When organising a conference there are many things to consider to ensure everything runs smoothly on the day. Ab Fab Catering has many years of experience catering for conferences, so we thought we would share some of what we have learnt along the way.
Talk to the venue representative to find out what they do and don’t supply. Will the venue provide tables for the catering? Does the venue take care of the rubbish? Do they provide water, tea and coffee?
Top Tip – If you are planning a breakfast or evening event, check with the venue about access times for setting up, or what time the event can run until in the evening. Some venues have air-conditioning on automatic timers – make sure the venue adjusts this to suit your times, ensuring the delegates are comfortable during all events at the conference.
When seeking quotes for catering, you will need to have a ‘ball-park’ figure of the number of attendees you are expecting and your budget. This will help with decisions around the menu choices to best cater for your attendees. Final numbers and dietary requirements can be confirmed after your registrations have been received.
Top Tip – When collecting registrations, ask the delegate to identify if they have a food allergy that will need to be catered for. You can then pass this information on to the caterer, who should label individually packaged special diet meals with the delegate’s name and dietary requirement.
Look for a catering company that has previous experience catering for conferences, especially if you have large numbers or are running the conference over several days. A good conference caterer will be able to offer you catering for your whole conference, from breakfasts to cocktail parties.
Experienced conference caterers will be able to advise on suitable menu choices for your numbers and budget. At Ab Fab, we have many years’ experience catering to conferences both large and small. We can help you liaise with the venue and make sure you are asking the right questions to other vendors and suppliers for your conference to ensure a smooth running and successful event.
Top Tip – talk to Ab Fab about your conference catering needs!
