Free «Conventions and Meeting Management» Essay Paper

1.      You are planning a reception prior to a formal dinner for 550 people lasting 1 hour. You will pass 5 types of hor d’oeuvres and offer wine (light drinkers).

How many of each hor d’oeuvre will you guarantee?

400-hor d’oeuvres will guarantee 100 guests for a butler passed style dinner. 550 guests will therefore require 2200 hor d’oeuvre for the same style. 600-hor d’oeuvres will serve 100 guests for a buffet style dinner therefore 550 guests will require 3300 hor d’oeuvres

What method will you pay for the wine?

Wire transfers or credit card payment because these can be done online and deliveries make in time.

How many servers will you request?

The recommended ratio of servers to guest is 1:75. Therefore, 550 guests will require approximately 8 servers.   

2.      You will be planning a continental breakfast for 350 (50/50, Male/Female).

How many gallons of regular and decaf coffee will you request?

Either regular or decaf, 1 gallon serves 20 guests. Therefore, 350 guests will require 3.5 gallons of either decaf or regular coffee

How many muffins, bagels, or pastries will you order?

Muffins, bagel, or pastries each costing approximately $5.49 will serve an individual. This brings the total of muffins, bagels, or pastries to 350

3.      Your final night gala is an upscale event for 600 people. You will be having an open bar plus wine service at dinner. You will be seating in rounds of 10.

How many bartenders and servers will you need to give the upscale service you require?

10 for 600 guests will require 60 settings or tables. It is manageable to have one bartender or server to handle one table. Therefore, the total number required would be 60 servers and bartenders.

4.      Your final luncheon is buffet style for 450.

How many food stations should you plan for?

150 guests should be adequate to create a food station. Therefore, 450 guests will require 3 food stations

How many drink stations should you plan for?

3 drink stations will be adequate for 450 guests because drinks are more convenient to serve if the buffet is set such that the table of drinks is next the food station.

How many servers need to be on staff?

A server per station will be adequate to take care of the guests who may require explanation on the types of meals served per station.

5.      Guaranteeing a head, count for a small or large event can be difficult. What steps can the meeting management team take to guarantee an accurate meal count? How can over- or under-guaranteeing for a meal function affect the program and budget? (Don’t just look in the book for answers – think outside the box)

Encouraging the people who would attend the meeting to register in advance by offering additional benefits for pre-payment will necessitate easy meal count. With an accurate number of guests, the manager would be able to have an accurate meal count. The main aim of working with an exact or nearly exact number of meal counts will help in avoiding wastages hence a lean and mean budget. Under guaranteeing a meal function will create result into time wastage as manager will have to organize meals foe the gusts who missed their meals. Over-guaranteeing of a meal function will affect the program, as the guests are likely to network while taking meals. This means more time wastage and increase in food consumption.   

6.      Food and beverage expenses can absorb a significant portion of a meeting budget. What are some actions or strategies that can help a meeting manager reduce food and beverage costs?

• Ordering in bulk for continental breakfast and buffet meals instead of plated meals
• Substitute premium brands with branded house cocktails
• A cocktail reception would reduce the chances of people networking hence significantly cutting down the cost of drinks
• By knowing the history of the meetings; the number of people likely to attend the meeting, the manager can avoid paying for drinks and meals that would not be utilized.