Conference catering: bringing food to the masses!

Conference catering differs from many other types of catering in that in a conference setting there are typically many more people that need to be served and fed than if you were to cater an office or personal party.  Enlisting a corporate catering company might be a little more complicated than hiring for smaller catering functions, but the benefit - in terms of time they'll save you and results they deliver - is exponential!

If you've been put in charge of finding a conference catering company, a good place to start is to ask for recommendations from the conference centre. The centre manager will often have a list of people the venue works with on a regular basis.  You should still know some basic things to ask:

Is this a partnership?

Keep in mind that the venue may get a bonus from the caterer if the venue promotes them to outside clients planning catering functions, and the clients end up choosing this particular caterer. Because of this, the venue manager may be a little less concerned with promoting the best catering company catering company to you.  But that doesn't mean that the conference catering company won't be good! In fact, these types of caterers may be your best bet. They know the lay out of the conference center, they've done work their before, they know they event staff, and they're likely to make your conference catering experience a relatively smooth one!

How experienced is this caterer?

If there is a partnership between the venue and the caterer, the rep for the conference center may not tell you right off the bat how much experience the conference catering company has, which is why you should be prepared to ask.

What do they offer?

Don't assume that the caterer will be staying to serve guests or to make sure everything comes off without a hitch. Make sure you get all your expectations ont he table, and put everything in writing. A good, experienced, quality conference catering company will understand your requests and do their best to abate your fears.

If you opt not to go with this type of event planning staff, there are still plenty of viable options to help with your conference catering needs.  

If your conference is on the smaller side, and you're utilizing a meeting room rental instead of an expansive venue, you might not even need an entire catering crew! Often times, you can put in a banquet event order with your favorite restaurant or lunch spot, pick up the catering order, and have dozens of happy conference attendees.

If you're planning on using a larger location for your conference, but have to - or want to - pick out your own catering company, don't let the task overwhelm you. Finding a good conference catering company doesn't have to be difficult. Seek out business catering corporations - companies and people who exclusively plan and cater conferences, and you'll be on your way to finding a conference catering service that meets your expectations.