Meeting News - April 7, 2008 - (Page 34)

Live from the Forum @ MeetingNews.com TOPIC: Pricing on kosher meals am working with a hotel and have a couple of attendees who require kosher meals. The hotel is attempting to charge $150 for a kosher lunch, which is regularly $47, and $100 for a kosher breakfast, regularly $26. I have purchased kosher meals before and never paid triple. Is this the norm? I Anonymous Do you have a burning question to ask your peers? Log on to the MeetingNews Forum to get answers fast. meetingnews.com/forum These are the prices we are seeing in most markets because the hotels do not have kosher kitchens and must go to outside vendors. The cost is high because individual meals are being prepared and taken to the hotel. You might ask if you can investigate kosher caterers on your own, in order to see if you can do better on prices. Joan Eisenstodt, Owner, Eisenstodt Associates LLC, Washington, DC You can usually ﬁgure that a kosher meal could be anywhere from one and a half times to two times the cost of a non-kosher meal. So, no doubt, the hotel is ﬁguring in a markup. Pat Ahaesy, President, P&V Enterprises, New York Is that the norm? I would hope not! Every time I’ve needed a few kosher meals, I have contracted with a caterer to bring them in. Yes, they are more expensive—but not that expensive. The meals come completely wrapped, with their own utensils and plates, so there is no additional service needed at the hotel. If the hotel has a kosher kitchen, then it is another story—but I am sure they would not open such a kitchen for just a few meals. I strongly suggest that you talk to the hotel’s GM if you are not getting satisfaction from the catering department, or speak with the chef. [Worse comes to worse], order from a kosher caterer and bring the meals in. Jacquie Brave, Partner, Accenting Chicago Events & Tours, Chicago I’m doing a series of three events and am ordering kosher breakfast and lunch for my keynote speaker. For lunch, I’m getting quotes anywhere from same as a regular meal (in Princeton, NJ) to $150 (in Boston). Barb Carmellini, Events Manager, DataFlux, Cary, NC I know there is a markup on kosher meals but have never heard anything of this sort! It sounds like some establishments are taking advantage. At a recent event I did in Fort Lauderdale, I was charged $20 for a kosher reception plate (essentially a crudite/dip platter) and $40 for a breakfast platter (bagel, lox, cream cheese, and fruit salad). I had a meeting a couple of years back in Fort Lauderdale, and kosher meals didn’t seem excessively priced—usually double the price of a non-kosher meal. From what I can surmise, unless you are in a location where ﬁnding a kosher caterer is a challenge, you really shouldn’t allow the hotel to charge such inﬂated prices for kosher meals. Barbara Mastroddi, Events Coordinator Department of Surgery, Columbia University Medical Center, New York This is a supply and demand situation. There are some cities that just do not have a lot of kosher sources. In my last position, I did multiple small meetings in many cities. I found that the pricing and availability of kosher meals were directly related to the Jewish population in those cities. In some cities, I was grateful to ﬁnd a kosher source—and I paid the price. Liza Wentworth, Director of Meetings National Society of Compliance Professionals, Cornwall Bridge, CT TOPIC: Sprucing up a dinner I just started working at a very small association, which is struggling to get members to attend its annual dinner. Can you give me some thoughts on how to liven up a boring dinner that has a presentation and a small awards program? Anonymous I gave the same kind of dinner life by making it upscale and giving it a production feel. It was not expensive. I made it black tie, gained sponsors for the reception beforehand, which became a champagne event. I dressed the room in the conference theme. . .it was very upscale but value-for-money decor. . .I used many gobos. I had a dramatic entrance with hotel staff opening the doors on cue. We had music to make it like entering a screening of a major ﬁlm. Then, the awards were emceed by a professional. After dinner, we served cordials and cigars on the patio, which was an outstanding success. The following year, we sold out the event. Sue Fern, President, Event Pro-SSSS, Palm Harbor, FL If your funds are limited and you cannot integrate lighting technology or a professional emcee, remember that the broadest brushstrokes of change to any room are full, linear-drop linens to the ﬂoor and centerpieces integrating the warm glow of infused candlelight. Also, if you are unable to pay for a professional emcee, you might be able to state a good case with your local television afﬁliates and request a professional anchor to emcee your event. At minimum, place a stage backdrop, swag ﬂame-retardant fabric from corner to corner, and pop on two ﬂoor-based par can light ﬁxtures that criss-cross light from the ﬂoor. I’ve had to learn to get very resourceful as I have moved to a much more ﬁscally conservative market! Gloria Nelson, Chief Experience Ofﬁcer Gloria Nelson Event Design, Winneconne, WI MEETING NEWS (ISSN 0145-630X, USPS No.356-010, April 7 2008, Vol. 32, No. 7 is published semi-monthly except for August, which is monthly, by Nielsen Business Media, 770 Broadway, New York, NY 10003-9595, tel. 646-6545000. Subscriptions are offered free of charge to individuals actively engaged in planning meetings or conventions in the U.S. and Canada. The cost of a subscription to non-qualiﬁed subscribers is $79 in the U.S. and $95 in Canada (Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40031729). The cost of a foreign subscription, payable in U.S. dollars, is $195. Periodicals postage paid at New York, NY and additional mailing ofﬁces. MeetingNews is a trademark owned exclusively by Nielsen Business Media. Copyright © 2008 by Nielsen Business Media Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this magazine, in whole or in part, is prohibited unless authorized by the publisher. 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