Sunday

The Science Lab for Caterers
Brian Aaron, Owner, Aaron’s Catering, Miami, FL

The world of science comes to the catering kitchen. Brian and Andres will demonstrate how they incorporate basic science techniques and principles into their menus to enhance presentations and plate-ups, including some practical molecular gastronomy methods. Learn how to achieve 5-star restaurant quality menus, new ideas for plate presentation and service tips that are guaranteed to impress your clients and bring them back for more time and time again.
 

Closing the Circle: The Quest for Sustainability and
the Pursuit of Local on a Large Scale
Tawfik Shehata, Executive Chef, The International Centre, Mississauga, Ontario

It may seem a daunting undertaking to become an environmental friendly, local-focused operation, especially if you are a large and busy conference facility.  However, the privately owned International Centre, a conference, trade and consumer show facility, is dedicated to finding and implementing technologies and buying products that do not alter our environment and sourcing locally. The Centre is a unique venue that offers conferences a “green” option not often available in similar venues. Whether you are a large venue or a smaller caterer, there will be information in this class to help your company reach higher levels of sustainability and local sourcing. Learn about the Centre’s current sustainable and green initiatives, how clients embrace this environmental commitment and the long term goal and plans for the future.
 

Catersource’s Freshman Class! Learn How to Get the Most Value From Your First Catersource Conference
Bill Pannhoff, Catersource’s Newbie Ambassador, Spring Lake, NC

Welcome first time attendees! Join Bill for a guided tour of what not to miss during this year’s program. Don’t spend one minute wondering what to do or where to go. Invaluable education, amazing events, Xperience Stages, the largest Tradeshow in the industry, contests and networking with new friends and colleagues are all on the menu. Learn how to use the Catersource app, how to get the most value from Catersource education, what is happening on the Tradeshow floor and how to grow your network of friends and colleagues every minute of the time you spend in Vegas.
 

Getting Your Pack-Out List Right Every Time
Roy Porter, Owner, Be Ready for Service, Los Alamitos, CA

Quit reinventing the wheel and get the details right every time.  Learn standard operating procedures, pack out tips and tricks and a sure-fire closed loop approach for getting ALL of the equipment needed to the event site and back to your warehouse safely. Learn best practices on how event packing lists are developed, used and improved to reduce stress, labor, equipment damage and allow on-site staff to focus on creating a wow experience for guests!
 

10:00am — 11:00am

How to Build and Manage a High Volume Wedding Business 
Presented by WIPA
Brit Bertino, President, Brit Bertino Event Excellence, Las Vegas, NV

Although everyone wants to do spectacular up-market weddings that get press, the reality is that your bread and butter is most likely mid-market weddings. In order to grow, that’s the segment to focus on. What are the systems that need to be in place to make this happen? Brit Bertino does more than 60 weddings a year in the wedding capitol of Las Vegas. Each year there is a stand-out wedding, but day-to-day she manages to produce a staggering number of weddings. She also runs another company, the Totty Belt, produces several pro bono events for ISES Las Vegas and has time for a vacation! Her success is no secret -- time management – but not everyone knows how to use it. This session will help you learn how to make time work for you!
 

10:00am — 11:00am

10:00am — 11:00am

10:00am — 11:00am

Let’s Get Savvy with New Sauces
Adam Gooch, Executive Chef, Purple Onion Catering Company, Vienna, VA

A divine sauce can make a plain protein, vegetable or dessert simply sparkle with flavor.  Learn new techniques and easy tips for producing sauces that will set your food above the rest. Adam will also demonstrate some plating techniques for appetizers and entrees that showcase the sauce as an artistic element of the plate.
 

First Things First, Upselling Begins at Hello
Renee Miner, CERP, Chief Event Designer, Empyrean Events and Catering, Fort Wayne, IN

All savvy sales people know it is easier to sell more things to an existing client than to find a new sale. Don’t leave dollars on the table by not upselling your event. Renee will help you learn how  to upsell and which event elements offer the most opportunity for upselling. This session will take several actual contracts and break down the areas that were successful upselling opportunities and the areas that were missed opportunities. As a bonus, you will get sell scripts that will help you become more successful when upselling your clients.

11:15am — 12:15pm

New Address. Designing, Buying and Building a New Catering Facility
Presented by NACE
Greg Casella, CPCE, Owner, Catered Too, E. Palo Alto, CA

It’s a daunting task ahead when you realize you will need to move into a new space to continue growing and expanding your company. Having just completed buying, designing, building out and moving into a new facility, the step by step details of this process are all still very fresh for Greg Casella, CPCE. Through a virtual tour, learn how he utlized his partnerships to manage the transition including obtaining funding, locating the new facility, working with the architect, contractor and banker and getting ready for the move … all the while keeping the day-to-day business going strong.
 

