Trendsetter Tuesday: F&B Vet Thomas Whelan Serves Up Engaging Experiences

To celebrate our 2024 Meetings Trendsetters, Meetings Today launched "Trendsetter Tuesday," a podcast series of interviews with the 20 Trendsetters recognized in our July/August issue.

A 20-year food and beverage operations veteran, Thomas Whelan, director of events – Northeast for Access DMC, has helped launch off-premise and on-premise catering companies and curated experiences for millions of people at corporate events and social gatherings. 

Whelan, a Meetings Today Trendsetter that was formerly the assistant GM for Levy Convention Centers at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center and also an outspoken advocate for inclusion in the meetings and events industry, is a font of meetings and conventions F&B knowledge.

Whelan also sits on the board of directors for the SEARCH Foundation, is a former board member of the LGBT Meeting Professionals Association and former president of the Massachusetts Live Events Coalition.

Learn the latest engaging catering and cuisine trends as well as the importance of joining industry associations and foundations.

[Related: The 2024 Meetings Trendsetters Paving New Paths in the Events Industry]

Listen now:

 

Transcript:

Editors note: The following transcription was facilitated by AI program Otter.ai and proofed by our editors. Although it is very accurate, there inevitably will be some mistakes, so please consider that when reading. Thank you.

Tyler Davidson
Tyler. Hello and welcome to this Meetings Today Podcast. I'm Tyler Davidson, vice president and chief content director for Meetings Today, and this is a special Trendsetter Tuesday podcast. And really excited to welcome Thomas Whelan, who is the director of events for the Northeast for Access DMC, and a more than 20 year food and beverage, beverage operations veteran. Thanks for joining us, Thomas.

Thomas Whelan
Thank you, Tyler, for having me. I'm super excited to be here.

Tyler Davidson
I love to talk to folks who are, like, very well versed in the F&B and the industry, because it's just such an important part. I mean, often it's a meeting planner’s biggest expense for a meeting. And I know, and I'm sure you know, if there's one thing you don't want to go wrong, it's the food and beverage in a meeting, right?

Thomas Whelan 
Absolutely, you know, I think it's the unspoken part that it is so much of people's budgets these days, and it is so important, and it is something that you can make really remarkable, almost use it as marketing. 

You know, if you've ever spoke to someone and said, ‘Hey, I'm going to this conference of this convention XYZ in Boston.’ And then someone goes, ‘Oh, are you at the convention center? I had an amazing lunch there,’ or in San Diego, ‘Oh, you have to try this when you're there.’ And it can be a real added value for attendees.

Tyler Davidson
And the ever-present Instagrammable moment. Food and beverage lives for that, right?

Thomas Whelan 
Yes, we love some pretty foods. I love when people say, ‘I have to feed my camera first,’ or ‘I have to feed my phone first.’ It's so silly. I, you know, give the ever-so-playful eye roll, yes, but we love it. We love it.

Tyler Davidson
How about we back up and introduce yourself. What's your history in the meetings industry? And how did you get here? And, you know, basically, what's your story?

Thomas Whelan 
I like to take the story back to the beginning, right? I was 13 years old, nine months, and I saw a restaurant opening up on the beach in South Boston, Massachusetts, and I walked in. Blades of Glory, right? And I said, ‘I will work here for free for three months if I can have a job on my 14th birthday.’ And a very smart businessman said, ‘Yes, we will do that.’ I took trash out before joining my first restaurant at 14 in which, in that time, I went from, you know, trash running, dish washing, to a prep cook to a cook to a serving table. 

So I got to experience everything, and it's been ever since then I really fell in love with the meetings and events side of things. 
When I joined Restaurant Associates at the World Bank, if you're familiar with the World Bank/IMF. I would describe it as the United Nations for developing nations, and they give people money, but every year they have two annual conferences, which brings in about 10,000 people to D.C., and I got to experience what it's like providing food and beverage on that scale. And you know, as many people in the industry can thrive off an 18-hour day, I just fell in love. 

It was love at first sight, and then that translated into me joining Levy Restaurants on their convention centers team and the Boston Convention Center, where I started as an assistant director of banquets and left as the assistant general manager. And we did so many remarkable programs. And I met so many people in the industry, with the same passion I had, which was, you know, people are coming to the city, they don't really get to experience anything other than what's in these four walls. How can we make it worthwhile? How can we become a part of the story as opposed to just supporting it? 

And it was a different way to approach things, and it drove us to be super innovative in the meetings and event space. I am so thankful for my time there, and then it has translated into some great things.

Tyler Davidson
Well, let's talk about that. I mean, you have operated on literally, some of the biggest stages. Now you've made a switch to a DMC. What does that entail? And how do you expect your job to be different….what gives, Thomas?

Thomas Whelan 
So, I think it was shocking to a lot of people and myself. I've worked with so many DMCs for years, providing services for their clients. And I have always been in the industry of providing services for meetings and events. 

This one just happened to be a very special service, which was food and beverage. And in doing that, I learned so many logistical things. I learned so many planning elements and all this stuff, and I have this really full toolbox, and some of the tools in the toolbox weren't being used as much as I'd like. 

