Wednesday

Take a look at the 2011 Catersource Educational sessions and our guest speakers at this year's Conference & Tradeshow. This year's sessions cover BBQ, picnic and outdoor event divisions, keeping your food costs down with value proteins of meat, HR issues and staff turnover, food trucks, themed menus, compensation packages and commission structures, finding financing, how to get on venue lists, home dinner parties and more.

Three Chefs and a Designer, Act One: The DesignsDavid Everett, Event Designer, The JDK Group, Camp Hill, PA
Jack Milan, President/Chef, Different Tastes, Chelsea, MA
Andrew Spurgin, Executive Director/Chef, Waters Fine Catering, San Diego, CA
Michael Vignapiano, CCE, AAC, Chef/Owner, Fresh Flavors Catering,
Sag Harbor, NY

Bringing together the creative talents of event designer and the culinary talents of three of the industry’s most notable chefs, this exciting and idea-packed two-part design and culinary session will present inspiring new buffet station designs and new menu ideas that will work in your market, large or small. This talented quartet will provide all the details and step by step instructions so you can start selling these cool and classy buffets immediately. In Act One – The Designs, David will build three new action buffets on stage. You will learn:
• The design elements for three new action stations complete with detailed “recipes”
   for re-creating the stations.
• The latest design trends, including haute colors, linen styles, floral and lighting,
   resources for equipment and design elements for buffet action stations.
• How the event designer and the chef must work together to create an action station
   that enhances the overall concept of the event.

From Tennis Shoes to Black Tie: Preparing For and Training Staff to
Handle University VIP Events
National Association of College & University Food Services (NACUFS)

Preparing for a college or university VIP event takes more than delicious food and first-class décor. One of the biggest challenges can be getting student employees to exchange their tennis shoes and casual attitudes for the appropriate attire and protocol expected when serving the University President and other dignitaries. Join a panel of college and university catering managers to explore best practices for handling the following situations that make college and university catering unique. You will learn:
• How to manage one more event when you can’t say “no” to a VIP request.
• How to develop upscale menus, service styles and food displays for a cost
   conscious budget.
• To train a primarily student workforce on formal etiquette and service protocols.
• How to partner with community and campus contacts to create innovative solutions
   that meet their business needs and yours.

Pricing: Negotiation Tactics That Work
Mike Roman, President
Catersource, Chicago, IL

Pricing is not really about numbers or costs. It is about proper profitability and winning new clients. Most shoppers of catering feel that it is mandatory for them to attempt to “beat-up” the caterer to secure a lower price than first presented. Mike will teach how to create a win-win outcome in this never-ending battle over price. In this session, you will learn:
• how to combat the shopper in this battleground of price negotiations.
• what to say and not say when discussing price.
• new tactics and strategies that add value to your price.
• Mike’s checklist for establishing proper price.
• the secrets of winning negotiations.

Menu Development Through a Structured Ideation Process
Ron DeSantis, Director, CIA Consulting,
The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, NY

A structured ideation process will provide organizations with the discipline necessary to create menu selections to satisfy customers. A review of current and emerging food and ingredient trends will provide context to the ideation process. You will learn:
• A disciplined and strategic approach to menu research & development.
• The “team moving through the process” model of innovation.
• Why cross-functional teams will deliver better results.
• About emerging flavors and their application.

The Perfect Fit Track: Leaving Las Vegas…Creating an Action Plan for Success
Bill Pannhoff, Owner, B & B Catering and Event Planning, Spring Lake, NC
Bill Hansen, Owner, Bill Hansen Catering, Miami, FL
Mike Roman, President, Catersource, Chicago, IL

Wow, so much information! Where do you go from here? You have pages of notes, handouts and ideas spinning through your head and you can’t wait to get back home and put what you learned into practice. But you are probably on information overload. This session will help you create an action plan for focusing your energy on what needs to be done first. You will learn:
• How to identify the most important takeaways from The Perfect Fit sessions.
• How to implement these actions without losing your focus.
• What roadblocks might face you when you return home.
• Answers to questions regarding topics covered in any of The Perfect Fit sessions.

Three Chefs and A Designer, Act Two: The Menus
David Everett, Event Designer, The JDK Group, Camp Hill, PA
Jack Milan, President/Chef, Different Tastes, Chelsea, MA
Andrew Spurgin, Executive Director/Chef, Waters Fine Catering, San Diego, CA
Michael Vignapiano, CCE, AAC, Chef/Owner, Fresh Flavors Catering,
Sag Harbor, NY

In Act Two, the chefs take center stage adding the food element to the themed action buffets. Each chef will showcase and demo menu ideas created specifically to enhance the unique theme of the station. As the final curtain falls on these two sessions, you will have three great new buffet action stations to sell plus an undated idea of the latest station design elements and menu trends. You will learn:
• The menu elements for three new action stations complete with detailed “recipes” for
   re-creating the stations.
• How to adapt the menus and design elements to your market’s price points.
• Key points you need to share with your sales and operations staff to successfully sell
   and make money selling action buffet stations.

Making Money with Meryl: Sales & Marketing
Meryl Snow, Owner, and Dan Hoch, Event Producer, Feastivities Events, Philadelphia, PA

As the economy recovers, clients demand to see value and continue to expect discounts. The world of sales and marketing in catering has changed and will probably never go back to the pre-recession status. Join Meryl and Dan as they present new strategies for capturing sales. You will learn:
• Effective techniques to close the sale.
• What to do when it’s all about price.
• How to educate your client in the sales process.
• Marketing your brand is more imperative than ever.
• Marketing with social media the right way.

The ABC’s of Producing Large Events
Doug Quattrini, Operational Excellence Catering Manager,
ARAMARK Higher Education, Philadelphia, PA

Large events often go hand-in-hand with large challenges however, these events are a great potential source of revenue and if done correctly, can really help to build your brand. Join Doug as he walks you through the process of planning and execution step by step.  From the initial client meeting, through menu development, pricing, planning, execution, and follow. You will learn:
• strategies for strategic and operational planning.
• how to manage and assign your labor force.
• tips to make the day of the event a little less painful.

*Speakers and schedule are subject to change.