The Case Against Serving Decaf Coffee at Conferences and Events
With the rise of food and beverage costs, event planners like myself who manage multi-day conferences and conventions are looking for ways to save, while still offering a wonderful experience to their guests.
Thankfully, I’ve had wonderful experiences with the hotels for my Fall events, and one suggestion that a Conference Services Manager made stopped me in my tracks. We were planning on charging beverages based on consumption, rather than a package, and she said:
“I would recommend eliminating most if not all, decaf coffee unless you know that your attendees specifically drink decaf.”
Inspired by this conversation, I conducted a survey on my LinkedIn page to see what my audience thinks about the notion of eliminating decaf coffee altogether.
I asked, “If you are a daily coffee drinker, do you ever reach for the decaf?”
As someone who drinks low-to-no caffeine regularly, but absolutely always reaches for the caffeine at conferences, I found myself feeling like an imposter! I had always let ‘coffee/tea/decaf’ roll off of my tongue since my luxury catering days, never stopping to think about my own behaviors or the behaviors of other attendees.
The results confirmed the CSM’s suspicions. While 18% said they do occasionally reach for the decaffeinated option, 24% sometimes reach for it, 38% very rarely reach for it, and the other 20% would rather forego coffee altogether.
This aligns with overall findings online, which state that approximately 29% of people report drinking decaf coffee, while only 16% report exclusively drinking decaf. 19% of those who drink decaf only drink it after 4 pm.
The empath in me wants to make sure the decaf drinker responded has options, while the realist knows that they likely would only have one cup, and they could make that cup in their rooms, purchase it from the cafe onsight, or reach for some decaffeinated tea.
This is why having a caring, thoughtful hotel partner goes a long way!
Want to learn more about what to serve at your event? Check out my article about signature cocktails and mocktails at events.
Follow me on LinkedIn to share your opinions on upcoming surveys, see results, and gain helpful tips for managing your event budgets.
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