SURNAME : KIANDA

FIRST NAME: Patricia Mulenda

STUDENT I.D : F 1015009

GROUP: 4HA

MODULE NAME : Conference and Banqueting Management: unit 13

SUBMISSION DATE: 20th July 2015

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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The assignment has tried to intricate the different facet of conference and banqueting sectors in UK
context . After this executive summary, an introduction which talks about the principal four tasks of
the report and their subtitles. The context provides the image of a conference currently conducted in
Ireland. These tasks involve: The nature of the conference and banqueting sectors and the factors
influencing its development. The report understands the key strategic and operational issues
involved in the effective management of conference and banqueting events in the Ritz Carlton.
Another task that will be discussed is the food production and a food service system, the last task
concerns understanding the ergonomic considerations in the organisation of conference and
banqueting events. In the main report, each task will be followed by a subheading, where the
researcher will demonstrated that it is being discussed, analysed, assessed and evaluated. The
researcher will carefully and systematically look into the, scope, size and diversity of the commerce
strategic and functional problems that influence the success of a business, in order to give more
information on the tasks. By the end, a conclusion section will be done to end the report.

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TABLE OFCONTENTS PAGES
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY..............................................................................................................2

TABLE OF CONTENTS................................................................................................................3

INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4

MAIN BODYOF THE REPORT

TASK 1 :

1.1. Discussing the size and scope of the conference and banqueting industry in the UK...............4

1.2. Analysis of factors that have influenced its development....................................................6

TASK 2 :

2.1. Critically assessing the key strategic and operational issues involved in the effective
management of a given conference or banquet........................................................................8

2.2. Discussing performance and quality review techniques used by the conference and banqueting
industry.........................................................................................................................................9

TASK 3 :

3.1. Evaluating the suitability of a range of food production systems and styles and food and
beverage service styles for a given conference or banquet.........................................................10

3.2. Discussing factors to consider when organising an off-site conference or banquet............11

3.3.Analysis of the key menu planning considerations for conference and banqueting events.12

TASK 4 :

4.1. Assessing the ergonomic considerations for given conference and banquet.......................13

Conclusion.................................................................................................................................14

References.....................................................................................................................................16

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1: Pestle ................................................................................................................................7
Table 2: Food production systems.................................................................................................10
Table 3: Food service system........................................................................................................11
LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1: Conference & Banqueting................................................................................................4
Figure 2: Pestle.................................................................................................................................7

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INTRODUCTION

This report focused on the management of conference and banqueting venues. After this
introduction, the main body of this assignment deals with four tasks, which are understanding the
nature of the conference and banqueting sector, the factors influencing its development, the key
strategic and operational issues involved in the effective management of venues and events, food
production and service systems, and finally, the ergonomic considerations in the organisation of
conference and banqueting event. And each learning outcomes has specific assessment
requirements. Then, a conclusion will end the research, concisely rehashing the assignment, the
principal argument and reiterating the most essential indication supporting the assignments main
argument. By the end, this conclusion will briefly restate the assignment, with the main information
about the operational problems that affect the victory of the conference and banqueting sectors.

MAIN BODY OF THE REPORT

TASK 1
1.1

The term conference can be considered as quite recent, however, this would be ignoring the some
2000 years, where it may not have been called the same thing, however, there were events were
people met to discuss things. People travelled far from their birthplaces, in order to attend business
meetings, which were more intimate, merchants and local people met in certain places to trade and
convert things into cash etc.. Therefore, business meetings and conferences took place.
The conference and banqueting sector is partly seasonal, with low and high seasons and its scope is
dependent upon the location and season, with urban cities bringing in more revenue in this sector
compared to the smaller cities. (Rogers, T 2013:2-4)
Many hotels try to provide their guests with more than just a comfortable stay and food and
beverage. As an additional service, certain hotels provide a hall or venue for guests to hold events or
conferences. Eg: weddings, business meetings etc..

