Conference and Banqueting Management Report for The Ritz London

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the conference and banqueting industry, focusing on the UK market and The Ritz London. It delves into the size, scope, and factors influencing the industry's development, utilizing PESTLE analysis to examine political, economic, social, technological, legal, and environmental factors. The report further explores key strategic and operational issues, such as training, decision-making, and operational efficiency, while also examining performance and quality review techniques like client evaluation and venue appraisal. It also discusses food production systems, off-site event considerations, menu planning, and ergonomic aspects relevant to conference and banqueting management, providing a detailed overview of the sector's challenges and opportunities. The report offers a detailed analysis and is ideal for students studying hospitality management, business development, or related fields. The report also includes an introduction, task-based structure, conclusion, and references.

Conference and
Banqueting
Management

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
TASK 1............................................................................................................................................1
1.1 Size and scope of the conference and banqueting industry in the UK..................................1
1.2 Factors that have influenced the development of conference and banqueting industry........2
TASK 2............................................................................................................................................4
2.1 Key strategic and operational issues involved in the effective management........................4
2.2 Performance and quality review techniques that are used by conference and banqueting
industry........................................................................................................................................5
TASK 3............................................................................................................................................6
3.1 Suitability of a range of food production systems and styles................................................6
3.2 Factors to be consider at the time of organizing an off site conference banquet..................6
3.3 Key menu planning consideration for conference and banqueting events............................7
TASK 4............................................................................................................................................8
4.1 Ergonomic considerations for a given conference and banquet............................................8
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10

INTRODUCTION
Conference and banquets halls are the major part of hospitality industry as they
contribute la larger amount in the overall income of this sector. For all the organisations who are
a part of hospitality industry it is very important to to manage business appropriately so that
customers can be satisfied in order to maximise profits and sales. If the quality of services that
are rendered by conference and banquets is not good then it can result in decreased market share
and sales. Appropriate strategies and policies are required to manage the operational activities of
organisations in order to operate business successfully (Berners, 2018). The hotel which is
chosen for this report is The Ritz London and it is operating its business in UK. The hotel was
founded by Cesar Ritz in year 1906. Various topics are discussed under this report such as nature
of conference and banqueting sector, factors that are influencing this sector, key strategic and
operational issues involved in effective management of this sector. Food production and service
system and the ergonomic considerations in the Ritz London have also been discussed under this
assignment.
TASK 1
1.1 Size and scope of the conference and banqueting industry in the UK
Conference and banqueting industry is a part of hospitality sector in which different types
of services are rendered to the customers in order to increase profitability. The Ritz London is
one of the leading hotels in UK now the directors and managers of the organisation are planning
to launch conference and banquet launch. The plan is formulated to increase revenues by
expanding business. A new assistant to the food and beverage manager of The Ritz London is
being appointed and asked to prepare a report by evaluating the potentials in conference and
banqueting sector (Chibili, 2017).
In hospitality industry the business is generated from hotels, restaurants, motels,
conference and banquet halls etc. Overall profitability of this sector is continuously increasing
due to enhancement of revenues of all the organisations who are operating business under
hospitality sector. As The Ritz London is planning to launch banquet and conference events in
order to maximise its profits, for this purpose effective strategies are required to be formulated so
that the business can attain growth. Conference and banqueting industry of UK is continuously
developing due to its rapid growth. This industry have contributed 39.1 million pounds in the
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national income of UK in year 2013. Currently the industry is growing rapidly and according to a
research the sector have recorded a growth of 6% in year 2018. Total turnover of the industry in
year 2015 was 86 billion pound, in year 2016 it was 92 billion pound, in 2017 it was 98 billion
pound and in 2018 it has crossed 100 billion pound (Growth of conferencing and banqueting
industry, 2018).
Size of conference and banqueting industry: The size of this industry is medium
because it is apart of hospitality industry. Size of conference and banqueting is considered as
medium because there are end number of businesses that are the part of hospitality industry.
These businesses are hotels, restaurants, airlines and all of them are larger than conference and
banqueting sector hence its size is medium.
