2025 The rise of non-alcoholic beverages at trade shows: exciting without alcohol

As the focus on health and wellness continues to grow, more and more people are re-examining their relationship with alcohol. This trend is particularly evident in the food and beverage industry, where the consumption of non-alcoholic beverages is growing rapidly in restaurants and hotels across the globe. So how is this shift in cultural behaviour reflected at business events and exhibitions?

Non-alcoholic beverage trends at trade shows

To gain insight into this ‘sober drinking’ trend, we spoke to F&B executives at two leading event venue companies to find out their views on the non-alcoholic (NA) movement, how their F&B teams are meeting this demand, and how event organisers can, by offering more appealing non-alcoholic beverage options, to Promote inclusivity by offering more attractive non-alcoholic beverage options to meet the needs of ‘sober and curious’ participants.

How Caesars Entertainment is Responding to the Sober Drinking Trend

Caesars Entertainment is experiencing a non-alcoholic trend that is fast becoming a standard for many meeting and event teams, according to the company's executive director of events, meetings and catering, Bill Dosch. Caesars' catering team has been adding a range of non-alcoholic beverage options to its catering and wellness menus and can work with planners to create health-focused specialty drinks or custom drinks with unique flavours.

For example, Caesars' menu now includes the seasonally popular non-alcoholic cider, paired with non-alcoholic smoked bitters, all-spice syrups and ginger ale, as well as flavourful blackcurrant, honey, mint and ginger beers. Dorsch adds that just as a planner might choose a signature cocktail to add a little something special to an event, they can easily request a non-alcoholic version of this cocktail and serve it to attendees.

Why more event planners should consider serving non-alcoholic beverages at their events

Ultimately, it depends on the changing portrait of attendees and catering to their needs and wants. For example, 40 per cent of Generation Z has never consumed alcohol, which is driving the need for alternative drinks, and zero-alcohol plant-based beverages have been created. However, Caesars always advises clients to really understand their attendee demographics. These are thoughtful ways to surprise attendees or get them to try something new and unusual when considering options.

One emerging food trend that Caesars is actively exploring is curating drinks infused with health-focused herbs or healthy syrups that provide additional benefits. Dorsch explains, ‘Herbs include natural elements that enhance endurance without the tension that coffee can create, naturally boost concentration, and even have immune-boosting benefits.’ This is in line with the foreseeable trend of increasing the selection of tasty, pleasurable and healthy food choices - food choices that won't weigh attendees down.

Non-alcoholic beverage options from SAVOR/ASM Global

Shaun Beard, senior vice president of SAVOR, the food and beverage division of ASM Global, has also noticed an increase in the variety and number of non-alcoholic beverages over the past few years as more and more people look for unique, refreshing and health-conscious alternatives to alcoholic beverages.

"There's an aura of wellness around healthy drinks,"Beard says. "We use them to offer our guests different options to rejuvenate and refresh themselves within our venues.’"He continues, "We recently created a welcome non-alcoholic cocktail for a client using local soda water, but we added natural cherry juice and soda water to enhance the flavour and changed the visuals to match the event."

He added: "Some of the trends we're looking at are injecting more global flavours into our non-alcoholic drinks, such as ube and capers." "We've seen this fusion of global flavours with food and now it's making its way into drinks."Another avenue we're looking at is the ‘dirty soda’ trend and how we can bring that to life in our venues.

SAVOR also offers visually appealing still water and soda stations paired with fresh additions such as herbs, fruits and vegetables, including Ginger Lime, Cucumber Mint and Super Citrus. These refreshing and rejuvenating water stations have been warmly received by event guests, Beard says.

So how can meeting and event planners offer a more unique and diverse selection of non-alcoholic beverages without triggering a catering budget hangover? Consider showcasing a simple signature non-alcoholic cocktail, which may be a more cost-effective option than complex alcoholic beverages.

"There are many ways to incorporate non-alcoholic beverage options into an event, from a healthier perspective to a more indulgent one." Beard explains, "We can add lots of different flavours and additions to the coffee service to make it great, or we can set up a fresh fruit infused water station for the event. The ‘Dirty Soda’ bar is perfect for both, offering fresh juice options and indulgent syrups."