Figure 1: Conference & Banqueting http://www.cleddauhotel.co.uk

This system allows many hotels to offer an additional service and receive more money as very
often, these venues or halls are hired by guests for only few hours, which means that throughout a
24 hour period, a substantial amount of money can be generated from different guests for the same
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venue or hall. Managing and controlling this venue and its booking on a daily basis could be
difficult and confusing, therefore, a reservation system must be used to ensure the hall is used
efficiently for every guest and that the staff are able to manage and control the use of the hall
throughout the day. A bookings diary is usually key to a successful conference and banqueting
business, which is what is used at The Ritz Carlton Powerscourt. The layout and size of the venue,
will determine the type of events that can be held there:
Conference halls tend to be: smaller, they will be focusing on holding business meetings or training
programmes, good quality equipment and technology are essential, there is a lower requirement for
staff to manage the customers, the reservation period can be anywhere between half a day to one
week and finally, the customers usually require accommodation as they are usually from far away.
Banqueting venue: tend to be bigger, focuses on celebration, good quality food and beverage is
essential, there is a higher requirement for staff to manage and look after the customers, usually no
accommodation required and the duration tends to be few hours. (Rogers, T 2013:2-4)

At The Ritz Carlton Powerscourt, a conference hall is provided for guests who wish to use it. As a
big venue, there are ways that management can try to bring in more revenue, such as:

Cater for a bigger crowd: As stated in the case, the company had 135 guests to attend for the
conference, similarly, the venue can cater for other occasions such as: exhibitions and book fairs,
which brings in a bigger crowd.
Hosting small parties: parties which does not require a big turnover of staff in order to care for the
customers, however, that will allow a good amount of people in, to bring in more revenue.
Stay Open until late: In certain traditions, when people want to host parties, they like to start late
and finish late, if the hotel can allow their guests to do this, they are likely to obtain more guests
that fancy this or simply have that culture.

Allow individualism: Just like in the example given, if the hotel can allow the guests to carry out
activities that would please them during their time of celebration, this can ensure that the guests
recommend the hotel or even return to the hotel. This will bring in more revenue, not only because
the hotel may become more popular as a result, but also the guest can pay for whatever activities
they would like and additional cost can be added for these activities. (Rogers, T 2013:2-4)

These methods stated above are just some ideas that can help the hotels conference and banqueting
sector to grow, develop and in fact increase the revenue. The goal is to simply ensure that all
previous customers guests are impressed by the event and its delivery because this might make
them interested and make them decide to also use the hotel for their own events, therefore bringing
in more and more customers and increasing the revenue .( Rogers,T 2013:2-4)

There are different types of events that can take place where the industry would have to cater for
people attending these events. For example: Anything local- birthdays, village fairs or quiz clubs.
Where the hotel could cater for something like 50 to 100 people, as they are more private events, for
just a certain category of people such as: family and friends, during a birthday or local residents,
during the quiz night or village fair. .( Rogers,T 2013:2-4)
Other events which are more international or national, there could be 300 or so people attending
these events, which are more public and either open to everybody i.e Festivals. Or private but
simply inviting and expecting a lot of people. i.e Weddings.
A recent and big example could be the Paralympics that took place in London 2012, where there
were volunteers organising and taking care of the people who attended, whoever took charge or
preparing any kind of food or beverage to sell, must have catered for over 2000 thousands people,
in this kind of international and absolutely huge event, the conference and banqueting industry is
recognised. ( Rogers,T 2013:2-4)

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For certain events, the hotel is able to offer customers packages or offers, to have multiple things
included within the price, for example: for a price that can be discussed between the customers and
management. The hotel can offer the couple getting married, the venue for the reception, the
catering for them, i.e food and beverage and a suite within the hotel to spend the night for them and
an additionally room, for whoever, they might need to help them. This will help to reduce their
worry and hotel will obtain loyal customers.
For people wishing to simply use the hall for a party, the hotel can also offers for 1200, the hall,
table and chair covers, plates, cutlery for 200 guests. If the customers require anything else, they
must pay extra.

