John Thompson asked:


Catering is the profession of furnishing food at a remote location. The catering trade has grown over the last few decades and now food services along with event planning seem to have been combined into a catering conventions industry.

While providing food is still a fundamental point, the broad duty of catering conventions is now planning a full service that satisfies the senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell and taste. Catering shows involves furnishing an atmosphere, both professional and colorful. From the dcor to the glassware, to the food and dining areas, a caterer is assumed to get everything just right.

At such outdoor conventions as concerts, workplaces or other public spots mobile catering is used, which sees the serving of food from a vehicle or cart. There is also industrial catering, which provides shows for schools, prisons and other institutions. Airlines also have catering conventions services whether by contract with a caterer or through their own division. However, the cheaper the flight the less costs is devoted to catering, and usually full menus are dropped in favor of snack items.

For the most part though, catering events is reserved for big occasions, like weddings, conventions or banquets. A conference caterer may serve food him or herself, with a hired staff, or may set up a self-serve buffet. Food can be prepared either at the conference or beforehand depending on the menu.

Catering conventions also involves setting up tables, the dining area and decorations in addition to the food. One who knows how catering events is handled, should know how to prepare food and how to make it look eye pleasing and professional. Weddings for example, need working with one context of color scheme.

The cost of catering shows is usually determined by how many guests will be accommodated. The professional who is catering shows should also be shrewd about funds, as he or she must keep the cost of the event below the rate in order to make any profit.

As far as catering conventions go, there are two skilled choices: independent caterers and companies who provide catering along with other services. The number of guests would select the final cost of the service. Most caterers charge a set price per person which covers all of their expense including food and beverages. The price varies based on what you want served, obviously a cocktail party with appetizers would be more economical than a three course dinner.

Caterings shows can be done online. Some companies make catering arrangements online while others can deliver an entire catered product to your place of residence or any other setting you choose. When throwing a big conference, be sure and choose a professional caterer with high standards so that the menu and the look of the party will be of the finest quality.



Constance

Robyn asked:


I work as an Event Coordinator planning private parties from 10-1,500 guests for a Nightclub & Restaurant. Any ideas on how to gain more parties and more clients on a small business budget? Our business is new and I need to find alternatives to radio and print advertising because of cost.

How can I maximize my position to get more events rolling in? Any ideas?? Go crazy with it and I’m open to unique ideas

Arlene

misscancer08 asked:


I would like to become an event planner. I love the whole idea of planning parties, weddings ect. I love to help make someone else dreams and visions come to life. How can I go about this without having to go to college?

Manuel

Shane Williss asked:


The responsibility of organising team building events is a huge task for anyone. Everything has to be planned and implemented with sheer precision. In addition to that, team building objectives would need to be incorporated into most activities. This is why the goal of the event must first be identified prior to the planning process.

Once that’s done, it would be best to run a research on the various team building activities that will achieve the intended objectives of the organisation. Browsing through websites such as http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/corporate-events will give you with an idea on the type of activities you can run.

Your next step is to pick a venue that has the necessary facilities to run your team building activities. It may be a good idea to go through the list of locations approved by your corporation before you start making enquiries. This way, you won’t waste any of your time considering venues that will not be accepted. You can also cross check with your colleagues for referrals, as they will possess first-hand experience on the service levels and facilities of the places that you are thinking about.

As a team building event planner, one of your core responsibilities is to create a balance between meeting organisational objectives and boosting of employee morale. One of the ways to do this is to encourage interaction amongst participants, through the activities and games that will be implemented. Holistic participation would be your ultimate goal, which is why these games should be made appropriate for everyone.

Utilising activity evaluation models such as Kirkpatrick’s Learning Model will help you decide if an activity is enjoyable, educational, and applicable while improving performance. Depending on the event objective, there will be many activity options for you to choose from, such as ice-breaker exercises, leadership and management activities and observation and awareness exercises.

Finally, it’s good to make a last-minute list of the tasks that you need to sort out a few days before the event date. For instance, you may need to confirm the number of team building participants with the venue or resort and make a list of the equipment needed for the event. Ultimately, precision in all of these details would be essential for your success as an event organiser.



Christine

Abhishek Agarwal asked:


A career in event management can surely take you places if you are serious of making a career of organizing events and managing them on a large basis. Event management has come to be recognized as a management profession by many companies and educational institutions in the past decade so much so that leading universities have started offering degree programs in event management to individuals who are looking as event planning as a career option.

Event planners are also known by different names many of which include, conference coordinators, program managers event managers and so on. It all boils down to the event planner making all the arrangements for the event be it a conference, trade show, fete or a marriage party. Many business organizations have even begun hiring event planners on a full time basis because as their organizations are growing so are their needs for communications and event planners are a great asset when it comes to organizing conferences and meetings in the shortest of time frames.

With the logistic requirements of the business world growing at a rapid pace it is necessary for the event planner to acquire the best skill sets to be able to effectively manage business conferences and meetings. For those who are considering a career in event planning there is no dearth of opportunities waiting for them to cash in on. Apart from a regular paying jib with one of the many business houses just waiting to rope in a skilled event manager to manage their various business shows and meetings there are the opportunities of entrepreneurship.

Event managers can earn handsomely even by starting their own event management business. There are people just looking for reliable people to outsource their event management needs to. There are weddings, birthday parties to mention event management on a smaller scale then there is the grand scale event management program such as organizing large trade shows and various other grand functions of the corporate world.

Event managers have made a mark in the field of event management by successfully organizing trade shows on international levels. The Auto trade show is one such example of event planning and management. There is a lot to be learnt and earned by taking to a career in event planning. Event planning involves a lot of traveling and meting top brass of the corporate world. The most important skill is management skills and then communication skills.

Event management professionals need to handle logistics and invitations after scouting for a location for the event venue. In fact, this is done in an orderly fashion. First identifying the event that needs to be organized, then managing the enclosures such as the stalls etc. organizing, electric power, security, sending out invitations, publicity and ensuring that everything just falls into place for the participants. The ability to achieve this is what makes successful event planners.



Victor

Hotboi asked:


I want to plan an event for high school students this school year. I need to know the basics of event planning and while I think I got the gist of it I want to hear it from a qualified event planner.
That’s KEY factors (sorry for the typo)

Also in a high school who do I need to contact to bring an event to the school.

Alvin

Andrea Wyn asked:


take the mystery out of event planning so that no matter your experience, knowledge or budget, we will tell you how to create simple and yet elegant special events. So with that in mind, let’s start with the simple question, why throw a party?

Is it a birthday? Anniversary? Bridal or baby shower? Holiday such as Valentine’s Day or 4th of July? How about just having a group of friends over to share in good food and fine wine? Any of the above and more are reasons to throw a party so here we go.

The Checklist – Party To Do List

I believe that parties are suppose to be fun from start to finish, not stressful so why not start off on the right track with creating your Party to Do List. There is no need to get anxious about having people over for a dinner party or throwing a wedding or formal event for a couple of hundred people. The same process should be implemented no matter what the guest count is. The best implementation method I believe is a party checklist. I always generate a Party To Do List because it provides me with the steps that I need from beginning to end in the party production process and is easy to repeat and adjust for future events.

This Party To Do List that I will share in part with you will turn any amateur into a party planner with flair and style and will help you smooth out the bumps along the path to creating a successful and carefree event. Below is a portion of the sample checklist that will be in our book which we hope to publish by the end of the summer so that you can use this list as a guide for your own events.

Again this is just a partial list but you can start to use this so please feel free to add to it or delete from it what does and doesn’t work for you. Remember, this is just a sample list; it can be tweaked along the way and modified for your own particular use. I will list the items below and then provide in future blogs detailed explanations and examples of these categories to provide you with a bit more insight and knowledge. Whether it is a cocktail or dinner party, by following these methodical steps, you will see that it doesn’t take much to create an elegant event from start to finish.