And so I joined the access DMC team in the Northeast as the director of events, and I get to use all of those tools, and I get to be service obsessed, because Access is service obsessed. And after working with them, I was like, ‘Oh, I have to work alongside them.’ And the team has just been so amazing. 

And I like to talk about it, because for years, everyone would have just said he will be in food and beverage forever. You know, this is what he loves. It's a passion. 

But when you work in meetings and events, you learn so much. Your skill set is so wide because you are handling transportation. You're trying to find flight logistics. I know meetings and events planners who could tell you the flight pattern of a flight better than someone probably in the flight tower, right?

You know, and all this stuff…I'm ready to exercise more of the tools. And a big part of it was, you know, in my in my past roles, I've led teams. I'm at the point in my career where I'm leading teams, and I get to do the stuff, you know, on the ground floor, checking people in, working with people. But really, I get to lead teams at the convention center. 

I had a team of 498 so now I just want to emphasize building the next generation of hospitality leaders and service leaders, supporting people and taking all the stuff I have and giving it to someone else to make it a little easier for them. And it just made sense.

Tyler Davidson
That's a very noble thought. I agree with you. I feel the same way. What in this industry makes folks like me and you really care about more people than just ourselves, and the next generation and all that?

Thomas Whelan 
If you really think about the nitty gritty of what we do, we take care of people. I like to tell people I operate on 50% delusion and 50% spite. So, if you tell me, I can't do it, I want to be the best. But I don't look at a conference and say, like, ‘Oh, I need to provide these services for that conference. I look at a conference and like, these are, you know, the leading oncology doctors and nurses of America. If I can make this event seamless for them, if I can give them the best meal and create food stations or create activations throughout their time that encourages authentic connections, they're going to connect and they're going to create something great together. 

So, I'm actually a part of whatever they're doing on that scientific level or that networking level.. Events are so much bigger than just this, ‘look at this party or look at this meeting where we're discussing the next great thing.’ We get to impact ripple effects on so much in the world.

Tyler Davidson
And how about getting back to F&B, what's moving the dial right now on F&B and events? Anything we should be watching for out there as far as trends.

Thomas Whelan 
Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, oh. Tick, tock.

Tyler Davidson
And I'm not going to be the first or the last person to see it's more than just for funny dances….

Thomas Whelan 
For food and beverage, specifically TikTok. Reaction to things that are getting pushed to the top of the pop culture mountain, right, has really impacted everyone. 

So, yeah, two examples. One, White Lotus came out. I think it was season two, and Aperol spritzes were all a part of it. And then TikTok took that Aperol Spritz movement and brought it up even higher, because they take the sound bites of ordering an Aperol Spritz. 

Or, if you remember, two years ago, there was an interview with a Negroni Sbagliato. And I'm pretty sure Negroni Sbagliato is without Prosecco, and then you say with Prosecco, so you just ordered a Negroni. 

But these, these trends and audio clips are creating momentum for very specific items. And then what I loved was food and beverages. Reaction to it where Aperol Spritz, yes, but let's make a whole spritz menu. 

So, we have the limoncello spritz, we have what is my favorite thing in the whole wide world, which is an amaro spritz, which is just a different Italian digestive. It really changes things. 

And then you have specific food items. I think last year, the chicken chopped sandwich from one bodega in New York took off. And in  Philadelphia, we have a kale Caesar with chicken cutlets taking off. 

So, being able to then bring that to an event pretty quickly, it shows that your fingers are on the pulse, you know what's happening. And it makes people who are engaging with these things online pretty rapidly be a part of the trend, as opposed to trying to join a trend.

Tyler Davidson
Yeah, for sure. So, planners, I guess, no matter what age, should have their antennae up, yeah, and I'm thinking, too, if you have like, a son or a daughter, you know, maybe you should say, Well, you can use Tiktok, but you gotta feed me three F&B items.

Thomas Whelan 
And I really like Tiktok as opposed to the Instagram and the other social medias, because it seems a little more authentic. But I get to be, you know, I want to be a part of it. I want to hear… I'll hear something at a small level of engagement, and then we'll work with the team to get it to the right level for when it is massive, and it's been really cool and it's been really exciting.

Tyler Davidson
Before we tap out today, let's talk about your involvement in industry, various industry organizations, and especially, how have they helped shape your career? 

And maybe, for  someone just getting into the industry, why should they be involved? And then, finally, you're on the board of the SEARCH Foundation, which is something that's near and dear to my heart, that helps out people in need in the meetings and events industry. 

So, why don't you tell us about your work there and what they're up to? And I know with a couple natural disasters that just happened, there must be in—especially in Western North Carolina—there must be some need there. 
So, I know I just fed you a long list of questions, but I'll let you just jump in and start talking…

Thomas Whelan 
Yeah, industry engagement. And anyway, it's so funny because in 2019 a good friend of mine and coworker, Jennifer Bertolino, who I now call my drag mom because she dragged me to networking receptions…. because I would go to conferences, I'd be there all day for the content. I'd go to my room and I'd close the door and I wouldn't open it until I was back on the on the show floor. And she's like, you're missing the most vital part, which is networking. So, I believe it was Catersource or something. Yeah, Catersource’s special event in 2019. 