Similarly to the case scenario, the customers have been given a package of 6000 for the use of the
venue for their event, extra staffing to cater for them all properly, rooms to stay in for all of them for
the entire duration of the conference and finally, the price of all equipment rented in order to satisfy
their need for the theme, games etc

1.2
Similar to any other business, the conference and banqueting (C&B) industry also requires growth
and development in order to be successful. Therefore, there factors that can influence this
development in a positive and negative way and these factors are the same as any other business.
Such as:
Sales- This is a simple formula for any business, whether it is small or big, if the company is unable
to sell their products or services, this business will not be able to grow or develop further. The C&B
industry also must sell their services, by ensuring the rooms are being used to the full capacity, and
being booked every weekend or week day possible. This will bring is revenue and ensure business
growth.

Marketing- This is how a business lets customers know of their existence, without this, business are
also unable to grow because customers will not be aware of their existence and therefore, their
products or services will not be sold. In the C&B sector also, the hotel must ensure that customers
are aware of their existence or any new packages for the hall and rooms prices etc.. This is the only
way more and more customers can become aware and allow this sector to develop.( cousin et al,
2011)
Competition- A business must always be aware of their competition, similarly any hotels with C&B
area must be aware of their competition, because this makes the hotel managers want to add
something different, something that will make them stand out and make customers choose them.
Whether it is because they allow customers to stay until later compared to the others, or if it is
because they give a bigger package for the same price as the others etc This will make customers
choose them and of course increase the revenue and develop the business.

Staffing- In business, having the correct amount of staff with the skills and qualities required for the
job can help the business to also grow and develop, because staffs attitude can play a big part in a
customers experience in any establishment. Similarly, in the C&B, the staff caring for the
customers play a big role in their satisfaction because any unhappy staff, can be rude to the
customer, ruin their experience and cause them to not come back but also spread bad publicity for
the hotel and a staff member who is satisfied and happy, is more likely to treat the customers
properly, and ensure their return and recommendations. ( cousin et al, 2011)

All businesses carry out a PESTLE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and
Environmental) analysis, in order to figure out exactly what issues could be affecting their business
from many angles. It is a marketing tool or framework that allows businesses to keep a birds eye
view over their business and potential issues

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Political The political factors can include: imposing new tax policies, fiscal policy etc
This can affect the amount of revenue the business can keep, and the amount that
must be paid to the government, and as stated above every business needs revenue
in order to grow and develop.

Economic These factors are help to determine the companys economic performance, this
will have a permanent effect on the business. Eg: is there is a change in the
inflation rate, this would affect the way the company prices their products or
services. Hence, this will help to either decrease or increase the revenue and allow
the business to develop further. Pandey, A.( 2011)

Social These factors include: cultural trends, demographics etc It can be useful when it
comes to checking out competition because if there are new things being done in
the industry, and other businesses around are not doing it, the hotel can use that as
an excuse to raise their prices for the products or services.
Technological This is necessary for the conference side of the hotel, as very often, technology
equipment are needed during the customers business meetings or training. Eg:
projectors, computers, laptops etc If a hotel doesnt have these in their
conference hall, it could be the factor that could make customers go other places.
Therefore, being up-to-date with technology is important to ensure customers
return.Pandey, A.(2011)
Legal There are certain laws affecting business environment, they can be internal or
external. The legal analysis considers both angles, and brings out strategies in
light of the policies. Eg: consumer laws, health and safety, labour laws etc

Environmental These factors affect anything from the surrounding environment. Eg: climate,
geographical, location etc They are mostly effective for businesses that depend
on their environment such as: farming, tourism etc However, they are still taken
in account.

Table 1: PESTLE

Figure 2: PESTLE http://www.izenbridge.com

TASK 2
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2.1

When managing a conference hall within a hotel, there are many issues that can arise, making
things more complicated or more difficult. When there is a booking for an event, the hotel must also
make bookings with other parties to ensure they can provide the hotel and the hotels customers
with the service that they need. Managers are responsible for the administrative aspect and ensuring
that everything is in place for the event and with this comes (Shone, A 2009):