Small Companies Can Do Large Events
Kevin Lacassin, Owner/Chef, Good Food Catering Company, Tampa, FL

If you are a small company with a limited number of employees and resources you may assume that large or even mega events are out of your reach. Not necessarily true. With planning and organization you can bid, win and execute large profitable events. Kevin will share his real-time experiences bidding, winning and producing large events as a small company.
 

Ultimate Tented Weddings: 
From Design to Décor and Everything In Between
Melissa Brannon, Owner/Planner/Designer, Uncommon Events, Chalfont, PA

This seminar will teach you how to build a wedding venue for the day in the middle of nowhere! It will define the way to approach and navigate the difficult parameters of a tented wedding and the tricks of the trade for a stunning look. Understand the ins and outs of tents – how to sell it, what is on the market, which one is right for the event and the property and how to get the best out of your tenting partner to  create and design something spectacular that will leave the guests in awe.
 

11:15am — 12:15pm

11:15am — 12:15pm

11:15am — 12:15pm

From Inspiration to Reality – Inspired Designs From Everyday Life
Jack Milan, CEO, Different Tastes Inc., Boston, MA and Emily Ellyn, Retro Rad Chef, Emily Ellyn Productions, Orlando, FL

In this session, Jack and Emily will help you look at everyday items from a different mindset. Left brain to right brain! Instead of the utilitarian, they will show you how to transform these everyday items into design elements appropriate for your buffet and station themes and produce cutting-edge foods to complement these designs.
 

Education Crafted for Building a Successful Catering Company. Inside the DNA of Catering Menus – Part 1
Bill Hansen, CEO, Bill Hansen Catering, Miami, FL, Bill Pannhoff, Owner, B & B Catering & Events, Spring Lake, NC and Debbie Stein, Owner, Cartewheels Catering, Kerrville, Texas

Examine your menus under the business microscope and learn how to write menus that are more creative, have more customer appeal and, most of all, make you more profit. Bill and Bill will define the different catering menu styles, discuss how to reduce kitchen waste, present tips on calculating food quantities, kitchen logistics and menu production. Guest Speaker Debbie Stein will showcase her buffet designs and discuss how these creative signature designs have helped put her company on the top of her market.
 

Why Won’t They Call Me?  8 Tips for Better Email Conversations
Alan Berg, Author/Professional Speaker/Small Business Marketing Expert, AlanBerg.com, Kendall Park, NJ

Like it or not, email is the preferred method of communication these days. Yet few of us were ever taught how to properly have a real email conversation. Alan will share 8 simple tips, showing real examples of emails good and bad. Learn how to get it right, get more appointments and, ultimately, get more sales.
 

Don’t be Satisfied with Mediocre. Recruiting, Hiring and Motivating Top Level Staff
Anthony Lambatos, Owner, Footers Catering, Denver, CO

If you are looking to hire rock stars for your company, this class will present the tools you need to be successful. Learn tips and tricks for the recruiting process, how you should prepare before hiring a key staff member, how to conduct an effective interview and how to keep new hires motivated and on the path to success. Implementing Anthony’s techniques will improve your hiring decisions at any level and reduce turn over in your organization.
 

Planning and Selling the Perfect Wedding Menus
Ken Barrett, Executive Director, Broadway Gourmet, Boston, MA

Learn the 3 Es of menu planning for weddings: easy to sell, easy to produce, easy to impress the bridal party and the guests. Start with the menus you sell currently, then learn how to add creative elements, develop price point navigators for selling up to a better price, easy resources for writing menus and how to write menus that meet the needs of both the sales and the culinary teams.
 

1:00pm — 2:00pm

1:00pm — 2:00pm

1:00pm — 2:00pm

All About South American Ceviche
Joaquin Suarez, National Director of Culinary Arts & Sustainability, Sodexo, Bogota, Colombia

Ask about recipes and traditional dishes from South America and ceviche will always be at the top of the list. Learn about the evolution of ceviche from the early family recipes to the modern table. Understand the essential elements and ingredients for classic ceviche and take a look at the ceviches of today from the innovation perspective of the cooking methods and the characteristics of the ingredients used.
 

