Weddings Track

91% of caterers surveyed say "I do" to weddings. Often called "recession proof" catering, weddings will always account for a major amount of business during any economic cycle. There are more than 100 educational sessions, culinary demos, hands-on classes and learning experiences at the 2010 Catersource Conference to select from, and if you want to learn more about catering weddings, here are just some of the suggested sessions you should attend:

SUNDAY
2:30pm
#008 Increasing Your Revenue While Educating Your Bride
or
#010 Inspiration: Where to Find New Profitable Concepts for Your Events

4:00
#015 The Wedding Caterer Reality Challenge: Part 1

MONDAY
7:30am
#105 Weddings: Men Buy, Women Shop

10:45am
#110 50 Quick Tips to Set Your Event Space Apart from Your Competition

1:30pm
#112 Learn from the "Masters of Reception"
or
#113 Brunch: The New, Hot, Meal!

3:00pm
#117 Wedding Menus from the Sublime to the Ridiculous. Menu Strategy and Design That Will Help You Capture the Wedding Market

4:30pm
#124 Using Personality Marketing to Sell More Weddings to Today’s Bride

CatersourceXperience Room "All Things Wedding"
Join us in the CatersourceXperience room for an entire day of ideas focused on weddings. The Business, Culinary and Design stages will be alive with fresh ideas, new skills and proven techniques to improve your wedding business.

TUESDAY
7:30am
#205 Update on the Wedding Cake

Noon
Tradeshow
1,000+ booth Tradeshow will feature vendors showcasing the latest trendsetting equipment, food and beverage, products and services on the market for catering today. Learn what’s new for catering receptions and gain the upper hand in selling and creating one-of-a-kind wedding. You’ll find the hottest new linens and chair covers, china patterns and unique table top accessories, buffet service pieces and chafers, imaginative displays and trays, distinctive plastic service ware, the best selection of kitchen and transport equipment and so much more!

WEDNESDAY
10:00am
Tradeshow

3:15pm
#308 The Psychology of Selling Weddings in Good and Bad Times

4:45pm
#318 The Wedding Caterer Reality Challenge: Part 2

THURSDAY
For the first time ever, Thursday bonus sessions are ALL hands-on opportunities for you to actually practice what the speakers are teaching. Each of these classes will be presented in two part and will offer time for you to build and create everything from buffet stations to new menu presentations. Or, you will be guided through actual role-playing real-life business situations that will get you to problem solve and think fast on your feet.

Mike Roman's Sales Clinic
Hands-on Design
Team-Building Workshop
Food-Styling and Menu-Building

Click here for full sessions schedule including course descriptions and speaker information.

GET MORE WEDDING IDEAS:

Tabletop Contest
As a wedding professional you know tabletops – enter this exciting contest for a chance to show off your creative flair and win exciting prizes and a marketing advantage.

Or just come to the Tabletop Contest on the Tradeshow floor on Tuesday and Wednesday to see some of the most creative table setting ideas in action. Take home photographs and dozens of ideas for creative tables that you can put into your upcoming proposals

Live Buffet Building
Come to the Tradeshow floor on Wednesday to experience this exciting new demo! 5 companies will take on the challenge of building their buffets “live” in front of you in just one hour.  We all know that realistically that is all the time we have sometimes and these teams want to show you what they can do in that time frame.  Don’t forget your cameras!