Contracts: Similar to any other business providing a service, there is an administrative aspect which
must be taken care of, in order to have a smooth running of the business. The biggest issues with
administration is the contract, which must be signed before any event is held. The planners and
management team are required to sign a formal contract with the customers. Additionally, a contract
can be signed with caterers or other providers of any equipment needed. An example that is
frequently used instead of a contract is Banquet Event Orders (BEOs) or even a signed letter of
agreement, these two are legally just as binding as a formal contract. In these documents must be
clearly detailed, the providers and customers responsibilities and obligations; What they are entitled
to, what their duties are and what they are not allowed to do. This is useful between the venue and
the customers hiring the venue but also between the venue and other providers that are needed for
the event. A BEO, is also known as a functions sheet, it is the main place where the accounting and
record keeping is kept, which is necessary for the hotel or the venue, copies of the BEO, is sent to
all departments of the hotel or all parties that will be involved during the event in any way, one
week or more before the date of the event, allowing time for preparation from all departments and
parties. In these documents, BEO or contract, must be clearly included, the price or package
charged to the customers, what it includes, the time of start and end of the event, any deposits given,
billing instructions, customer details, menus, number of people attending etc(Shone, A 2009)
The administration aspect affects the conference venue because without all these documents, there
could potentially be no events, or things could go very wrong and nobody would be held
responsible apart from the venue, additionally, it also ensures that the payment will be made.
(Shone, A 2009)

Financial issues: These arise from trying to ensure that a profit is made at the end of each event
booked at the hotel. This is why management, use careful, pricing, packaging and discounting in
order to ensure that a profit is still being made after all discounts. These issues affect the conference
venue because, whether it is being admitted or not, the purpose of having this venue is to increase
profit to the hotel, therefore, financial issues affect the business because it can reduce the revenue
and profit to the hotel. The issues include:

Having to impress a whole committee or delegate in order to close the deal- In many companies
would send a committee to look at the venue before making the decision, therefore, the manager
must impress all of these people with the offer or package in order to close the deal. When trying to
do this, the venue can lose money or not bring in as much revenue as they may have wanted.

Individualism- if the customers, are particular about a certain theme or needs, and the manager must
obtain the necessary tools from other places in order to make the event good enough, for them, this
could be another issue that can cause financial problems for the business, as other contracts must
also be obtained from the other businesses providing different decorations and equipment to go with
the theme.(Shone, A 2009)

Legal issues: within the legal aspect, the contract can also be counted, as this is a legally binding
document. However, there are certain legislations and policies that must be in place in every work
place, including the conference venue, these include: Health and Safety at work Act 1974, this
affects the venue, because it is the employers responsibility to ensure they are providing a safe
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working environment for their employees. Hygiene regulations, this is required because the work
place must be to a certain standard that it is safe and hygienic for people attending the venue. Eg:
toilets must be clean, kitchen must be clean and safe etc Food Safety Act, food and beverage will
be served during events for the clients attending, therefore, there must be regulations in place,
setting the bar high, when the it comes to the safety, quality and standard of the food served.
Regarding the example given, this particular hotel must ensure they are licensed to serve alcohol, in
order to cater for the customers attending their venue. Obtaining this can be costly, which can be an
issue, however, once this is obtained, it can open doors to many other opportunities for the hotel,
therefore, it is necessary. The hotel could also charge the customer for a part of the costs to obtain
this, to make sure they cover the cost and expenses. There are also many other regulations, which
are in place in all working places, which must also be in place in a conference venue to ensure, the
running and smooth and legal. (Shone, A 2009)

2.2
It is necessary for every business to be aware of how they are performing and whether they are
maintaining a good quality of service and products. Within the conference and banqueting industry,
a great way to do this would be to obtain feedback from customers after every event. This will
allow the collection of every kind of feedbacks and criticism and it will allow the collection of
accurate feedback because it will be collected right after the event has been held. This will help
management to assess how efficient and effective their venue and services are, they will be able to
locate where improvement is needed and required, but also in what areas an excellent job is being
delivered, therefore, requires maintaining this quality of service.

