Forum Discussion
MGCI Training - July Topic: Food! Meals, snacks, and beverages
I think a major piece of this is setting a firm registration deadline. That’s the only way to get an accurate headcount of everyone's dietary needs before reaching out to the venue. The real challenge is finding out if the venue can actually accommodate those requests, which ultimately means we need to build a curated list of spaces that are flexible enough to handle this. Plus, these special dietary requirements always end up shifting the budget, so we need that data early.
A deadline helps with planning to be sure. How you go about it depends on your goals. For example, we want to include and welcome as many folks as possible, so we allow walk-ins and registration up to the event and on-site. When I'm managing tickets, I have one type up to a date about a week from the event that locks down - which I then use for estimates and orders. I have another ticket type that I use after that so I can do quick printing the night before. With a plan like this in place I can set expectations better. If a walk-in or late sign up complains about food, it's a talking point...