Scope of conference and banqueting industry: The scope of this industry is wider
because it provides different kinds of services including conducting conferences, events etc.
Banquet halls, events, conference halls are the part of this industry.
1.2 Factors that have influenced the development of conference and banqueting industry
As the industry is continuously developing but there are various factors including
external and internal that are affecting business of conference and banqueting sector. The
industry is rapidly growing. Causes for the growth are as follows:
 Business of conference and banqueting industry is continuously increasing.
 People are becoming social hence they conduct event frequently that leads the industry
toward growth.
For all the organisations like The Ritz London it is very important to analyse such type of
factors so that appropriate strategies can be formulated in order to decrease their negative impact.
The factors can be analysed with the help of PESTLE analysis that focus on all the elements that
can affect a business internally as well as externally. It helps organisations to All of them are
described below in detail:
Political: All the forces that are imposed by the political parties of a country considered
as such factors. These factors affect the business of conference and banqueting industry in
various ways. If the government bound the industry to have a specific number of employees and
the organisation is not able to hire appropriate number of work force than it can affect the
business of whole sector. As The Ritz London is a part of hospitality industry hence it is very
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important for the organisation to follow all the instructions of the political parties in order to
successfully operate the business (Davis and et.al., 2018).
Economic: All economy related elements like tax rates, inflation and deflation rates etc.
are considered as the part of economic factors. All of them leave long term affect on the
companies and the different sectors who are operating business in a country. In UK government
is providing benefits to the growing companies like The Ritz London so that they can grow
easily and help to develop the economy. When inflation rate of the country increases or
decreases it affect the purchasing power of customers. If customers are not able to pay a specific
amount for a service than it will affect the business of Conference and banqueting industry
because it is not possible to operate business when clients are not able to pay (Do Le, 2017).
Social: It includes factors like cultural trends, education level, age, taste and preferences
of the customers who use services or products provided by organisations. As UK's people are
very much social and they like to hangout with their friends and family. Conference and
banqueting sectors will get various benefits from these factors because it can attract the
customers and attain higher profits. As The Ritz London is going to launch a conference and
banquet hall so that revenues can be enhanced social factors will help to successfully operate
business because of the nature of UK's public.
Technological: Research, innovation, technology advancement etc. are the part of such
factors that attract customers. In UK all the people are technology friendly. If an organisation is
launching it self with a technological factors than it will result in attraction of large number of
customers. It will affect the development of conference and banqueting because if there is no
technology involvement in business then customers interest will be decreased. For The Ritz
London it is very important to include some technique at the time of launching of conference or
banquet events.
Legal: Current and future legislations of the government are the part of legal factors. All
the factors affect business and development of conference and banqueting sector when the
organisations or the whole industry does not follow the rules and regulations imposed by the
government. It is also very important for The Ritz to follow all the rules that are introduced by
legal authorities and make sure that it it not a part of illegal activities to operate business in
appropriate manner (Inkson and Minnaert, 2018).
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Environmental: Conference and banqueting sector get affected due to environmental
factors because if a business entity is not considering the environment protection at the time of
business execution than it is not possible to be stable in the market. An organisation who is
harmful for the environment will not be allowed by the government of a country to operate
business in it.
All the above described factors impact the growth of conference and banqueting industry
because all of them are related to the business activities directly.
TASK 2
2.1 Key strategic and operational issues involved in the effective management
Effective management in every organisation is very important as it can help to execute
the business appropriately and also guide to make strategic decisions. While launching
conference and banquet event the managers of The Ritz London needs to properly manage the
new launch so that all the desired goals can be achieved. There are various issues that may take
place and affect the management of the organisation (Kosmieja and Paslawski, 2016). All of
them are described below:
Strategic issues:
 Lack or training: This is the major issue that can affect the business of The Ritz because
if the employees and works are not properly trained then it is not possible to fulfil all the
requirements of customers. It is very important to provide appropriate training to the
work force so that all the tasks can be completed successfully. Improper decisions: This the issue that directly affect the organisational profitability. A
wrong decision which is taken by the mangers may lead whole business towards the
failure. If the management of The Ritz take an ineffective decision than it will result
negatively and also affect the revenues and profits.