According to (Mohsen, M 2009), quality improvement emphasises continuous assessment and

analysis of the work process but also allows employees to know where they must focus their efforts
and what area needs more work, Hence, it is necessary to have an excellent and efficient team,
leader and employees, in order to maintain and improve the quality of the work for the service
provided. The improvement of quality could also help to increase profitability to the company.
(Maiga and Jacobs, 2006) Improving the quality of the service must be a customer focused move,
because it must be an improvement that meets the customers needs, which will ensure their return
and increase profitability in the future.
In order to improve the quality, management can look at improving the products being served,
improving the staff and eliminating the areas being criticised or not bringing revenue. However,
very often the biggest point is staff, as very often in this industry, customers can give negative
feedback because they were upset by staffs attitude. Therefore, re-evaluating staff, employing
qualified staff with good attitude is one the techniques used. However, the Ritz Carlton hotel
focused on ensuring staff satisfaction because, the staff employed have the correct qualifications,
therefore, ensuring their satisfaction will boost their morale and ensure they have great attitude
toward their job and their customers. Which will help to decrease negative feedback. (Hoyle, 2007)

The final and most obvious technique used by The Ritz Carlton for the conference and banqueting
sector, is to carry out quality and performance audits, reviews or assessments, which is the only way
the company can truly monitor and ensure the company is performing well and growing, along
with feedbacks from customer and staff, which can help to ensure staff and customer satisfaction.
As stated above, if the staff are satisfied with their jobs, it is more likely to lift up their spirit and
bring joy to them while they are at work, which will ensure a great attitude towards their job and
towards the customers they are caring for; And further down the line, if staff give great attitude, the
customers are more likely to be satisfied with the service that is being provided, which reduces the
likelihood of complaints or negative feedback. (Mohsen, M 2009)

TASK3
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3.1

Cook chill system In this catering process, the meal components or even the whole meal is fully
cooked and then chilled using a controlled cooling system. Eg: Blast chilling.
As a result, the food must be stored at a temperature that is above the point
which is considered as freezing. (<3 degrees for under 150 minutes). This
must be done before the restoration and serving period as it will allow the
preservation of the food quality and taste. (Lilicrap, D. and Cousins, J. 2010)
There is a requirement for careful monitoring and documentation of the
preparation period for the food. This involves cleaning, chopping, thawing
process, slicing, seasoning, mixing, etc...
The preparation must be performed in a hygienic environment and when
cooking, the company must ensure that there is sufficient heat to penetrate the
core of the food and destroy all pathogens.
Above 70 degrees for 2 minutes is the recommended temperature that the food
must achieve in order have the penetration and pathogen destruction. (Brown,
D and Henkel, S 2007). This system is used in many places, however, it is
suitable for a conference and banqueting venue, in this case Ritz Carlton hotel,
because this allows for all the preparation and cooking to be done early, then
when the guests are ready to eat, they will not be waiting long for any of the
food. In most conference venues, the food and beverage, require only small
preparation because it does not tend to be a full meal, however, using this
method will ensure a smooth flow of the service to the customers.
Conventional or It is simply the traditional cooking of food using fresh ingredients and fresh
traditional components. This is when the components are purchased, cooked and served to
the costumers right away, the traditional way and a minimum holding time is
required. (Brown, D and Henkel, S 2007) The ingredients and components
purchased could be raw, which would require full preparation and cooking.
(Brown, D and Henkel, S 2007)
Costumers are satisfied by the fresh appearance of the food mind, as they feel
that they are eating, freshly cooked food, which makes them enjoy it more.
With this method, the menu can be more flexible as the items cooked simply
depends on the customers order. (Lilicrap, D. and Cousins, J. 2010) This
method is considered as the most suitable for a 5* hotel, however, for a
conference venue, this would delay and complicate things, causing stress to the
customers and staff. Therefore, it is not suitable.
Assembly kitchen This is another method that could be suitable as it requires next to nothing in
terms of preparation. With this method, the food is purchased in the cooked
state. It is not a very popular method because the food is already cooked,
packaged and frozen and sold in that state, which can take away the taste and
quality of certain items. (Lilicrap, D. and Cousins, J. 2010)
However, it is practical, which is useful for the conference venue as most the
food served here, would be sandwiches, pies, frozen desert, salad etc..
Especially during short conferences, where only lunch might be required. This
method, will ensure a stress free and smoothly run event.
This method of production also reduces labour costs, as skills are not
particularly required, food waste is reduced but also equipment and
maintenance costs are also reduced. (Brown, D and Henkel, S 2007)

