Whether you have a sweet tooth or not, there are very few people who can say no to a nibble from a tray of mini pastries or maybe even some fruit with cream. That’s what events used to bank on. Easy, sweet, delicious yet uncomplicated desserts. Fortunately, this formula no longer works.
These days, dessert is stealing the show — and not quietly. From desserts only found in fine dining restaurants to multisensory desserts, these sweet treats are a feast for all the senses. Think melting sugar sculptures, edible smoke, soundtracked spoonfuls, and pastry chefs doubling as performers. Dessert isn’t just a course anymore. It’s a moment. A shared, sensory-heavy, photo-worthy moment.
And it’s changing how events are designed from the ground up.
Dessert as an Experience, Not Just a Dish
Let’s start with this: people don’t just come to events for information or networking. They come to feel something. Surprise, connection, even nostalgia. Food has always played a part in that, but now dessert is taking it further. Not just because it’s sweet, but because it’s flexible. Playful yet emotional.
That’s what makes it the perfect vehicle for multisensory design. You can build a dessert that cracks, fizzles, melts, or even floats. You can serve one with music, scent, lighting, and motion. It’s food that doesn’t just taste good, it feels like something is happening.
And when something’s happening, people pay attention.
So, What is a Multisensory Dessert?
Multisensory desserts do exactly what their name suggests — they appeal to the different human senses. It could be something simple like a warm chocolate tart paired with a soundtrack of slow jazz and a waft of orange blossom mist. Or it could be a full-blown installation where guests walk through a tunnel of hanging spun sugar, catching it like snow. The idea is that touch, smell, sight, sound, taste are all switched on.
This isn’t about gimmicks. It’s about engagement
It’s Not Just About the Food
One of the best things about this trend is it stretches beyond what’s actually being served. It’s about how it’s delivered, how people move toward it. How it unfolds.
Some events are ditching the idea of “serving” dessert at all. Instead, they build the entire dessert portion of the night into a zone: a room lit with colored light and filled with aroma, where dessert is discovered, not plated. There’s no table, no cutlery, no announcements—just curiosity and movement.
Some extreme examples would be when guests can peel edible wallpaper from the walls and dip it into flavoured dust. Or another where an entire table is set with blank white surfaces, with projection maps coming in sync as the chef plates the dessert.
As magical as this sounds, it isn’t magic—just really good planning.
The Quiet Power of Shared Delight
When done well, these experiences don’t just wow people, they pull them together. A well-timed dessert reveal can reset the energy of a room. It breaks up stiffness, sparks conversation, and leaves everyone with a common point of reference.
People might not remember the keynote slides. They’ll definitely remember the passionfruit cloud that burst in their mouth while a playlist played ocean waves.
The Best Part? You Don’t Even Need a Big Budget
Sure, you can hire a world-class food artist and build a dome filled with edible fog. But you don’t have to.
There are plenty of low-key ways to create sensory moments without blowing the budget. A DIY marshmallow toasting station with different scented wood chips. A chilled sorbet shot paired with citrus-scented hand towels. Even the timing matters — rolling dessert out right after a dense panel can bring people back to life.
It’s less about expense, more about intention. What does this moment feel like? What’s the energy in the room? Can dessert help shape that?
Spoiler: yes. Every time.
Don’t Underestimate the Power of Nostalgia
Multisensory doesn’t have to mean futuristic. Some of the most powerful dessert moments come from leaning into the familiar in a new way.
Take the ice cream truck. It’s been reimagined at events as a sleek, mobile gelato cart. But it still plays that jingle. Still hands over a cone. And for half the room, it unlocks a memory.
Or the sound of a spoon cracking through a sugar shell. The first scent of toasted cinnamon. The feel of sticky fingers after pulling cotton candy apart.
All of it counts. All of it connects.
Why It Works For Events
These kinds of moments aren’t just a nice touch; they serve a purpose. When an event taps into the senses, it changes the energy in the room. People pay more attention, and things land differently.
At more structured gatherings such as corporate meetings, educational summits, and nonprofit events, a surprise like an unusual dessert or unexpected detail can break things open. It shifts the mood just enough to keep people present. It gives the experience texture.
In cities where the event scene is highly developed, details like this matter. Even event venues in Barcelona, a place known for creativity and food culture, are leaning into it. It’s not just about space and catering anymore; it’s about designing something that people can truly feel.
What This Means for Planners
For planners, this opens up a whole new toolset. Dessert can be used to shape movement, guide energy, and close the event on a high note.
You don’t have to go full theatre. Just start with a question: what do you want people to feel at that point in the evening? Do you want to spark conversations? Slow things down? End with a laugh?
There’s a dessert for that.
Final Thoughts
Desserts have long been most people’s guilty pleasure, but in today’s event scene, they are finally getting the recognition they deserve. It’s not just about what’s sweet or seasonal, it’s about what creates connection. Dessert has become a language. One that speaks through scent, sound, motion, and memory.
So next time you’re planning an event, save room for something a little unexpected. Something that crackles or melts or floats. Something that makes people stop and say, “Wait — what is this?”
And that, more than any centrepiece or keynote, might be the moment your audience remembers most.
