Caterers for Conventions
Choosing the Right Catering Service for Your Convention
If you’ve been put in charge of organizing a convention, you have your work cut out for you. There are several things that go into organizing one of these massive events. Choosing the right catering service for conventions will help make the event amazing.
Catering services provide more than just the food for the event. They often come in and set everything up for you, clean up the mess after the meal and tear everything down. In addition, they will be able to make recommendations based on the type of event and the meals you plan to serve.
When you need a catering service for a convention, you need to know how to choose the right one. Here are a few tips to help you along the way.
Find Out if They’ve Worked Conventions Before
Now isn’t the time to help somebody get their foot in the door. Your convention is too important to trust a caterer that’s not prepared. These events can be huge and you want to make sure your catering service has worked the conventions before.
If they have, make sure they can handle the size of your event. Some conventions are much larger than others and you don’t want to choose the wrong catering service for your convention. If you know you will have thousands of guests, make sure the catering company you choose has worked events with large crowds before.
Find Out What They Offer
Sometimes, your corporate catering service in Las Vegas will provide more than just the food. They may offer tables, chairs, linens, floral arrangements and other services you need. If you choose a catering service that offers more than just the food you need, it could save you the hassle of finding vendors for these other items.
Will You Need Bar Service, Too?
Most good catering services will offer some sort of beverage option. You will likely need beverages for your guests, but if you also need bar service, make sure your catering company offers bar service or you will need another vendor to cover this.
Get Everything in Writing
You have a massive event to throw and this is not the time for verbal agreements. Make sure you get everything in writing and you read the fine print. You need to know every last detail of what the catering service will provide when they will be providing it and how much it will cost. Make sure you know if the tax is included in the estimate and if you will need to add gratuity or if that’s already covered.
Whenever you’re working with a catering service for big meetings, you need a written contract for the event. It should detail everything you have agreed upon and you should go over it thoroughly before signing.
Cover Special Dietary Requirements
Whether you already know you have guests with special dietary requirements or you don’t know, you need a catering serviceable to handle this. The last thing you need is a guest not coming because of the menu or not being able to enjoy the meal(s) at the event because you didn’t consider special dietary requirements.
Professional caterers will be able to handle guests requesting vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free or any other special dietary requirement.
Check with Your Venue
Before you hire a caterer, you need to check with the event venue. Sometimes, they have an approved list of vendors you must work from. This doesn’t’ mean you cannot hire outside the list. Usually, it just means you need to have your catering service go through the process to become an approved vendor at the venue.
Sample the Food Before Hiring
It may seem like you don’t have time for this, but it’s too important to neglect. Any good catering service will allow you to sample some of their menu items before you hire them. This is your chance to make sure they will be providing great food.
If you plan to serve a sit-down dinner or even a buffet dinner at The Las Vegas Convention Center, this is vital to your success. Dinner is a meal most people expect to be better than breakfast or lunch at an event. This is your chance to “Wow” them and a great company will provide exactly what you need. However, if you don’t sample the food, you won’t know what you’re getting.
When you’re in charge of hiring a catering service for a convention, there are several things to consider. Use the tips above and make sure you choose the right catering company to handle your convention.