Operational issues:
 Inappropriate execution of operational activities: Operational activities are related to
business execution in which all the operations are carried out. If the activities are not
performed appropriately by The Ritz than it will result in decreased customer's interest
and organisation's revenues.
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 Poor management: If there is no management at the workplace then it is not possible to
execute business and other functions properly. When an event is organised by Ritz and it
is not properly managed than it can affect the profitability and market image of the
organisation hence it is very important to properly manage all the operations.
All the above described issues may affect the operational efficiency of Ritz hence it is
very important to handle them appropriately and for strategies so that all of them can be resolved
quickly (McCallaghan, 2015).
2.2 Performance and quality review techniques that are used by conference and banqueting
industry
For all the business entities who operate business under hospitality industry it is very
important to review performance and quality of the organisations so that modifications can be
made according to requirements of customers. As Ritz is also a part of this sector so the
managers should also take feedbacks from its customers and review the activities in order to
enhance presentation and attribute of services.
Importance of delivering quality:
 It is very important for Ritz London to deliver good quality services to the customers so
that their trust can be gained.
 Delivering good quality services is essential to increase profitability and revenues.
 If Ritz London is rendering good and effective services to the clients than it can result in
large number of customers (Park and et.al., 2016).
Following techniques can be followed to review the quality and performance:
Client and guest evaluation techniques: In this method employees of Ritz can take
feedback from all its customers that can be used in future to make modification in services and
delivery method. This method is mainly used to resolve all the issues of clients.
Venue appraisal: In this technique the place which is used to execute all the operational
activities is analysed. The place can be adjusted according to the requirements of the guests.
Profit realisation: By evaluating the profits of prior events the managers of Ritz London
can estimate the profits of upcoming events. It can guide the managers to form appropriate
strategies to increase profits.
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Closed loop evaluation: This technique is mainly used to set business goals, aims and
objectives in order to achieve all of them in future. If all the objectives and aims are achieved
then it means that organisation is performing well.
All the above described methods can be used to review quality of services and
performance of The Ritz London.
TASK 3
3.1 Suitability of a range of food production systems and styles
From a research it has been analysed that Olympia London is a great venue for
conferences and events. An off site business event is going to be conducted there in which
corporates are going to be invited (Wood, 2017). In this event financial issues that are faced by
corporate organisations will be discussed. Starters, main course, deserts with drinks are going to
be served to all the corporates. A food production system and style with food and beverage
service style is described below for this event:
Food production system and style: It is the system which is followed by a event
managers to feed people who are coming to attend an event. Cooks in Olympic London going to
use different food production systems and styles like chopping, grinding, marinating, boiling,
frying, grilling, mixing, steaming etc. All these systems are suitable for the business event as all
of them are required to prepare food for the guests who are coming to attend the event.
Food and beverage service styles: It can be defined as the method in which food and
beverage items are served to the guests. The service systems that can be used by the event
manager for the farewell party are described below:
Buffet service: In this system a huge presentation of food items including hot and cold
with different types of cuisine is served to the guests. Guests take and serve food themselves
(Rahimi, 2017).
Family service: This is a simple method of delivering food to the guests in which all the
food items are placed on a table and guests are asked to come and have food by them self.
Both the above described systems can be used by the event manager to properly conduct
the farewell party. Buffet service style should be selected as it is the most suited style of serving
food and beverage items to the guests at event.
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3.2 Factors to be consider at the time of organizing an off site conference banquet
An event of a farewell party of college professor is going to be conducted by an event
manager at Olympia London, there are various issues and factors that are required to be
considered by the event managers to successfully conduct the event. All of them are described
below:
Food according to the number of guests: This factor is required to be considered by the
event managers of the event. If the food is not enough for the guests than it can become an issue
which is required to be dealt effectively (Seal and Mattimoe, 2017).
