Explore the Dynamic Exhibit Hall at Catersource + The Special Event
Meet Your People. Find Your Solutions.
Catersource + The Special Event is a bustling marketplace—a vibrant agora bringing together thousands of the catering and event industries’ most invested professionals and solution providers. This is where welcoming exhibitor booths, relaxed happy hours, community-building receptions, award ceremonies, and bonus education all converge to celebrate our industry and drive it forward.
Expand Your Network
Receptions and happy hours where a simple “hello” to a fellow attendee often leads to an engaging discussion, business contact, or even a new friend.
Be More Innovative
Fun and enlightening festivities, tastings, and competitions show you the most creative food designs, cocktail R&D programs, and more!
Source Products and Services
We’ve got hundreds of cutting-edge suppliers from specialty foods to trending tech to design, transportation, and more—ready to help you wow your clients and customers.
The Tasting Experience
Join us in the Beverage Garden on the tradeshow floor for a bespoke tasting experience—only open to ticket holders—that will inform the myriad ways you approach beverages and how they are built, garnished, and served. Walk the garden and compare cocktail bitters (i.e., not all bitters of the same "flavor" taste the same!), sample garnishes, assess Bloody Mary mixes, and enjoy a signature cocktail to round out your experience, among other tastes. Each day offers a different learning experience as well:
Sip, Savor, & Shake: Beverage Garden Delights
Ginger Beer
Discover the variances in flavors and ingredients when you compare various ginger beers side-by-side.
Bloody Mary Mixes
From spicy to vegetal, thick to thin—you can decide which mix will play well with your next brunch event…and epic garnish tower!
Variations of Vermouth
The base of many a classic cocktail, this fortified wine can be dry (white/clear) with herbaceous notes or sweet (red) with floral and/or citrus notes.
Bitters, the Spice Rack of Cocktail Making
Enter the realm of cocktail seasoning: flavors that impart notes of floral, bark, citrus, and other botanicals in the same way that we add salt and pepper to our recipes.
Cocktail Garnishes
Olive or lemon twist in your martini? Brandied or candied cherry in your Manhattan? The possibilities are endless! While some prefer a good blue cheese stuffed olive, others appreciate the briny filthiness of a meaty pimento-filled olive. Whatever your decision, the options for you to taste and discern will be there for you!
Syrups, Both Simple & Complex
Making a simple syrup is hardly rocket science: one part white sugar to one part water.
2026 Tablescape Competition
Wednesday, March 4th • 12:30pm - 2:00pm
Discover the Art of Tablescaping with Industry Experts! Join Michelle Joy Howard, Matthew Crowe, and Colton Staver on Wednesday, March 4, from 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM, for an immersive experience in tablescape design. Put your creativity to the test in our interactive Tabletop Competition, where you’ll team up with others in one of 12 curated teams (5 participants each). Face time-sensitive challenges, surprise design twists, and collaborate to craft a stunning tablescape display. Top honors come with big rewards—the winning team will receive complimentary passes to the 2027 Catersource + The Special Event! Spots are limited—reserve yours today and bring your vision to life in this one-of-a-kind, hands-on design challenge!
Click here to sign up to participate in the competition!
DICED Competition
Wednesday, March 4th • 3:00pm – 4:15pm
Are You Ready to Turn Mystery into Masterpiece?
Six chefs will compete in this live mystery box competition at the Los Angeles Convention Center in beautiful Los Angeles, CA, emceed by Chef Robin Selden, Marcia Selden Catering & Events.
Each chef will have the same staple ingredients at their station as well as a limited pantry to pull from. The Mystery Box will have ingredients that chefs must use in some capacity. Chefs will have about 30+ minutes to prepare a total of four tasting plates featuring the mystery box ingredients and a revealed concept they must embrace.
Ready to apply?