Table 2: Food production systems

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Buffet service This method is the most suitable type of service for an event like this, as it
simply requires the customers to queue up and gather the food they feel like
eating. This reduces labour costs for the event but also allows the customers
to freely make their choices, without any pressure. (Arduser, L 2003) A
counter service can also be used to order the drinks, this would be to
maximise a free choice to the customers, reduces labour costs and simply
allows a smooth run of the event because the customers are free and
responsible to pick up what they want and when they want it. (Davies et al
2012) The advantage with this type of service, as stated above it allows a
smooth and rapid run of the event. It is a much faster way of serving the
customers and when at the counter, attention can be paid to the customer
being served only. (Arduser, L 2003)
Gueridon service The gueridon service is a type of food service where the food if served to the
customers from a movable trolley, which can be described in other words, as a
movable side board with enough space for all types of equipment to help the
operation in hand, the food on this trolley can be carved, prepared and
filtered. It can come with various different safety equipment and can be so
different such as : calor gas trolley, plain trolley or even a small table.
This type of service would be suitable for the event described within the
scenario because it can be used to go to different customers from table to
table, offering them the same service. It will allow the customers to be relaxed
and get great service without doing much and simply having fun, but without
the stress of offering a la carte service.
This can allow the service and food served to also be within the theme of the
night, seeing as the hotel is catering for leaders from Ireland, offering them a
service and food, within that theme can make the night special for them.
Therefore, using this kind of service, the team is able to offer entertainment or
decoration that go with the theme on the trolley where the food is being
served. The disadvantage with this service, is the cost of having a highly
skilled and trained personnel, in order to operate the equipment safely and the
dishes being priced individually, could end up costing the customers more
money. (Dandotiya, R 2012)

Table 3: Food service system

3.2

When organising an event outside the hotel or anywhere in the open, there are a few things that
must be considered. Events to be organised outside could be a festival, sporting event, charity fund-
raisers or even weddings and this can be a challenging thing. To ensure a successful outdoor
conference, the factors that should be considered during the planning process include (Fowler, A
2006):

Double or triple checking the venue: It is necessary to ensure that the venue has enough room to
contain all the people attending the event , ensure there is enough space for any equipment that
needs to be mounted and ensure there will not be over crowding during the event. Additionally the
planner must ensure that the venue fits the customers, that it is suitable for the type of event and the
type of customers attending the event. Eg: Ensuring that it isnt too noisy, if the customers attending
11
are responsible adults for a serious conference. (Fowler, A 2006)

Check the weather- Although this is something that definitely cant be controlled, having a
good idea of the weather forecast, can help to know whether there is any need to be on
guard, in case of rain, snow etc This could contribute to ruining the presentation of the
event and everything planned, therefore, weather is an important factor for this type of
event.
Catering- especially if the conference will take a long time, the planner must ensure there is
food and beverage for the guests, to give them a break during the conference. The planner
must ensure that the provision of this doesnt break the bank, along with other aspects of
the event, everything must be kept within the budget provided by the customers. Therefore,
careful planning of this is necessary.

Permits- The planner must ensure that they obtain permission to hold their conference at this
venue or location, especially if it is being held in a public place, the local authorities must be
aware of the event in order to meet the legal requirements and avoid any fines. Ensure there
is no littering, as this will bring on fines, to avoid this, plenty of bins must be provided
across the venue, to ensure attendees cant miss them. There might still be people who are
inconsiderate and the customers can be responsible to pay for any fines given, if they choose
not to follow instructions. However, there will be a need for people to clean up afterwards,
therefore, the requirements for extra staff to cater for these guests is another thing to
consider, in order for the event to run smoothly. (Fowler, A 2006)

Additionally, for health and safety reasons, the planner must ensure there is a first aid plan,
in case of any accidents, this is also a legal requirement as they must ensure that all people
attending the event are kept safe.
Above are listed some of the inevitable factors that must be considered as a planner, when
organising an outdoor event, a conference in this particular case. Guests will expect to be catered
for and looked after, as if they were in a normal closed venue, therefore, the planner must consider a
lot more than what is listed above.
3.3

Menus are usually created based on popular demands of the customers, it is achieved to satisfy the
customers needs. This is because if the customers are happy with the food they eat and what they
receive, they are more likely to return to the establishment, which will increase profit of the
business.

