Introduction

Banquet and conferencing industry is one of the fastest growing industries in United Kingdom. Food and beverage at an event is the main focus. This Nelson College conference and banqueting management assignment covers the various aspects of conferencing and banqueting industry taking into the consideration the forthcoming event – The Supporters Summit 2015.

Task 1 Conference and Banqueting Sector

The Supporters Summit 2015 is a big event from the football supporters. It will take place on 26 September, 2015 from 10:00 to 17:30 BST in London at a conference hall. This event is related to the Supporters Direct & Football Supporters' Federation. This is a joint event by the football supporter. To organise this event the conference hall at Forty Avenue in London is booked. United Kingdom is the hub of events worldwide.

The arranging of each of the territories that together structure the cooking bureau of a lodging ought to be seen over the long haul to make note of conceivable changes in operation. So as to recognize the clients' prerequisites, its paramount to consider their financial status; their explanation behind going by the foundation, whether for business or delight; and the changing nature of their needs at distinctive times, for example, at a business lunch or a sentimental need.

Environment and air must be considered in the arranging of offices and the adornment and design must be sufficiently adaptable to adapt to the evolving requests. At the point when dealing with the meetings, the take after things must be considered into points of interest.

• Stream of beverages and sustenance administration
• The quantity of individuals
• Seating arranging
• Mechanical offices

Different variables are the quantity of clients expected and the time they can use (impetuses on convenience), the time they can use on restaurants which must be reflected in the costs charged. The higher the costs charged, the better the offices must be; the means by which the level of offices is attained is a piece of the association's arrangement.

An examination of everything of gear, offices ought to be completed. When the aggregate territory of the cooking operation has been apportioned to the primary divisions, the following stage is to arrange the path in which they will be outfitted and fitted to meet the items of common sense of generation and administration and at the same the clients' necessities and desires as distinguished.

Nature and Scope of the event:  This is a sports event that is organised by the football supporters worldwide.

Dates and timings of the event – 26 September 2015, 10:00 A.M till 17:30 P.M

Location – Conference hall at Forty Avenue near Wimbledon Stadium. This hall has capacity of 500 people. It is centrally located and has good connectivity with the transportation. Tentative number of members for this summit is 450 people that is why this is the most suitable location for the event.

Financial Consideration:  Since this is a joint cooperative event, this conference hall is the most affordable and financially suitable for the event.

There are lots of factors that must be considered for making the conference smooth and as per the customer requirements. The main factors to be considered are (Tum, 2005):

1. Conference Venue: The first thing to be considered is the spacious venue that has the plenty space for all the attendees. It should be tedious and comfortable for the people. Space is also essential for arranging the chairs comfortably, tables, overhead projectors and display stands.
2. Transport links: The meeting venue should be easily accessible with adequate transport links and parking facilities. People should be able to find the location easily. The parking space should be properly managed well in advance. Absence of these factors can dampen the atmosphere of the conference or banquet event.
3. Wi-Fi Connection: In today’s technological world, the Wi-Fi is the biggest must have. There must be right connections, reliability and speed for the attendees so that they can stay connected. Bad internet connection can distract the entire conference.
4. AV Equipment: Microphones and the projectors must be available in all the rooms. This makes the communication with the audience easy and effective. It is advisable to choose the large screens so that everything can be seen clearly. Ensure that the lighting is dim so that the delegates can easily view even from the back seats.
5. Climate Control: Ensure that climate is properly controlled inside the conference room or banquet as per the outside temperatures. The air conditioners or the heaters should be properly managed. Excess chill or humidity can make people uneasy and uncomfortable.
6. Refreshments: In a full day affair, it is advisable to make the appropriate arrangement of snacks and beverages for the attendees. It is a good idea to provide the snacks on the table at the back of the room. Make sure that there is plenty of water arrangement for the guests.

