Banquet Facilities

Event planners can find many tips for cutting back on your food and beverage spend—we've done several posts on this very topic, in fact. One tip that we see a lot relates to leftovers, a cost-saving staple of households across the nation. Can re-using food at events do the same for your event budget?

Leftovers can save you money in various ways. For example, if you are hosting a long conference that lasts through a meal and a snack break, ask your event suppliers to save leftover food to re-use at the break. Breakfast pastries can be served with mid-morning coffee; extra chips and cookies from lunch can be placed out at the afternoon snack break. Since you've already paid for the food, it makes sense to serve it again.

Another budget saving tip for leftovers? Ask your banquet facilities, meeting venues, etc., about other events occurring at the same time or day of your event. When appropriate, match your menu, or a few items on your menu, with that of another meeting. Your event suppliers save on labor and supplies this way, and these cost savings will be passed on to you.

On top of better meeting budgeting, using leftovers helps to green your meetings by saving food that would otherwise be wasted. As green meetings become a more popular and cost-effective option, using leftovers may become the norm rather than the exception.

Is the idea of serving once-served food tough to wrap your head around? Have you ever used leftovers at your meetings and events? And if so, what did you think?