Education Crafted for Building a Successful Catering Company. Solving the Puzzle of Catering Sales – Part 2
Bill Hansen, CEO, Bill Hansen Catering, Miami, FL and Bill Pannhoff, Owner, B & B Catering & Events, Spring Lake, NC

Consider looking at your company as a sales company that happens to sell food rather than a company that makes great food for sale. Regardless of the amazing food you make or fabulous parties you plan, nothing happens until the sale is completed. In this session, discuss key points you need to constantly have on the radar to increase your sales dollars. Learn what the prospective client wants from you. Break down the sales process and hear sample sales scripts that work. Discover the right questions to ask and the right time to ask them. Realize when you should avoid a client, how to sell to Millennials and understand what a prospect wants from you.
 

Developing a Working Budget for Corporate Drop Off Catering Companies
David Eicher, Owner/Chef, Nibblers Catering, Phoenix, AZ

Management and decision making by the numbers is easier than you think. David will present the key elements for evaluating your company’s financial health. Learn about setting sales goals and profit margins, calculating fixed expenses, managing variable expenses, how adding fixed expenses affects the bottom line and the advantages of being a debt-free company. Prudent financial systems monitored correctly will give you the freedom to make more clear and focused choices as you grow your company.
 

Act Like a Marketer, Think Like a Sales Pro
Presented by ICA
Jennifer Delaye, CEO, The JDK Group and Métalaye Enterprises and Steve Sanchez, Director of Sales and Marketing, The JDK Group, Camp Hill, PA

The sales strategies of yesterday are shifting as the customer buying process continues to change. In this session, you will learn how your sales team can integrate some easy marketing practices to generate new business and retain clients.
 

The Business of Weddings: Be In It to Win It
Presented by WIPA
Kylie Carlson, Founder, The Wedding & Event Institute, Lake Arrowhead, CA

You got into the wedding business to have fun, work with couples to create lifelong memories and to interact with amazing creative partners. But did you get into business to make money? Planners find out fast how much or how little they are making. In this informative session, an educator who has worked with hundreds of planners to get them started in business now tells you what you need to do to stay in business and be successful. Hear about road blocks, leaps of faith and get tips on what you need to know to move your business forward every day.
 

2:15pm — 3:15pm

2:15pm — 3:15pm

2:15pm — 3:15pm

Simple, Honest, Aware. A Scandinavian Influence On Catering
Scott Graden, Chef/Proprietor, New Scenic Café, Duluth, MN

Elements of Scandinavian design, identified by many as simple, minimalist, beautiful and functional, are also expressed in cuisine. Entrepreneur and chef, Scott Graden, comes from the North Shore of Lake Superior to share with you the Scandinavian influences he brings to all aspects of his life: from academic to culinary to personal interests. Delving into his approach to business, you will hear how he integrates catering into the operation of his restaurant and why the majority of his marketing dollars go toward donated goods and services. Scott will demonstrate how to bring out the inherent qualities of seasonal, fresh and often local ingredients. He will show you how you can capture the authentic elements of your surroundings and embrace them – whether those elements are ingredients on the plate or resources within your business. Scott’s philosophy is that arriving at simplicity often requires intentional and artful editing of complexity.
 

Culinary R&D: The Process of Menu Item Design
Jeff Ware, Director of Operations, Catering by Michaels, Chicago, IL

To win in a competitive market, caterers need to constantly add new and re-invented menu items to their catering repertoire. Often they need something in a hurry and just design a new items on the fly. A much better option is a truly defined  research and development process that produces tested and properly costed recipes for your new menus. Learn the process of Culinary R & D, where to find inspiration for new ideas and how to get them “ in play” for your clients.
 

A Case Study. How and When a Growing Company Should Hire the First Salesperson
Presented by ICA
Margot Jones, Owner, Purple Onion Catering, Vienna, VA

As the owner of a company that was experiencing a big growth cycle, Margot realized that she could no longer be the only salesperson. But taking the leap of faith and bringing in another sales person was a very challenging decision. Learn what Margot discovered during this process, how she organized the search and how she structured the position to work for both her company and the new salesperson.
 

The 3 Ps of Customer Service: Purpose, Passion and Plan
Presented by ALSD
Janie Boles, Assistant Athletics Director, Premium Seating & Hospitality, Auburn University Athletics Dept., Auburn, AL

It is 11:30 pm and you have not eaten all day. Your feet hurt, your back hurts, you are mentally and physically drained and yet, you do your best to be filled with passion and enthusiasm as you serve your clients. Somehow we are expected to have the stamina to charge through event day with endless energy, smiles and “wows” to ensure a marvelous customer experience. Whew! Why do we choose to work in an industry that is so physically and mentally exhausting? Most of us continue to remain in this high turnover, burn out industry because of three things: Purpose, passion and plans.