Menu planning is the process of choosing the food, ingredients, components and/ or beverages,
listing them and pricing them, in order to give a customer the choice to select what they want from
the list. It is an important part and some say the more experience a person has, the better they will
be at planning the menu. The staff involved in this process include: Chef, Food and Beverage
manager or controller and waiters.
Just like most things, the first impression is the one that matters, therefore, the presentation and the
design of the menu itself, must be carefully thought about because it speaks to the customers, it tells
them what about the quality of food they can expect, the pricing and the class of the establishment.
(Eck, L 2004)

In this case, a lunch menu must be planned, with this, management must consider (Eck, L 2004):

Standard: This will help to ensure that the dishes presented remain the same at all times, to avoid
any reduction in the quality, which would cause the customers to become dissatisfied. Using the
12
same ingredients, the same routine will guarantee the same quality of food to be served to
customers. If the customers become dissatisfied by the quality of the food, they are less likely to
return to the hotel, which will reduce profit to the business. Additionally, if the customers are
satisfied with the food quality, they could serve as god publicity as they are more likely to spread
the word to their friends and relative about the good quality, which will help the hotel to welcome
new customers and also increase the profit. Therefore maintaining the standard of the quality is one
of the most important factors. Happy customers, equals, more business profit.

Skilled employees: Attention must be paid to the employees and their skills, are the staff able to
prepare these dishes, are they skilled enough to do it or is there any requirement for further training.
If the chef was sick one day, could anybody else cover and prepare these dishes for the guests or
would the quality of food be reduced. Additionally, there must be enough staff to look after all the
guests and serve them.(Eck, L 2004)

Cost- the cost of the ingredients to be used for the dishes must also be considered because the more
expensive the ingredients are, the more expensive the dish will be. However, when planning the
menu, management has to ensure there is a good range of different dishes at different prices to cater
for all customers, those who have a bit more money to spend on their lunch and those who havent.

Presentation of the food- The way the food is presented is important because very often, people are
satisfied by what they see and how pretty or delicious the dish looks. Therefore, the right colour
balance, can make a dish look more appealing to the customers eyes. Portion size is also another
part to consider, because under or over portioning can be negative for the customer, as they could be
leaving hungry or they could leave food on the plate, which would go to waste and waste money for
the ingredients.

Nutrition- It is a legal requirement to ensure that the food provided is nutritious for the customers,
therefore the chef and management, must ensure that they a variety of dishes, which will ensure the
correct amount of carbohydrates intake and protein, which is necessary for the human body. This
will meet the legal requirements but also benefit the customers. Certain customers have preferences,
such as: gluten free or low calorie, therefore, the hotel could also take this into consideration, in
order to provide and satisfy more customers with these preferences as this could also increase
profitability.(Eck, L 2004)

TASK 4

4.1
Ergonomics is define as the science of work, it is focused on making things user friendly or simply
comfortable for the people using this product or service. Others ways of looking at it, is to make the
product fit the user, instead of making the user fit the product.
According to Canas, J 2006, Ergonomic is described as the scientific discipline that deals with the
understanding of interactions between humans and other factors or elements of socio-technical
system. Ergonomic is responsible for the evaluation and design of every product, service, system or
task, to ensure that it is made compatible to peoples needs, abilities and limitations.
When providing a conference venue for customers, management must ensure that all equipment
provided within this conference hall is provided is customers in mind. This means, ensuring that it
is easy to use and understandable to all customers. This equipment must be user friendly and allow
customers to perform comfortably.
There are many ergonomic issues that must be considered in the conference and banqueting
industry and these issues include (Lustig, R 2006):

Ensuring the provision of comfortable seating: Especially for conference being carried out for hours
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and hours, management must ensure that the seats or chairs provided are comfortable enough to
allow all customers attending the conference. Eg: Height adjustable chairs etc Maximising the
comfort of the customers.

