Healthy Meetings Toolkit, Part II

Last month, our ProMeetings team blogged about ways to help your team “stay fit and stay focused” during meetings and events. Our healthy meeting theme continues as we cover “eat well, meet well” with news and insights about the power of nutrition. Check out these tips to energize your group with healthy and delicious food and beverage choices. Your team will thank you!

Seek out nutrition-savvy venues. Choose a destination with innovative and flexible culinary programs designed to support health and wellness. These days, everyone is trying to eat healthier and maintain their lifestyle while traveling for business. If your group includes vegetarians, vegans or individuals with food allergies or special dietary requirements, discuss these needs early in the planning process. You want to make sure the culinary team is ready with inspired choices and tasty dishes to take great care of all your attendees.

Ramp up the breakfast benefit. Yes, it IS the most important meal of the day (this WebMD article reveals why Mom was right). So make sure your team kicks off with a nutrient-rich meal that will have them ready to tackle the day’s agenda. Nourishing, “food for thought” breakfasts serve up high-protein, whole-grain and low-sugar selections. A satisfying, brain-stimulating start to the day is a specialty of the Kiawah culinary team, and our chefs deliver every morning, whether guests choose a Continental breakfast, a traditional buffet, plated meal or lively stations serving up made-from-scratch chef specialties.

Remember, food is fuel. After a power breakfast, keep that momentum going. What we eat has a huge impact on concentration, cognition and productivity throughout the day. (For a quick read about how food affects your brain, check out this article from Harvard Medical School.) Make sure your day features nutritious meals and breaks that help everyone sail through your sessions and skip that mid-afternoon slump. Healthy choices can be simple, appealing and affordable. Here at Kiawah, for example, groups can enjoy break stations with snacks like nuts, trail mix, fresh veggies with healthful dips, fresh juices and luscious smoothies. For meals and buffets, just a few ways we satisfy guests’ preferences are menus with abundant seasonal fruit and vegetables and locally sourced and sustainable meats and fish. Another guest favorite is an array of bite-size sweet treats instead of heavy, calorie-laden desserts.

Have fun with F&B. Creative culinary choices do more than fuel our bodies and brains. They also enhance camaraderie and add relaxation to your meeting – key elements in creating healthier attendee experiences. Spice up your agenda with a fun and interactive cooking class or a culinary team building event led by a personable chef. Reward your team after a productive day with a wine tasting and food pairing event or a mixology class where everyone participates in crafting a tasty new cocktail. These are just a few ideas that are always a big hit with our groups on Kiawah Island. Count on our ProMeetings team and the Kiawah Island culinary staff to help you “eat well and meet well” during your next event.

Let us delight you with our Banquet and Catering Repertoire and creative menus at more than a dozen restaurants, cafes and lounges around the island. You can also maintain your healthy lifestyle in Kiawah’s energizing natural environment, where you’ll find ten miles of pristine beach, five championship golf courses, two tennis complexes, a five-star spa and endless recreation and eco-adventures. To learn more about meeting at Kiawah Island Golf Resort, contact our Director of Group Sales, Marty Couch, and his team at 800.576.1585 – and be sure to take advantage of these special rates for your end-of-year and early 2017 meetings: