Planning and executing an event successfully can be big challenge, even for the pros. There is so much work that goes into creating a successful event, even on the small scale, let alone a large corporate function with hundreds, or even thousands of guests. It’s no wonderwhy there are so many event professionals out there offering their services. But did you know that you don’t necessarily have to hire an event professional to get the help you need with planning your event?
Many people aren’t aware, but your catering company can often help in planning your event and take care of many of the large details including—but not limited to—food, venue, rentals, entertainment, and more.
Let’s take a further look at how a catering company can help in planning your event.
Make Menu Suggestions
Chances are you’re not a chef in your day job, so you’re not expected to know the ins and outs of everything food related. While you may have a vision for what you want the menu to look like at your event, a catering company can help bring this vision to life by creating custom menus when need beand by making suggestions to make your menu more well rounded, which will make your guests and their stomachs happy at the end of your event.They can also help provide suggestions about food pairings and accommodating dietary restrictions, because we all know how big that need is these days.
Advise on Quantity
You’re going to know the approximate guest count when planning your event, but anyone who’s ever planned a party knows that numbers can change right up until the day of the party. This is where a catering company can help advise on food and drink quantity based on your sometimes-rough estimations. Their experience in the industry allows them to plan quantities accordingly without running out of food, or having too much waste at the end of the night.They are also adept to handle last minute requests and changes professionally to help take pressure off yourself.
Help Select the Right Venue
If you’ve read any of our previous posts about venue selection, you know that choosing the right venue for your event can be a challenge. Between budgets, calendars, location and amenities, finding the right venue is a time-consuming and difficult challenge.What you may not know, however, is that you don’t have to take on that task alone. Your catering company can provide assistance with venue selection and provide a list of recommended venues that they have worked with in the past and can comfortably endorse. Not only does that take some of the stress out of selecting a venue when planning your event, it will also help ensure that you get a quality venue that meets all your needs.
Handle All the Rentals
When planning your event, you’ll quickly realize just how much is needed to pull off a successful party. While many venues include things like cutlery, glassware, and chairs, there will undoubtedly be a number of other rentals that are required from an outside source. Will you need heaters for a patio? Specialty linen for tables? Unique features like popcorn machines or photo booths?A catering company will have many contacts for rentals and equipment since they work alongside these suppliers all the time. They can use their connections and potentially even get you a better deal than if you had approached these contacts on your own.
Take Care of Decor and Floral Needs
Working alongside so many vendors on a regular basis also means that a catering company will have many contacts in the decor and floral business to take care of your entire event decor needs. They’ll also know what things look good in which spaces and can advise on things they have seen work successfully in the past. Knowing if you can or can’t use open flame in a venue before you go and spend a lot of money on décor can save on your budget!Rather than starting at square one when it comes to flowers and event decor, enlist the help of a catering company to take the stress out of it all.
