A Meeting Planner's Guide To Catered Events
A Meeting Planner's Guide To Catered Events
to Catered Events
Chapter One
The World of Catering
Who doesn’t like to eat
and drink?
When you plan a meeting, you want the
food and beverages to be tasty and
abundant.
You want your attendees to leave feeling
pleased that they were at the event.
Banquets and receptions are
both social and business
events
People love to socialize and network.
All aspects of a catered function are
important.
The quality of food, beverage, and
service makes one of the deepest and
most lasting impressions on meeting
attendees.
Groups generally prefer professionally
prepared and served food and
beverages.
This allows hosts to concentrate solely on
their personal, social, and business
activities while also enjoying the events.
And they can leave the clean up to
someone else.
Business Catering
association conventions and meetings
civic meetings
corporate sales or stockholder meetings
recognition banquets
product launches
educational training sessions
seller-buyer entertaining
service awards banquets
hospitality suites
Caterers come in all sizes
and shapes.
There are caterers who can provide
Japanese, Italian, French, Chinese,
American, Southwest, and Seafood.
There are picnic caterers, kosher
caterers, and barbecue caterers.
Your options are endless.
Types of Catering Venues
independent banquet executive dining rooms
halls in office buildings or
civic auditoriums corporate headquarters
stadiums, arenas houses of worship
ethnic social clubs
recreation rooms in large
fraternal organizations
housing complexes
women’s clubs
parks
private city or country
clubs, athletic clubs museums, aquariums
hospitals restaurants with private
universities, libraries dining rooms
Some facilities are more competitive than
hotels or conference centers, with more
flexible price structures due to lower
overhead expenses.
Public facilities are tax-exempt.
Some facilities provide their own catering
in-house; others are leased to and
operated by contract foodservice
companies that have exclusive contracts.
Some will rent their facilities to off-premise
caterers.
Many meeting planners do
not simply purchase a meal
They buy fantasy, fun, service,
ambience, entertainment, and memories.
Buying food and beverage is only one
component of the fun and fantasy.
Much of what a caterer
sells is intangible
You cannot touch or feel an event before hand.
The caterer is selling something that has yet to
be produced and delivered.
It cannot be resold, restocked, or returned.
People purchase what they "think" will happen.
It’s a gamble for them.
They are nervous and need to be reassured
that they made the correct decision.
The caterer must create a sense of trust with
his or her clients.
Catering is a consumer-
driven market
Stimulated by clients who demand exceptional
quality and excellent value for a reasonable
price.
Value is determined by the buyer, not the
seller.
Buyers’ perceptions are sellers’ realities.
The impression meeting planners have of a
property’s catering ability is their reality, and
will influence their buying decisions.
Most meeting planners
will comparison shop
They make the best choice when they
perceive a facility is reliable, consistent,
creative, and can execute the best quality
event consistent with what they are able
to pay.
The caterer must be able to
take a meeting planner's
vision of the function (needs,
wishes, purpose of the
function, and budget) and
develop an event that can be
delivered effectively and
efficiently.
Catering staff
Server
Director of catering (DOC)
Busperson (busser)
Assistant catering director
Food handler
Catering manager
Bartender
Catering sales manager
(CSM) Barback
Catering sales representative Sommelier
Convention/conference Houseman
service manager Attendant
Banquet manager Clerical person
Banquet setup manager Engineer
Assistant banquet manager Cashier
Scheduler Ticket taker
Maitre d’ hotel Security
Captain Room service manager
How caterers price
236-265 $27.45