Parking for the guests: The guests who are coming to attend the event the mangers
needs to assure that all of them are having appropriate parking place to park their vehicles. If
there is no place for the parking then manager have to take immediate action so that guests can
attend the event.
Appropriate number of workers: It is very important to have sufficient staff members
who can handle the event properly as it can help to finish the events successfully (Venske, 2018).
Sufficient space for all the guests: The manager need to assure that there is sufficient
place for all the guests and they are enjoying the event or not.
All the above described factors are required to be considered by the event manger in
order to successfully conduct the event. If a single element is missed by the manager then it will
spoil the event and guests will be dissatisfied with the services.
3.3 Key menu planning consideration for conference and banqueting events
The event manager is going to consider the following key menu planning considerations:
Number of guests: The manager is required to consider the number of guests so that
sufficient food items can be cooked for them. If the manager fails to arrange sufficient food for
the guests than it can affect the whole event. As 200 guests are going to attend the event hence
the manager needs to arrange food according to their requirements.
Quality of food: The managers needs to consider the quality of food because if food
quality is not good then it will result in dissatisfied guests. If the food quality is good than all the
people who are coming to attend the event will be highly satisfied and a positive image of the
hotel can be set in the mind of them (Sweaney, 2014).
Limitations:
 It is not possible to arrange food according to the taste of every guest.
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 Sometimes it is very difficult to handle those customers who demand for different variety
of food which is not mentioned in the menu.
The menu which is decided for the event is as follows:
Food items Meal
Chicken nuggets Starter
Apple Pie Desert
Rainbow rice with curry Main course
Red wine Drinks
Manchurian Starter
Fish curry Main course
Garlic bread Main course
TASK 4
4.1 Ergonomic considerations for a given conference and banquet
Ergonomics is the science to design the place of work according to employees limitations
and capabilities. Ergonomics considerations is relationships among machines and human and
also application of physiological, psychological and anatomical values so that problems can be
resolve that arises from the relationships of human and machines. In hotel, this considered the
relationships of hotel and housekeepers and so on. To assess the ergonomics considerations in
The Ritz London of conference and banqueting events by :
Space utilization techniques:
This techniques is generally used to measure the space that is going to be used in
conference and banquets events. This techniques are used by The Ritz London are as follows:
Seating plans:
Various kinds of seating plans are organised for conference and banquets. In The Ritz
London it can be arranged in seminar and banquet styles. This plans generally depends on
category of programs, capacity of space and also as per the choice of events holders.
Computer aided design package:
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Now generally designs are made with the help of computer systems. So, this are used by
The Ritz London to calculate the area of space and design according to clients and participants
and facilitates better quality of services.
Quality of ambience:
This defines the characteristics and properties of environments and also measure the
surroundings conditions. The Ritz London measures the environmental conditions for conference
and banquet events by:
Air conditioning:
This system are considered by Ritz London as heating and cooling system are ususally
required for system controlling.
Ventilation:
Sufficient quantity of air have to be enter in conference hall. So, for this Ritz London
have to provide sound surroundings and proper ventilation of oxygen is must for conference and
banquets events.
Audio- Visual:
This means considering both visual and sound components. So, this help The Ritz
London in conference and banquet events and some elements are required are:
Video projections:
In some conference and banquets events presentations are required for that clients used
inspirational and innovative videos for that The Ritz London have to provides presentation
projector with big screen is necessary.
Sound:
For any banquets and conference events sound system are necessary. So, The Ritz
London have to provide smooth and good sound system which allows clients to quietly hear
speech or videos. If sound system are not good that gives bad impacts on their clients.
CONCLUSION
From the above project report it has been concluded that conference and banqueting
industry is a key part of hospitality industry because it contributes a higher amount in the overall
income of the sector. For all the business entities who are operating under this industry it is very
important to render good quality services to the customers so that profits and revenues can be
maximised. Conference and banqueting sector of UK is continuously developing and helping the
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economy to grow. Scope of the industry is wider because various businesses like conducting
events and conferences, booking of banquet halls for functions and meeting etc. are considered
as the part of conference and banqueting sector.
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