I went to the networking events and I started meeting people, and one of the events was the SEARCH Foundation's annual signature event that they did at Planet Hollywood. And I heard about what they did, and for those of you who don't know, the SEARCH Foundation is a non-profit organization that supports anyone in our industry in times of crisis …

Tyler Davidson
…it was very important during the pandemic, as I remember…

Thomas Whelan 
So, we give grants of up to $5,000 for anyone who's in in crisis. In crisis means so many things. It can be, you know, like, we just went through with the hurricanes in in southeastern America, you lose your home, you're flooded. We are there to provide you almost instantaneous money to get you back on your feet, to get you and your kids in a hotel room when you don't have somewhere to sleep. 

And you know, I remember last year, it was the Maui wildfires, and so many of our colleagues were just devastated. And so, often we have these major natural disasters, but also it's the things that we're not aware of.

I was at a SEARCH Foundation event in Boston and everything is done anonymously, and I've been on the board now for four years, and we're doing a call to action, to let everyone know. And someone raised their hand in the audience and was like, ‘Can I say something?’ And this is the second time this had happened, and it was my co-worker, and she said that the foundation was there for her when her daughter had a tumor on her brain and she needed the help.

And I was like, I work next to this person every day, and I had no idea, right? So, my call to action always is to let people know that the SEARCH Foundation is there. We are there to help you. They are there to help you. They're there. To help you anonymously, but also, if you can assist, help the SEARCH Foundation help other people. 

But from there, I then joined the LGBT MPA, and then I during COVID, or the pandemic, I helped lead the Massachusetts Live Events coalition, and that was bringing all of us in the industry together, and we did some remarkable things. We had rallies. 
I was fortunate enough to get asked to represent the coalition at the State House, and gave a, you know, 10 minutes on the state of the industry. And it was really amazing. And it ended up getting hundreds of millions of dollars of relief in Massachusetts, not because of me, but there was a lot of people there. But it was because of that, like, swelling of like, we had theater production people together, wedding planners, caterers, ushers—it was so cool. 

And so now I'm like, I preach. I am very fortunate to talk at things like Future Leaders Forum, and I talk at colleges and universities now. And I'm like, get out there. Get involved. So many people want to hold the door open for you. We love this industry. You have to have a special, unique personality to want to be in this for so long, and you have to be so passionate. And we are here for you.

Tyler Davidson
How can people learn more about SEARCH Foundation, and then, and also Access DMC and what you guys are up to?

Thomas Whelan 
Yeah, you can find out about SEARCH online at searchfoundation.org, or Instagram is great at SEARCHFoundation. I'm at Thomas Wayland junior. I'm posting about Search all the time. Access is AccessDMC.com, and they're all just incredible. 

And also, thank you so much for including me in your Trendsetters. It’s like the 14-year-old boy in Boston who's experimenting with some clothing choices. Never thought he'd be called at Trendsetter, and anyway, so thank you so much.

Tyler Davidson
Well, we appreciate it, and you actually received a number of votes from your colleagues, so it wasn't just our decision. So, I appreciate you for that.

Thomas Whelan 
Well, thank you.

Tyler Davidson
Well, thank you, Thomas for joining us. Finally, what is your advice for people just entering the industry and how they can become a Trendsetter eventually?

Thomas Whelan 
I give the same advice to everyone. It's twofold. 

For those who are experienced in the industry, hold the door open for someone who doesn't look, sound or act like you, and give them every tool that you have, because they're just going to help you in the end. 

And for those who are starting out, or who are a little greener, find your value. Know how much you're worth, and I mean that in a very specific monetary way. Know what you are worth, and work to that level every day and demand and command that, because what we do is we provide a service that you can't really put a dollar sign on most of the days, and there's no there's no way we'll ever know the financial impact of a smile from someone as they're getting off the bus in a new city or they're trying to find where their session is in a convention center, so make sure that you know your value, that you're demanding it, and you're holding yourself accountable to that value. 

And if you do that, people are going to see you and say, ‘What is so special about that?’ And it's that you know your worth. And I don't think we give enough credit to those who know their worth. 

I saw a clip the other day. I don't want to say on TikTok, but on something where it's like, hire the diva. Divas can cause trouble, but they know their worth, and they're going to fight for you, and they're passionate. So, I want everyone to just be a diva, whatever you want to call it…

Tyler Davidson
…or Devo, right? Well, thank you very much, Thomas for joining us today.

Thomas Whelan 
Thank you. You have a wonderful day.

Tyler Davidson
And you too. 

That was Thomas Whelan. He is director of events for the Northeast for Access DMC. I'm Tyler Davidson, vice president and chief content director for Meetings Today. 

Thank you for joining us for this Meetings Today Podcast, and if you're interested in other podcasts we have with industry thought leaders, just head on over to meetingstoday.com to check out our podcast section for a wealth of content from your colleagues. 
Thanks again for joining us today. And no matter what you're up to with the rest of it, go out and make it great.