Ensuring easy computer use: Allow multi-user computers, which will provide easy access for all
customers, the ones that are experienced and great with computers and those who many not be great
with computers. Every customer should be made to feel confident enough to use the facilities
properly.

Easy use of a fully functioning projector: Allowing people attending the conference to clearly see
all presentations being done.
Easy climate control within the rooms, allowing difference customers to adjust the temperature,
however they see fit.

Wall flexibility: installing movable room dividers allow the maximum use of the facilities, because
by dividing the room for smaller groups, allow hotel to have the other room in use for other clients
at the same time but also for the customers coming in smaller groups, it allows them to really focus
on each other more rather than having a bigger room, having to shout for all members to be able to
hear. However, with this must come speakers in all rooms divided allowing the customers to have
control of the sound system in the hall being used and this can be adjusted to their needs.(Lustig, R
2006)

In relation to the case scenario and the events for the leaders, it is down to the hotel management, to
make use of the room that is available, according to the customers demands of transforming the
restaurant into the Sky at Night viewing corridor and extending the Irish pub and being able to play
GAA games, since the hotel has agreed to cater for these customers, they must find a way to re-
arrange the room, so that it can accommodate all their demands and provide them with all their
demands for their satisfaction.
The ergonomic factors, consider the use of the seating plans, room layout, style and type of event.
The theme for this event has been made pretty clear by the customers and therefore and the style
and decorations must be thought of carefully, in order to fit within the theme. The layout of the
room must promote their needs to be able to have the Sky at Night, Irish Pub and GAA Games.
The hotel must provide the, with audio-visual equipment such as: Large TV or Computer with
Projector and any other types of technology, that will enable them to entertain themselves with Sky
at Night and games.
As stated above, there are costs for extra decorative or stylish items, which have been rented for the
purpose of the theme, but also any trained personnel required to come with this equipment, in order
to set up and also take away or stay the entire time, must be paid for by the customers.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, this report has increased the understanding of the conference and banqueting industry
as the report discussed the size and scope of the industry, looking at how it started, the history
behind it and how it had developed over time but also what factors influenced its development,
where factors such as the marketing, staffing, sales were mentioned as key factors that can influence
the development of the conference and banqueting industry, as well as technology and trends or the
PESTLE factors.
A critical assessment has been done, with regards to the operational issues that can be faced when
managing establishments that deal with conference and banqueting events and a discussion has been
done regarding the methods of reviewing the hotels performance and quality given to the
customers. During this task, it has been discussed that in order to carry out any kind of
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improvement on the quality of service and performance given by the Hotel, there must be audits and
reviews, which will help to understand where the work is needed, where the work must be
maintained and which area must be eliminated completely.
Different food production and services available in the industry have been discussed, but also the
suitability of each of them and their advantages to the Hotel.
Other aspects of the conference and banqueting management were looked at, including: what needs
to be considered when organising an event off-site, during this task, was discussed the health and
safety aspect that must be considered, the food and beverage service that must be thought off, etc
Also, what to consider when planning a menu for an event. This allowed an overview of other
aspects that might not be well thought off or not paid attention to when discussing the conference
and banqueting industry. Finally, ergonomics factors were also considered, especially for the
leadership conference discussed in the scenario. To close, the report has met all requirements and all
learning outcome have been discussed and covered.

Reference:
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Articles and Books

Cousin et al: Food and Beverage Mangement, 3rd edition, Goodfellows Publishers 2011.

Roger,T(2013)Conferences&Conventions, A global industry, 3rd ed, Abingdon Butterworth-

Heineman.

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Dandotiya, R . (20 June 2012).gueridon service.

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Fowler, A.(2006). Your-checklist-for-organising-an-outdoor-event read more at

http://www.business2community.com/marketing/your-checklist-for-organising-an-outdoor-
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Lustig, R.(2006).Ideal Meeting Spaces Should Offer Flexibility, Flexibility and Then Some.
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Pandey, A.(26-09- 2011).What is PESTLE Analysis?.Available: http://bpmgeek.com/blog/what-

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Shone, A.(2009).TheBusiness of Conferences.

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