Conference and banqueting is the part of event management. An event is a plan of an occasion that takes place between the customer and space provider. Conference events refer to the formal business activities whereas the banqueting events refer to the personal celebrations of various occasions. In United kingdom the overall value of business events and conferences is estimated approximately £ 18.8 billion in the economy (McDonald, 2004). It includes the venues and other wide destinations by the organisers and delegates. The industry has a very huge economic impact. There are 403 venues from across the United Kingdom and at an average of 379 events per venue in 2010 (Trends & Statistics, 2010). The hotels and the conference centres host the most of the events in the United Kingdom. The events are booked two to eight weeks in advance and the average duration of event is one to two days. The venues are becoming even more optimistic due to increased international and national business events in United Kingdom.

This is one of the fastest growing industries in United Kingdom. The industry is made up of 127.000 properties across United Kingdom and employs 1.6 million people (British Hospitality Association). London is a very popular city and number of visitors is increasing every year and hence the scope for the event industry has increased (Shone, 2004). It is a diverse industry due to its innovation, classification, level of service and future trends. This is the third largest sector of United Kingdom that provides employment. The scope and the size of the banquet and conferencing industry are also increasing due to the increased globalisation and multinational business trends.

The benefits of the conference and banqueting are:

• Can better utilise the assets and space
• Better capitalisation on annual events
• Enables the additional revenue streams for hotels and restaurants
• It attracts the local business
• Enables the bulk purchasing
• Competitive

The scope and size of conferencing and banqueting industry in United Kingdom is the main reason behind the organisation of The Supporters Summit 2015 in London.

The factors that have influenced its development

Events consist of various ways of either celebrating the occasion or arranging the big business meetings. The commercialisation of cultures has contributed to the growth of events industry (Berridge, 2006).

The Supporters Summit 2015 is a type of personal event held jointly by the supporters of football. These types of events are the major contributor to the development of the entire industry.

The factors that have influenced the development of banquet and conferencing industry are (Swisher, 2001):

• Entry of international brands and companies in a country contributes to the big conferences and events.
• Events are considered as the cost effective way to reach the potential customers for the companies.
• The corporate events have become the part of marketing mix
• It introduces the fresh manpower and fresh ideas.
• Growth in disposable income and consumer spending.
• Rising needs of structured and organised events

Task 2: Strategic and operational issues

The Supporters Summit 2015 is a big event to organise.  The key strategic issues involved in the effective management of the conference hall are:

• Diversity of Venues : This includes the conference centres, specific conference and banqueting facilities within hotels, multi-functional leisure centres; appropriate locations, appropriate venues, services and facilities required (Bodwin. 2010)
• Planning Techniques: This includes the decision-making, information gathering, critical path analysis (CPA) for staffing and design considerations, budget projections, licensing law implications, health and safety legislation. For example: Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAW); hygiene regulations etc.

The major Operational issues had been:

• Performance and Quality: This includes the evaluation and review techniques, client and guest evaluation procedures, profit realisation, venue appraisal, closed loop evaluation methods (Goldblatt, 2010)
• Operational challenges: These include the safety measures, rising cost and procurement efficiency, quality management of the large events and inadequate infrastructure facilities. The issues for room space, extra vacancy or back to back conference
• Quality of room offered as compared to the need of the client. In case a banquet hall has capacity of 900 people and the need arises for 1600 persons, the same cannot be catered to.
• Internal monitoring challenges for the staff of Hotels.
• Diversified Menu to be served at different banquet hall at the same time.
• Not adequate facilities to cater to demands of the banquet.
• Untrained or unprofessional staff.
• Etiquette and protocol issues:These includes the order of precedence, business cards, seating arrangements, place, menu and table cards, signing ceremonies, recognition of honoured guests and cross cultural fundamentals.
• Permission and compliance requirements:This includes the issues related to obtaining the various permission and compliance requirements. These are required from the safety point of view and government policies. These are in the form of written permissions or the licence.
• Other issues faced by the industry are:
• The market is fragmented with low barriers of entry of event organisers.
• The procedure for equipment import is very lengthy
• The entertainment tax imposed by the government is very high
• The event industry is dependent on overall industry growth
• The sponsor led models of business are still prevailing
• The events requires the regulatory clearances
• The frequent changes in the international trends are also a key issue in front of industry.

