Budget busting techniques for food and beverage planning

Food, food and more food. That's often what attendees experience when attending various meetings and events. And let's face it, it's quite enjoyable to eat food that you don't have to prepare, and somewhat don't have to pay for. But for the planner, it can often be the most cost prohibitive part of the program. However, it doesn't always have to be...here are some tips to help on shaving these costs:

Pitchers Aren't Just for Baseball. Instead of individual bottled waters, iced-tea or other beverages, use pitchers that are prepared in gallons.

You Don't Ask, You Don't Get. Meet with the chef for suggestions on dishes that are not part of the main menu. They know the price points, and can often recommend other 'value versions' of their normal menu offerings.

Give Your Budget. Very simple, but so often not done. It's better to simply alert the caterer of your budget upfront to achieve the most realistic offerings.

We Are Family. Setting family-style can offer added ways to serve more for less without the traditional buffet set-up.

Recycle. Given the focus of being a "green" society, you can often do the same with food. If you have a program that offers continental breakfast and a morning break, re-plate any non-perishable leftovers such as muffins, pastries and breads.

Where there's a will, there's a way. Creativity is key, and can often yield memorable offerings without breaking the budget.

Managing food and beverage when tight for time

We recently produced a client's meeting and the agenda featured an intensely packed day. There was considerable discussion around how to remain on time during lunch, especially when the day's events were taking place in one room. Plus, because of the packed agenda, one of the panels needed to take place during lunch.

Because of the challenges, we knew that a buffet service would be out. We also knew that we needed to cut down on the amount of staff service time. So we suggested to eliminate the salad course and to increase the vegetables on the main course. The dessert would be preset during the break time along with coffee carafes. There was water already on the tables given the meeting was taking place in the same room. We also adjusted the program so that the majority of eating and visiting time could take place -- as well as clearing. The only dishes remaining on the table were the dessert and coffee cups. And those were cleared during the break after the lunch panel.

It was pretty tight, and very much dependent on the program remaining on time, but it worked. Anytime that you can pre-set items, or even eliminate any of the courses could help in decreasing service time when it's desperately needed.