In this session, Janie draws from her 15 years of experience in the Premium Seating & Hospitality industry to provide you with easy-to-apply customer service systems that will enhance the experience you have with your staff, vendors and clients. Techniques will include aspects of staff training and experience training, as well as ways to determine what you are passionate about. You will be better equipped and energized to plan and work your next occasion for your clients.
 

What the Bride Wants Now. Understanding the Bride as a Consumer
Meryl Snow, Catersource Consultant and Owner, Feastivities Events, Philadelphia, PA

Brides present wedding professionals with a unique opportunity, as well as equally unique challenges during the sales process. Often, weddings are as much about the emotional connection the wedding planner makes with the bride and groom. In this session, you will learn to understand all of the influences that affect the wedding sale, how to deal with the budget, the art of upselling and how to demonstrate you are different from your competitors. During this workshop, you will practice strategies that will make your sales presentation successful and ultimately result in booking the wedding.
 

3:30pm — 4:30pm

3:30pm — 4:30pm

3:30pm — 4:30pm

Small Plates, Small Wonders With An American Accent
John Walsh, Vice President of Culinary, The Classic Catering People, Baltimore, MD

Join Chef John and members of the talented Classic Catering People Culinary Team for a playful investigation of place-based foods across the continental USA revealed in small plates with a contemporary accent. From North to South and East to West, this culinary tour will update the tastes and presentation of regional favorites. Take away new techniques and be inspired by our regional foods.
 

Exceptional Service. A Blueprint for Streamlined Success
Brian Palazzolo, Catersource Consultant, Catersource, Chicago, IL

The food may be great, the bar exceptional and the setting perfect, but a bad service experience will ruin everything at your events. In this session,
Brian will share proven systems, procedures and training methods to deliver
exceptional service at special events, as well as effective management of the
front of the house staff. Learn how to develop and systemize training programs, operational procedures, manage staff for optimum performance, and develop leadership skills for catering professionals.

The Science and Art of Gluten-Free Cooking for Caterers
Carlyn Berghoff, CEO/Chef/Author, Berghoff Restaurant & Catering Group, Chicago, IL

When Carlyn’s teen daughter was diagnosed with Celiac Disease, living a gluten-free lifestyle became a priority in the Berghoff McClure home. Using all her experience as a caterer, chef and restaurateur, Carlyn dove head first into developing recipes and meals that were gluten-free but looked and tasted like the foods consumed every day by family and friends. Today, Carlyn hosts the Gluten Free Family blog and she and her daughter have published the book “Cooking for Your Gluten Free Teen”.

On-Premise Kitchen Confidential
Jamie Keating, CEC, CEO, Jamie Keating Culinary, Inc, Columbus, GA

Heat 'Em Up and Move 'Em Out. 
Taking Your On-Premise Operation Off-Premise
Patrick Cuccaro, General Manager, Shelley J. Pedersen, CPCE, Director of First Impressions, and Nancy Lutz, Senior Catering Consultant, Affairs to Remember, Atlanta, GA

It seems simple: take what you do every day in your restaurant and do off-premise catering for your patrons and clients. But without the proper skills and preparation, taking on-premise menus out the back door can be a road wrought with many pitfalls. Beginning with an exploration of branding and extending through dynamic menu design, this fast paced highly- relevant “crash course” takes you through a series of best practices for on-prem operators wanting to develop a new revenue stream with off-premise catering. Learn more by joining this dynamic team on the Tradeshow InTel Stage for a continuous session citing real world case studies and how the challenges of entering into the off-prem market place were successfully overcome.
 

Curating a Landscape at the Table
Matthew Weingarten, Chef/Author/Culinary Director, Setting by Sodexo, New York, NY and National Board Director, Chef's Collaborative

What's old is new again and diners now require an experience at the table beyond just a delicious meal. Learn how to create meaningful menus that tell a story about where our food comes from, how it has been traditionally prepared and why it matters. Showcasing heritage techniques and time honored methods, Chef Matthew Weingarten will highlight recipes from his book, Preserving Wild Foods, and discuss how to extend the seasons with a well stocked catering pantry and larder.

Top 10 2014 Trends Every Caterer Must Know
Andy Ebon, Public Speaker/Writer/Marketing & Business Consultant, AndyEbon.com, Las Vegas, NV

Weddings demand creativity and innovation from today's caterers and often inspire some of the industry's leading trends. Join us as wedding expert Andy Ebon and The Knot Wedding Network unveils how today's wedding trends are impacting the catering industry as a whole. Andy will share fresh ideas for menus, plating, buffet styling, presentation, flavors, desserts, and more that can be used for social or corporate events of all sizes.

4:45pm — 5:45pm