Feeding the Masses, Part 2

In part 1 of “Feeding the Masses, ” we looked at the different types of dietary constraints an event planner may encounter when coordinating a food and beverage event. Dietary issues are only one aspect of these events. There are many other complexities to consider when planning an event with F&B. Here are a few more tidbits for you, some of which may even help your budget.

• Review the Event Contract Before It’s Signed. Make sure you carefully review the event contract before it gets signed. Know the F&B budget and understand how much your organization is being charged for different meals, beverages, and breaks, how much you’re paying per gallon of coffee, and whether service fees or taxes are included in those costs (they almost never are).
• Double-check the Event Agenda. Confirm the event agenda will accommodate the type of meal function planned. If the agenda is filled with breakouts, training sessions, or other activities, you may need to serve a buffet-style meal where attendees can come and go instead of a plated meal which takes up a lot of time. Or, the time allotted for a meal may need to be extended to allow attendees to get through a buffet line if the event has a large number of people registered.
• Confirm Meeting Space Allocations. If you haven’t reserved the appropriate amount of space for the number of attendees to be seated at round tables during the meal time, it may be too late to “squeeze” a meal into a room that is set up theater-style for a breakout session. It takes time to have a room setup flipped from theater to banquet. Make sure you know the space needs of the meal before the contract is signed.
• Work with the Chef. The Chef is a great resource for you. They should be able to recommend seasonal or locally sourced menu items. The Chef and the Banquet Manager should also know what other groups are in-house at the same time as yours. See if you can “meal share” with the other group, meaning both groups are eating the same meal on the same day at the same time. This particular tidbit can save you a lot of money.
• Know your Attendees. I have mentioned this before in several event planning situations and I can’t stress enough how important it is for the success of your event. Don’t serve a hungry bunch of high school students finger sandwiches and carrot sticks for lunch. Alternatively, don’t serve biscuits and gravy with scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast during a women’s retreat on weight loss. By understanding who is attending your event you can save money by not wasting food.
• Everyone Wants Coffee. Not everyone eats breakfast, but everyone wants coffee. I know not everyone actually drinks coffee but 99% of humans drink some type of beverage in the morning. Ensure you properly account for the right amount of coffee, decaf, and/or hot water for tea and how many stations it will take to get your attendees through a line quickly. Un-caffeinated attendees who stand in line more than a minute or two will remember this experience for much longer, and share it with their peers more often, than anything they hear from the stage.
• Ask for a Service Fee Breakdown. Ask the venue to show you a breakdown of how the service fees collected are being distributed. If the banquet staff doesn’t receive any of it as a gratuity, you may want to consider adding additional funds to your budget to be able to tip waitstaff, banquet captains, chefs, and other staff when you receive exceptional service.

There are other intricacies of coordinating a food and beverage event, many of which have to do with the goals and objectives of the event, F&B laws where the event is being held, and more. We learned a lot in this area during 2020 and beyond. Food and beverage event planning is constantly evolving and leads the way with innovation.

If you would like to talk more about F&B events, send me an email and
let’s set up some time to talk.

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