Since the organisation of The Supporters Summit 2015 involves lots of efforts from the various people involved. It is necessary to do the performance and quality review time to time so that the event becomes successful.

The management is included in both strategic arranging and everyday operations, especially in connection to structures and premises. Likely zones of obligation include:

• procurement and contract administration issues
• building and grounds maintenance issues;
• cleaning issues;
• catering and distributing issues;
• health and wellbeing issues;
• security issues;
• utilities and correspondences framework issues;
• space issues

The performance and quality reviews are critical for conference and banqueting industry as these lays down the points for future improvements. For delivering the quality product and services it is vital to measure them as per the customer’s satisfaction (Monore, 2005). Performance and quality review can be conducted either internally or externally. This is important for the customer satisfaction that helps in retaining the customers (Silvers, 2003).

Internal Monitoring

• Customer Questionnaires – this is one of the most common techniques applied by the industry. They generally form a questionnaire and ask the guests to fill after the completion of the event. Later the data provided by the guests is analysed and sent to the concerned departments.
• Face to face feedback – This is conducted by the manager or other staff in an informal manner. This is quick and cost effective method to check the level of customer satisfaction
• Focus group – The focus group is a set of people that are supposed to gather the information from the guests. They provide the reliable and best information to the management about the actual experience of the guests
• Observations – this is the management observation about the guests that they do at the time of serving the food or the complaints level from the guests
• Management information – This is related to the past information that is used by the management for providing the better services to consumers. for this purpose a base is managing for communications information & knowledge

External Monitoring

• External survey – Under this method the professional companies are hired for gathering the feedback data from the guests. They carry out the survey to check the customer satisfaction levels.
• Secondary data – This includes the current consumer trends that help the management of a conference or banquet hall to cater the customers as per that. This includes the data from industry reports and websites.

These quality and performance management enables the staff of conference and banquet industry to improve as per the customer needs. It is vital for staying alive in the competitive world and retains the customers. This enables the continuous improvement and betterment of services.

The monitoring by the Food and catering manager includes all the below steps to be undertaken:

• managing the food and refreshment procurement for capacities and occasions;
• supervising providing food and holding up staff at capacities;
• planning menus in meeting with culinary experts;
• recruiting and preparing lasting and cool staff;
• organising, heading and rousing the cooking group;
• planning staff movements and rotas;
• ensuring wellbeing and security regulations are entirely watched;
• budgeting and making budgetary targets and gauges;
• monitoring the nature of the item and administration gave;
• keeping monetary and authoritative records;
• managing the payroll and checking using levels;
• maintaining stock levels and requesting new supplies as needed;
• interacting with clients if included with front of house work;
• liaising with suppliers and customers;
• negotiating contracts with clients, surveying their prerequisites and guaranteeing they are fulfilled by the administration conveyed (in contract cooking);
• ensuring consistence with all fire, permitting, and job regulations;
• maximising deals and gathering benefit and budgetary desires.

In more senior posts, vital monitoring includes:

• setting and overseeing a plan/strategy;
• monitoring quality norms;
• overseeing the administration of offices, e.g. checking occasion bookings and distribution of assets/staff;
• planning new advancements and activities, and helping business improvement;
• dealing with staffing and customer issues;
• keeping side by side of patterns and improvements in the business, for example, menus, slants

Task 3: Food production and service systems

The Supporters Summit 2015 will be attended by various supports from the entire world. So the food and beverages management is important and must consider the different people and their preferences. Since in this situation it is always best to make the menu in a way that it su0its various cultures and food preferences.

Numerous food administration experts are utilized straightforwardly by an association and are in charge of either one or numerous destinations. Some will give all the administrations themselves, whilst others will likewise oversee outsourced outsider food administration suppliers got under contract (e.g. cleaning).

