Food Creates Memories It has been scientifically proven that our brains are wired to create strong memories around food. These emotionally charged memories are not just about what you ate, they’re connected to the setting and the people you were with at the time.
I just returned from a week-long exploration of the cities and Gran Melia hotels in the Andalusia region of Spain, and the planners made it a point to include several immersive experiences around food and wine, from olive oil and caviar tastings to a pairing of Iberian ham and wines.
All week, the focus was on regional cuisine: A meal at a hacienda in Carmona featured rice and duck from Isla Mayor, pork cheek from La Puebla de Cazella and, for dessert, a honey toast with Puerto de Indias ice cream made right in town.
As meeting planners, it's important to get creative with our F&B, to push back on the ordinary—the catering menu—and to challenge chefs to take it to the next level. Prevue’s Meet Well Summit, which focuses on integrating wellness into events, is a good example of this. Many of the comments we get from the meeting planners who attend mention the food and how tasty and nutritious it was. The Summit always includes educational sessions about healthy F&B, but what attendees remember most is what they tasted: savory quinoa bowls, feta and watermelon salad with mint, no-bake peanut butter granola bites.
This month’s cover story by Senior Contributing Editor Regina Baraban focuses on the latest and coolest culinary developments in destinations around the world—from Madrid to New Zealand. You can also get the latest on what cruise lines—from Crystal Cruises to Virgin Voyages—are doing to create immersive culinary experiences.
In this issue, you'll also find what's new for meeting and incentive planners in the Caribbean and in small and midsize cities in the U.S.
Plus our editorial team has been busy, hopping around the world to bring you first-hand reviews you'll want to devour: Greenville, South Carolina; Grupo Xcaret, Cancun; St. Louis, Missouri; Loudoun County, Virginia; Caesars' Global Wellness Summit in Las Vegas; Atlantis Dubai; Harrah's Las Vegas; SLS Baha Mar in The Bahamas; and the Baird Center opening in Milwaukee.
Enjoy the issue. —Barbara Scofidio