The Meeting Professional | August 2014
Reducing F&B costs without lessening the meeting or event experience should begin with asking for a custom menu. This approach leads to a variety of ways in which to minimize spend.
“We work with a lot of associations that simply don’t have the budget to order off the set menus,” says Janeé Pelletier, CMP, chief operating officer with Conference and Logistics Consultants Inc. “It’s been my experience that the chef is almost always willing to put something great together that meets your price point.”
Pelletier suggests that the plan works because it appeals to the chef’s creativity.
“No one wants to do the same boring thing day after day, and chefs are no exception,” Pelletier says. “The point is to put the expertise of your catering team to work for your meeting. They want you to have a great event and most of them are willing to work with whatever your budget is to give your attendees a one-of-a-kind experience.”