Catering

The budget projection at the Feasibility Stage should already reflect catering prices, including any added expenditure that might incur from late registrations. The budget template shows an example of a catering order.

The Event Lead or designate should ask for the delegates’ dietary requirements in advance, preferably at registration time. These requirements should inform the catering order for the workshop.

The Event Lead (or designate) should find out from the caterers the latest date to submit an order. It might be worth ordering 5%-10% extra meals to allow for late registrations between ordering the food and the event.

It’s tempting to order the cheapest things on the menu to meet the budget, but having variety, quality, and reasonable portions (especially at a multi-day event) can help keep the participants fuelled for learning and interaction. If you are charging your audience to attend the event, then it is best to give careful consideration to catering.

It can be time-consuming to arrange catering so this might be best assigned to another member of staff during the task allocation process.