Many of us are familiar, at least in passing, with the idea of superfoods — and have experienced how making smart choices about what we eat and drink during an event can set us up for success, or leave us sluggish for the rest of the day.

Making super choices though requires super talented event professionals working hard behind the scenes to plan and design menus and guide us in making strategic choices about what we’re consuming.

Several of these food & beverage experts shared their “food superpowers” with us on a recent Dublin Manifesto SITE webinar that focused on future food & beverage trends in the near future and beyond.

Here are just a few of the hidden foodie talents we’re lucky to have in the SITE community.

Tracy Stuckrath: your go-to nosh navigator 

Tracy is a true food & beverage superstar. From an amazing resource section on her thrive! meetings & events website to just about any conversation she’s part of, you will leave the discussion richer for it.

Tracy was especially insightful during our webinar in discussing when and how to navigate conversations around food & beverage expectations during the incentive planning process. She agreed with other panelists that discussions should start as early as the RFP process, and continue up through collaborative onsite conversations with the chef and kitchen teams you’ll be relying on to deliver a successful program.

Andrew Roenbeck: your perch, pompano, and power juicing pro 

Speaking of successful kitchen teams — attendees at SITE Classic 2022 are in for a real treat under the food & beverage expertise of Chef Andrew Roenbeck. Chef Roenbeck is the Executive Chef at The Boca Raton, home to this year’s event.

Chef came prepared with tons of well-seasoned anecdotes, but one that especially stood out is how he sources the fish served at The Boca Raton. They come from five individual local fishermen who Chef has negotiated partnerships with and who now literally pull up dockside to the resort with just about the freshest catch one can imagine.

A final pro tip for Classic attendees: Chef Roenbeck is also an expert power juicer. For anyone ready to upgrade their standard breakfast smoothie and give it a turbo twist, Chef Roenbeck is ready with plenty of healthier recommendations.  

Natalie Fulton: an ace with alcohol alternatives

Just as impressive was Natalie Fulton, Tourism New Zealand’s Trade Manager for Business Events, Americas. She effortlessly named some amazing activities for those looking to program an alcohol-free incentive element. Her suggestions included afternoon tea sessions and tapping into plant-based alternatives to upp the wellness elements of an activity even further.

Natalie also highlighted how these activities easily connect into the uniqueness of a destination and showcase its special cultural elements, too. She explained the significance of meals in Māori culture as just one example of how the memories of an experience are just as powerful and can be even more special than what you actually eat or drink. 

Anne Marie Rogers: champion for a challenge

Rounding out Friday’s discussion was planner and director extraordinaire Anne Marie Rogers. Anne Marie left us inspired, no matter where in the incentives industry you fall, to set the bar higher and to constantly challenge yourself as we collectively think about and explore exciting food & beverage trends.

Challenge yourself to know your group, she advised, as one way to not only make smart choices about what you serve, but to also cut down on food waste. She also spoke to some of the exciting challenges SITE took on this year during Incentive Summit Americas, which resulted in lower food waste and the introduction of what we hope will become widespread best practices across future incentives.

Thank you again to our superstar panel for joining us this August for our latest SITE webinar, and to Tourism New Zealand for generously supporting this conversation!