A few associations outsource their food administration services and utilization pro food administration suppliers. In these cases, food and catering supervisors may work for a firm offering all administrations or one that offers particular administrations, for example, catering.

Regular assignments may include:

• preparing reports to put out tenders for foremen;
• project administration and regulating and organizing work of builders;
• investigating accessibility and suitability of choices for new premises;
• calculating and contrasting expenses for obliged merchandise or administrations to accomplish most extreme quality for cash;
• planning for future advancement in accordance with vital business targets;
• managing and heading change to guarantee least disturbance to center exercises;
• directing, organizing and arranging vital focal administrations, for example, gathering, security, support, mail, filing, cleaning, catering, waste transfer and reusing;
• ensuring the building meets wellbeing and security prerequisites and that food and catering services follow enactment;
• keeping staff safe;
• planning best designation and usage of space and assets for new structures, or re-arranging current premises;
• checking that concurred work by staff or builders has been finished tastefully and catching up on any insufficiencies;
• coordinating and heading one or more groups to cover different territories of obligation;
• using execution administration procedures to screen and exhibit accomplishment of concurred administration levels and to lead on change;
• responding fittingly to crises or critical issues as they emerg

Food and beverage at an event is the main focus. Food production system and styles are the vital art of conference or banquet industry. This sector is very complex and highly fragmented. It promotes the diversity from many different food cuisines and concepts (Wagen, 2002). In United Kingdom some of the key trends of food system in a conference or banquet are:

• Guests have become more sophisticated
• There is more emphasis on the safety of food delivered
• Increased inclination towards the different cuisines
• More focus on the healthier eating
• Increase in food sustainability and organic food consumption

Food Production Systems: The food production system is comprised of three parts:

• Input – This includes the different ingredients, machinery, material and items that will enter the system
• Process– This involves different things that goes to the input procedures and changes it into the output
• Output– This involves the finished food product

It involves all the factors like infrastructure and processes that are involved in making the food arrangements for an event. It also involves the consumption and later the disposal of food.

Below are the factors to consider when organising an off-site conference or banquet

At the supporters’ summit 2015, the management have the various approaches for food and beverages in conference or banquet. These are – self operated, franchise agreement, management contracting or out sourcing (Ninemier, 2000). Some of the key considerations of the food production system are:

• Food Hygiene
• Appropriate storage
• Quality of raw materials
• Minimum wastage
• Appropriate preparation at proper temperature

The beverage requirements vary as per the size of the event. For example - coffee, tea and mineral water during the conference is required at regular intervals to make the delegates relaxed. The hard drinks are only served after the certain agreement with the hosts as it requires the legal license. During a banquet event, the table service is provided to the customers with variety of wines, soft drinks, juices or spirits (Johnston, 2008). The variety of the service methods include the following – plated services, buffet services etc. depends on the type and size of event. All this will be considered and evaluated for organising The Supporters Summit 2015.

The key menu planning considerations for conference and banqueting events are

The menu planning is central to overall arrangement of The Supporters Summit 2015 conference. It will communicate everything about the entire operations. It drives the theme, image, quality, concept and overall mission (Anderson, 2004). Menu is consisting of the three sub parts – appetizers, main course and desserts. Management have the various approaches for food and beverages in conference or banquet. These are – self operated, franchise agreement, management contracting or out sourcing. The main menu considerations for the conference and banquet events are:

• The customers
• Recent trends
• Food requirements
• Operational and business considerations
• Menu planning legislations
• Flexibility
• Nutritional balance
• Ingredient balance
• Obtaining the necessary license for serving the liquor

For the best menu planning, it is recommended to discuss it with the host of the event. This will make the planning task easy and as per the customer’s requirements. The rule of menu planning is not to run out of food. Menu planning is a comprehensive task and hence requires lots of efforts to make it as per customer requirements.

