How to Deliver World-Class Catering and Event F&B in 2026 - Insights from Nayef Bou Hamdan

At TGP Events & Catering we’re passionate about raising the bar for event catering, combining chef-led menus and seamless service to create standout experiences at all scales and formats, from intimate gatherings to major seasonal activations.

As part of this commitment, we are pleased to introduce Nayef Bou Hamdan as our new Head of Business Development, bringing with him two decades of experience from international hotel groups and large-scale global events.

In this Q&A Nayef shares insights about this career to date and his thoughts on what it takes to deliver world class catering and event F&B.

Q1: Having worked at major organisations including Hyatt International, Emaar Hospitality and Expo 2020, what are some of the most important things you’ve learned about delivering catering and events services?

Delivering outstanding catering and events services today is fundamentally about designing experiences that feel immersive, relevant and emotionally engaging for guests. Working across large and diverse organisations has reinforced the importance of shaping food and service concepts around the purpose of the event, the cultural context and the mood organisers want to create — whether that is high-end hospitality, celebration or meaningful connection.

Understanding guest diversity is central to this approach. Successful delivery depends on recognising different cultural expectations, dietary needs and social preferences, and translating these into inclusive menus and service styles that make every guest feel considered. This goes beyond compliance and becomes a driver of quality, creativity and trust, particularly at international or public-facing events.

Luxury, in this context, is defined less by scale and more by personalisation.

Bespoke menus, flexible formats and tailored service models allow catering to reflect individual tastes, brand identities and evolving guest expectations. Achieving this consistently requires close collaboration between culinary, service and event teams, as well as strong partnerships with suppliers who can support customised solutions. When alignment is right, the result is a seamless experience that feels curated rather than standardised, even at scale.

Q2: What opportunities do you see for TGP Events & Catering as the market continues to evolve, and how can these be realised across different event formats and scales?

The most significant opportunity lies in positioning TGP as a partner that delivers the same level of care, detail and reliability regardless of format or scale. Whether catering for an intimate yacht experience, a desert-based event, a wedding, a corporate gathering or a large-scale seasonal activation, there is clear demand for consistency of quality combined with flexibility of approach.

As client expectations continue to rise, there is growing value in moving beyond one-size-fits-all solutions towards tailored experiences that reflect the setting, audience and purpose of each event. This creates opportunities to deepen relationships across both government and corporate sectors by supporting clients across multiple use cases, rather than single engagements.

There is also strong potential to expand through strategic partnerships that enhance creativity, reach and specialist capability, enabling TGP to deliver more immersive and differentiated experiences. By applying disciplined operational standards alongside thoughtful customisation, the business can continue to grow sustainably while reinforcing its reputation for trusted delivery across a diverse and evolving events landscape.

Q3: What does your vision of “memorable dining and event experiences” look like?

Memorable dining and event experiences are created when culinary creativity is thoughtfully balanced with operational practicality. Innovation must be deliverable at scale, ensuring that creativity enhances the experience without compromising consistency, timing or quality.

Equally important is relevance. Successful events reflect both cultural context and brand identity, allowing guests to connect meaningfully with the experience. This is achieved through well-executed service touchpoints that guide the guest journey with clarity, professionalism and attention to detail.

At its best, a memorable event brings together ambience, menu design and client objectives into a cohesive whole.

Whether delivered for an intimate gathering or a large-scale activation, the experience must remain consistent in quality and execution, regardless of complexity or scale.

Q4: For corporate clients or partners, how do you balance customisation (tailored events) with operational efficiency and consistency in service quality?

Balancing customisation with consistency begins with well-defined frameworks that allow for bespoke menu development while maintaining core quality standards. This ensures that tailored experiences are delivered within established operational parameters, reducing risk without limiting creativity.

Tiered service models also play an important role, offering flexibility in presentation and experience while preserving efficiency in execution. By adopting modular operational structures, teams can adapt seamlessly to different event formats, scales and client requirements without reinventing processes for each engagement.

Crucially, this approach depends on clear alignment between client expectations and internal capabilities from the outset. Continuous quality assurance measures, supported by structured post-event evaluations, enable us to refine delivery, maintain consistency and continually improve across our portfolio of events.

Q5: Large-scale catering environments demand exceptional operational resilience. What do you believe differentiates a strong catering partner from a standard supplier in today’s market?

A strong catering partner is defined by depth of operational readiness and the ability to perform consistently under pressure, particularly in high-volume and time-sensitive environments. This requires not only resources and infrastructure, but proven systems that can scale without compromising quality or service standards.

Experience also plays a critical role. Organisations that have successfully delivered complex, high-profile events bring a level of confidence, foresight and composure that cannot be replicated through theory alone. This is especially important when managing multi-day or multi-venue activations, where consistency and reliability are paramount.

Ultimately, differentiation lies in leadership. Strong partners demonstrate effective crisis management, robust risk mitigation practices and a capacity for innovation — both in culinary design and operational execution — allowing them to respond proactively to challenges while continuing to elevate the guest experience.

Q6: Many clients today seek turnkey solutions, from concept design to catering execution. How do you see integrated services shaping the future of TGP’s offering?

Integrated services provide clients with a single point of accountability, simplifying decision-making and reducing complexity across the event lifecycle. This approach creates greater clarity, consistency and confidence, particularly for large-scale or high-profile activations.

When creative concepting, logistics and catering delivery are aligned from the outset, it results in more coherent event experiences, improved efficiency and stronger cost control.

Integrated models also minimise risk by ensuring that creative ambition is supported by operational feasibility at every stage.

For TGP, this presents an opportunity to expand complementary services that enhance our core catering and events offering while remaining focused on quality and execution. In an increasingly competitive market, full-service delivery offers a clear long-term strategic advantage, enabling us to build deeper client partnerships and deliver more impactful, end-to-end experiences.

Q7: What emerging trends and shifts have you observed in the catering and events industry in recent years and how have these developments influenced the way organisations approach event planning and guest experience?

There has been a clear shift towards more responsible and considered event delivery, with sustainability, ethical sourcing and waste reduction now central to client expectations rather than optional considerations. These priorities increasingly influence menu design, procurement strategies and operational planning.

At the same time, demand for dietary inclusivity and culturally diverse menus has grown significantly, reflecting broader audience profiles and the need for more personalised guest experiences. Technology has also become a key enabler, with digital guest management tools and real-time operational tracking improving both planning accuracy and on-site responsiveness.

Alongside these developments, clients are placing greater value on experiential dining and immersive event narratives that create stronger emotional engagement. This has driven a move towards more agile planning models, allowing organisations to adapt quickly to changing requirements while maintaining quality and consistency in delivery.

Q8: Looking ahead, what are your ambitions for TGP Events & Catering under your leadership? What milestones or growth areas are you particularly excited about?

Looking ahead, my ambition is to strengthen TGP’s footprint across key sectors, including government, corporate and large-scale public events, while reinforcing our reputation for reliability, quality and operational excellence. These sectors present significant opportunities for sustainable, long-term growth.

A key focus will be establishing new strategic partnerships and expanding our regional reach in a way that supports both scale and consistency. Alongside this, I am particularly excited about developing innovative culinary programmes and expanding our multi-cuisine capabilities to better reflect the diversity and evolving expectations of our audiences.

Equally important is continued investment in operational infrastructure to increase capacity, improve efficiency and support future growth. By setting clear, measurable performance goals aligned to growth, quality and client satisfaction, we aim to ensure that expansion is purposeful, disciplined and firmly centred on delivering value.