in great detail,” says Michael Swann, Gaylord Opryland’s, executive chef, conference services.

Every group has special challenges and characteristics ... groups from New York, L.A., and Seattle want a lot of coffee, so items like biscotti or even brownies with cappuccino cream cheese work well. But when offering fresh-baked items, for a morning break, try not to duplicate breakfast, Chef Swann emphasizes. Keep it light. A good solution is to offer fruit and rice crispy or cocoa crispy treats.

Healthy meeting breaks are a big trend. And with a growing emphasis on allergies, more and more wheat- and gluten-free cookies are served.

Decor is part of the package too. At a construction and builders meeting, Opryland used paint-splattered tablecloths on scaffolding and served the food in paint roller pans.

Smart Foods
The afternoon break is when it’s important to offer “smart” foods. People are antsy and you try to find a way to capture them for the last hour of the day. “Nine out of ten times, more gets done during that last hour than the rest of the day, and the smart food has to get them through,” Chef Swann says.