In the face of people’s changing perceptions toward alcohol consumption, fueled by an increasing focus on health and wellness, the growing “sober-curious” social moderation movement appears to be picking up steam as people are re-evaluating their relationship with alcohol.  

Between 2016 and 2023, the share of Americans who view moderate drinking as “good for health” dropped from 19% to 10%, whereas the share who perceive it as “bad for health” increased from 26% to 39%, according to Gallup. Americans are drinking less than they used to--with the average number of drinks consumed falling from 4.8 in 2009 to 3.6 in 2021.  

With more and more people consuming less alcohol or eschewing it entirely, and non-alcoholic drinking surging at restaurants and hotels across the globe, according to Forbes, how is this shift in cultural behavior showing up at business events?  

To get an overview of this growing “mindful drinking” trend, we consulted with food and beverage (F&B) executive at two leading event venue companies to get their take on the non-alcoholic (NA) movement, how their F&B teams are meeting the moment, and how event organizers can promote inclusivity and satisfy the needs of sober-curious attendees by offering more appealing non-alcoholic beverage options–beyond bottled water or sugary sodas or juices–at their meetings and events.  

Just in time for dry January, here’s how event planners can help non-imbibing meeting guests feel included and still enjoy themselves while socializing with fellow attendees––without the hangover. 

How Caesars is Addressing the Mindful Drinking Trend 

According to Bill Dosch, executive director of catering, conventions and events at Caesars Entertainment, the resort and casino company is experiencing the non-alcoholic trend as one that is fast becoming standard for many meeting and event groups.  

“We all recognize that there is a real investment that attendees make to go to events where they need to learn and network,” Dosch said. “We are finding that more and more often, people want to enjoy all the elements of a lavish gala or educational conference and at the same time have a strong desire to maintain alertness. They want to get the most out of their investment of time and money.” 

In keeping with its mission to stay on top of and ahead of trends, the Caesars F&B team has been adding a slew of NA beverage options to its catering and wellness menus and can work with planners to co-create specialty wellness-focused beverages or customized drinks with unique flavor profiles for their events. Delicious, non-buzzy beverages that are now part of Caesars' menus include the seasonably popular Autumn cider with non-alcoholic smoked bitters, allspice syrup, and fever-tree ginger, as well as the flavorful Blackcurrant, honey, mint, ginger beer.  

“For example, just as planners might choose a signature cocktail to add a little something special to their events, they could easily request this same cocktail in a non-alcohol version and offer both to attendees,” Dosch added.  

So why should more event planners consider including non-spirited offerings at their events? It all comes down to the changing attendee profile and meeting their needs and wants, Dosch explained. 

“For example, 40% of Gen Z has not consumed alcohol, which is driving the need for alternative options, which is where zero-proof botanical drinks come in,” he said. “However, we always advise our clients to really understand their attendee demographics. In thinking about options, these are thoughtful ways to delight attendees or introduce them to something new and out of the ordinary.”  

One emerging culinary trend that Caesars is actively exploring is curating drinks infused with wellness-focused herbs or healthy syrups with botanicals that offer added benefits. 

“Botanicals include natural elements that enhance stamina without the jitters that coffee can produce, naturally elevated focus and even immune boosting benefits,” Dosch explained. “This would be in line with a foreseeable uptick in choosing foods that are tasty, delightful, and healthy––food choices that won’t weigh down your attendees.” 

Dosch cited a recent culinary trends event, in which the Caesars team helped curate a botanical drink challenge at a unique venue at Planet Hollywood Las Vegas.  

“First, we educated the group on botanicals and reviewed the benefits of each ingredient,” Dosch said. “We then split them into smaller groups and each group competed to create a winning drink where the criteria included health benefits associated with the ingredients they chose. It was a big success where attendees were not only educated about botanicals but also fully engaged and allowed for great networking.” 

Non-alcoholic Alternatives for Events from SAVOR/ASM Global 

Shaun Beard, senior vice president of SAVOR, the food and beverage division of ASM Global, has also noticed an uptick in the amount and types of NA beverages coming onto the F&B scene over the last couple of years as more people seek unique, refreshing, and wellness-focused alternatives to alcoholic drinks. 

“Wellness beverages have a health halo around them,” Beard said. “We use them as ways to give our guests different options to revive and rejuvenate themselves while on property. We recently made a welcome mocktail [for a client] that used a local soda however, we added natural cherry juice and sparkling water to enhance the flavors as well as change the visual look to match the event.” 

He continued, “Some of the trends that we’re investigating are infusing more global flavors into our [non-alcoholic] beverage offerings like Ube and Tamarind. We’ve seen this global infusion with food and now it’s reaching into the beverage sector. Another avenue we are investigating is the Dirty Soda trend and how we can bring it to life in our venues.” 

SAVOR has also been offering visually appealing infused still and sparkling water stations featuring fresh add-ons such as herbs, fruits, and vegetables, including ginger lime, cucumber mint, and super citrus. Refreshing and restorative, the stations have turned out to be a big hit with event guests, Beard said. 

So how can meeting and event planners offer more unique and varied NA beverage options without inducing an F&B budget hangover? Consider showcasing a simple signature mocktail, which can be a more cost-effective option compared to complex alcoholic offerings. 

“There are many different ways to incorporate non-alcoholic beverage options into events from both a healthier standpoint and a more indulgent standpoint,” Beard explained. “We can add many different flavors and additions to make a coffee service over the top or we can come up with fresh fruit infused water stations for the event. A Dirty Soda bar is the best of both options with fresh juice options and indulgent syrups.” 

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