As the summer season gets underway, CFE News convened our Editorial Advisory Board for a wide-ranging discussion on what it really takes to execute outdoor events at a high level—from the first client conversation to the final plate. Following are some of these catering leaders’ tips and strategies.
When Zach Bryan’s With Heaven on Tour arrived at the University of Tulsa for a two-day run on April 3 and 4, it brought more than 60,000 attendees and a major opportunity for Sodexo’s on-campus dining team to execute at scale.
From major golf tournaments to air shows to motorsports races, Proof of the Pudding knows how to keep sports fans well fed.
The Atlanta-based catering company is expanding its reach into major outdoor sporting events. A longtime partner of the PGA Tour, Proof recently added NASCAR races at Rockingham Speedway in North Carolina and the Quad City Air Show in Davenport, Iowa, to its roster. That’s in addition to Proof’s many other large foodservice clients, including convention centers, sports and entertainment arenas, yachting shows and college stadiums.
The allure of the great outdoors is proving irresistible to a growing number of catering clients.
“At Constellation Culinary Group, we’ve seen a continued and growing preference for outdoor events across a wide variety of occasions,” says Katia Ponomareva, director of catering for off-premise events. “The pandemic certainly reshaped how people think about gathering spaces, elevating the appeal of fresh air and natural surroundings.”
To meet the rising demand for outdoor affairs, caterers and venues across the country are creating events that are a breath of fresh air.