Method and styles of food and beverage services: The various methods and styles of food and beverages services include:

• Table service – In this the guests are seated in a specific area and they are provided with the menu lists. Later the orders are taken from the waiters and the food is provided to them on table.
• Assisted Services – In this the guests enters the area where food is served and help themselves in serving the food. Under this they partly get served from the waiters.
• Self –Service - In this the guests enters the area where food is served and help themselves in serving the food
• Single point service – in this method the guest orders the food and served from the single point at counter.
• Specialised services – Under this method the guests is served at the place that is not meant for consuming the food. For example the guests want to have the food at their resting area.

For supporter’s summit, 2015 the method used for serving the food is the assisted service.

HACCP

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points is the main issue while doing the menu planning. It is a systematic approach to prevent the food from physical, chemical or biological hazards in the production process. HACCP is required to be used in all the stages of the food production. This is the extensive process that includes:

• Conduct the hazard analysis
• Identification of critical control points
• Establishing the critical limits for all the critical control points
• Establishing the monitoring requirements for critical control points
• Establishing the corrective action.

This entire procedure requires the specialised training but for managing the event like Supporter summit 2015 this standards are required to considered before the menu planning.

Task 4: Ergonomic considerations

For The Supporters Summit 2015, it is important to consider the ergonomic considerations. This event requires lots of things to be managed like audio video equipment, layout and the overall design. All this should be made as per customer requirements and the environmental factors. The arrangements must not harm the environment in the form of pollution.

They aim at providing the convenience and services at the conference centres. Ergonomic considerations are based on providing the flexible and convenient meeting place. These considerations include:

• Per function space size
• Room configuration
• Temperature control
• Lighting facilities
• Wall flexibility
• Technology arrangements
• Other basic amenities.

Executives must give supplies and make safe work practices to decrease the dangers of sprains and strains (MSI). Bosses should likewise teach a specialist in these safe works rehearses. Laborers must take after managers' directions to ensure themselves:

• Lessen go with enormous baggage by utilizing tray convey trolleys.
• Support an expansive trolley or utilize a wheel sack.
• Carry fewer packages at once. The more weights you convey, the more noteworthy the weight on muscles and joints.
• Make two treks or ask different servers to help with vast requests.
• carry little packs closer to the body. This will diminish the measure of strain on your shoulders and wrist.
• Check-in the greater baggage, and in satchel convey the things as less as would be prudent
• For excursions convey just water and snacks instead of enormous sacks, others can be kept in the lodge-rooms.

Conclusion

To conclude, banquet and conferencing industry is gaining momentum. The Supporters’ summit is a sports event to be held in London in September 2015. The organisation and arrangements requires the adequate planning. The event organisation has many complexity related to the changing trends and customers’ expectations. However it is the big contributor in the UK economy. It includes the venues and other wide destinations by the organisers and delegates. For the success of the event, the performance and quality reviews are critical for conference and banqueting section of Hospitality industry as these lays down the points for future improvements. For delivering the quality product and services it is vital to measure them as per the customer’s satisfaction. The menu planning is central to overall arrangement of conference or banquet event. It communicates everything about the entire operations. It drives the theme, image, quality, concept and overall mission. Planning a successful event at banquet or conference hall requires lots of management and considerations. Ergonomic considerations for conference and banquet refer to minimising the discomfort and physical efforts and hence maximising the efforts.

References

Anderson, J. (2004) Teamwork: Interactive Tasks to Get Students Talking. New York: Delta Berridge, G. (2006) Event Design and Experience. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann. Bowdin, G., McDonnell, I., Allen, J., O’Toole, W. (2010) Events Management 3^rd edition. Oxford: Butterworth-Heinemann Goldblatt, J. (2010) Special Events: A New Generation and the Next Frontier. New York: Wiley. Johnston, R. and Clark, G. (2008) Service Operations Management. London: Prentice Hall. McDonald, T. (2004), 'Come Together', Successful Meetings, vol. 53, no. 6, pp. 24-5. Monroe, J. and Kates, R. (2005) Art of the Event: Complete Guide to Designing and Decorating Special Events. New York: Wiley

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