Party To Do List – Budget – Party Date & Time – Guest Count – Theme – Select, Order and Mail Invitations – Venue Selection – Create Food and Beverage Menu – Enhance Theme with Décor, Flowers, Props, etc. – Hire Caterer (if appropriate)

Again, this is just a sample of the list we have already developed and will be published in our book later this summer. Our goal is to alleviate the worries a wedding or special event can bring with our full service planning capabilities and we hope with our event planning guide you will enjoy your planning process without pulling your hair or teeth out.

Franklin

Ena Taylor asked:


Looking to host party or event in New York? New York is the tantalizing centre for commerce and trade and highly popular tourist destination. It attracts thousands of businessmen, professionals, business executives and tourists throughout the year. New York offers lots of luxurious as well as economic hotels and restaurants to organize an event. NYC is considered as the most stylish, happening and vibrant city for hosting social events, corporate events, wedding parties, fashion show, product launches, etc. Every year, lots of events held in New York therefore, an individual can easily find lots of event planners in NYC.

Event planning requires lots of concentration on each and every aspect of the event. Event can be any event be it celebration, corporate event or any other party, there are lots of many elements that need to be focused. If you want to make your event successful then properly manage your event other it would fall flat on the face.

Consult with an event planning company is a perfect way for hosting a party or event. There are certain features of event planner such as:

Resource Knowledge – An experienced event planner sounds good about any resource. They have better knowledge than us regarding quality and price. It saves your money as well as precious time.

Reduce your stress – Hire an event planning company means reduce more than half of your stress. They have experienced professionals to make your all arrangements on the time as per your budget. This will keep your tension free and you can sit back relax at your home.

Scheduling expertise – A professional event planner know that how much time does a florist, caterer, pastry chef and a decorator need to get ready your event. They are familiar with the other factors that can affect your event. They can make all the arrangement to overcome these factors.

NYC venue guide is one of the leading event planning companies that helps you to find event planners for your events need. So, what are you waiting for? Hire an event planner and host a smashing and rocking party.



Arthur

Sue Jan asked:


One easy way you can cut cost is the time of day you decide to have your event. For events such as weddings or birthdays or baby showers, holding them in the afternoon definitely puts less of a dent to your pocketbook. You would definitely have lower expenses for afternoon events which require less food and catering such as light snacks and beverages such as punch or tea or coffee, as opposed to full course meals and full bar for evening events.

Another factor to consider for event planning is whether you need to hire a caterer. For small events, you could probably get away with most of the planning and cooking by yourself. However, for bigger sized events, caterers can provide invaluable assistance.

If your event planning budget is really tight, then probably the best idea for slashing cost in the food area is to host a potluck where every guest supplies either food or drinks, with some bringing salad or entrée, and others bringing soda or wine. The event planner needs to communicate and coordinate closely with the guests so that there is a nice variety of food and drinks with something for everyone, and also so that guests do not bring similar dishes. This is a wonderful way to include all the guests in the event planning process, and guests usually delight in the fact that they are able to contribute and be a part of the party.

Food is not the only area where you can save on. You can also focus on other areas such as the entertainment or the decoration. For example, for children’s birthday parties you can ask parents, friends or relatives to entertain the kids with simple songs or magic tricks, or to make balloon animals or to hold water fights.

Decorations also do not have to break the bank. For example, for children’s parties you can buy a bunch of balloons and streamers. Or for a garden party, instead of buying expensive outdoor lighting that you probably will never use again, you can buy a couple of outdoor torches and use the outdoor lights that usually adorn your trees and bushes on special occasions in your garden to create beautiful, soft lighting. Your guests will never know the difference between expensive and cheap lighting, and probably won’t even care as long as the ambience is cozy and the party fun.

Putting careful thought into planning the event would allow your dollar to go a long way yet still allow you to hold an event that is great fun for everyone.



Megan

lilmissillogical asked:


I’m searching for colleges to apply to and I’d like to get a Bachelor’s in Event Planning, I’ve noticed Cornell has a school for Hospitality Management and I’m wondering if it does the same thing as UCF and offers a degree in event planning. If not do you know where else I could go to school that offers an event planning degree?

Dale