Comprehensive Report on the UK Conference and Banquet Industry (2024)

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the UK conference and banquet industry, focusing on its size, scope, and developing factors. It examines the industry from the perspective of a catering company's general manager, addressing key strategic and operational issues. The report includes a PESTLE analysis of the political, economic, socio-cultural, technological, legal, and environmental factors influencing the industry. It also discusses performance and quality review techniques, along with an evaluation of food production systems. The report highlights the importance of pricing, licensing, health and safety regulations, cultural guidelines, and food production styles in the conference and banquet management. The report also provides an overview of the key elements such as business meetings, exhibitions, tourism festivals, cultural meetings, fairs, carnivals, community and outdoor events, live concerts, movies, shows, charity programs, sports events, birthday, marriage, and wedding parties, which contribute to the economic value of the conference and banquet industry.

Hospitality Management
[Student Name]
[Student University]
[Author Note]

Introduction: 2
Task 1: 2
1.1 Size and scope of Conference and Banquet Industry in UK: 2
1.2 Analysis of the developing factors for this industry: 4
Task 2: 6
2.1 The key strategic and operational issues of Conference and Banquet management: 6
2.2 Performance and quality review techniques used in Conference & Banquet industry: 7
Task 3: 8
3.1 Food production system and styles: 8
Conclusion: 9
References: 9
Appendix: 10
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Introduction:
This report conducts an in-depth research on the Conference and Banquet industry of UK. From
the employee perspective of the catering company "service on a plate" the report addresses the
general manager of the company. The catering company provides various related services like
event-based catering services, conferences, banqueting as well as local contracts with large-scale
organizations. Therefore, the market research information is highly significant for the long-term
profitability of this company. The report covers three specific tasks in this context. The first task
discusses the size and scope of this industry in the UK while analyzing the major factors of
industry development. So, the major terms included here are the environment, socio-cultural
points, policies, venue diversity, laws, food security, budget targets, protocols etc. Moreover,
event organization is a critical term for this industry. So, the second task discusses strategic and
operational issues in the management as well as performance and quality review techniques of
Conference & Banquet industry. Finally, the third task evaluates the suitability of food
production systems in C&B sector.
Task 1:
1.1 Size and scope of Conference and Banquet Industry in UK:
As an industrial sector the C&B industry of UK was flourished in the middle of 19th century. In
case of hospitality industry the major components are hotel, restaurant, bar, pub, bed and
breakfast, cafe, fast food etc. Moreover, it involves other services like school, hospital, business
organization based food and drink preparation etc. In this context, the banqueting is highly
related with the hotel and hospitality industry as it provides space with food and drink services
for certain events (Walker and Walker, 2016). That means different types of halls, food service
companies, restaurant spaces are integrated components here. Traditionally, the banqueting
business is defined as the food and beverage service to a group of people simultaneously. That
means the scope of banqueting is covered by different type of local and social celebrations which
collect large number of people for food and beverage services for several hours. Again, the term
conference is more formal than banquet and is highly related to the business and industry. As the
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UK is one of the major business transaction and globalization center, therefore, it has to held
various conferences per year to combine like-minded people for brainstorming, seminar,
business meeting etc. Moreover, the industrial growth is highly related to the size and scope of
C&B industry as industrial growth has direct impact on the economic growth terms like GDP,
revenue generation, healthy market conditions which increases the cost of living and number of
wealthy population. In terms of economics the UK is developed and market-oriented economy
which means the production and service industry shows good growth rate consistently. In case of
hospitality industry the gross industrial value is worth 36000 million pound considering the
contribution of intercontinental hotel, plaza and inns. Apart from this, the tourism sector states
that every year a large number of foreign population (French, Hispanic, German, Asian)comes to
visit the country for business and leisure purpose. Therefore, the C&B sector has high scope in
terms of domestic and foreign population. This industry is called the 17th topmost industry in
UK as it combines the tourism and leisure sectors with financial growth and high employment
opportunities. First of all this sector is growing faster than other industries as technical advances
has helped the industrialization and its outcomes (more business meetings, coordination,
collaboration) to grow rapidly (Kandampully et al, 2015). There are three different sizes of
conferences and they are small, medium and large ranged in terms of duration, number of
participants and economic involvement. Usually, the small conferences refer duration of one day
and less than 500 participants while the medium range conferences are hold for 2-3 days with
600-1000 people. In case of large range conferences the duration is 5 days while number of
people is more than 3000. According to the UK service industry the small conferences are
common and covered in the corporate houses, medium and small sized restaurant as well as cost-
effective halls of large restaurants. The medium and large range conferences are generally
annual, shareholder or other corporate meetings of domestic and international standard and
covered by global restaurant chains, plaza and major hospitality companies. From the historical
data it is identified that the average events per venue is more than 350 and trend is increasing
rapidly while C&B sector accounts for 61% of the business meetings today. Again, the banquet
food packages of large convention hotels covers 70% of the services including hotel, pub and
bars. The major UK hotels like Hilton, Marriott and Best Western have more than 10,000 C&B
venues and more than thousands meeting rooms all over the UK. The major events are:
● Business meetings, exhibitions, tourism
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● Festival, cultural meetings, fairs, carnivals
● Community events and outdoor events
● Live concerts, movies, shows
● Charity programs, sports events, birthday, marriage, wedding parties
The economic contribution data states that the conference and meetings generate 19.9 billion
pounds annually. Moreover, the venue diversity is another attraction point for the customers. As
an example, the M&IT award was held in the Villa Park which has an unusual venue. So, the
major scopes of C&B sector includes:
● High economic contribution
● Large amount of diverse job generation
● Combining the other potential service sectors like tourism, leisure
● Encouraging more foreign population to visit UK
● High contribution to the service industry in terms of revenue, resource and expansion
1.2 Analysis of the developing factors for this industry:
First of all the PESTLE analysis can identify the most important factors of the industry. The
PESTLE analysis is given below.
Political: The service sector is highly dependent on the brand reputation and goodwill which
means the political links must be good to make the business transaction consistent and long-term.
In this context, the political stability, tax policy, foreign exchange rates, trade restrictions,
environmental laws are important. Moreover, the rate of immigration has the huge impact on the
C&B sector. The C&B sector is a subset of hospitality industry which means the pre-Brexit
issues like high food and drink price, skill shortage is effecting the industry. The national living
wage has increased the economic pressure on the UK (Jones et al, 2016). The pseudo hotel risk is
emerging and that is reflected in the legal battle between Airbnb and BHA. With changing
customer trends the spiraling capital rates are risky for the independent operators and indicating
the inflationary environment. The cost of operation is high due to rising VAT and business rate
which means the political conditions are not favorable presently.
Economic: The terms of commercialization are related to the economic conditions of UK. In this
context, the major drivers are economic growth, interest rates, inflation, disposable income,
market conditions etc. After the financial crisis of 2008, the BHA predicts that economic risks
are going to decrease the workforce in the C&B sector potentially. That means the economic
pressure will increase the wages and business rate while contracting the labor market. In this
context, the EU leaving situation is significant. Moreover, the labor productivity and tour
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operations are increasing which have the direct effect on industry promotion and economic value
creation.
Socio-cultural: The recent customer trend indicates that veg-friendly dishes and meat-free
features are rising in the hospitality sector which means the C&B sector needs to pay attention to
this plant power issue. Apart from this the sector directly employs 20% of the overall employed
population and the rich history of cultural events influences more corporate and social gatherings
in the country. The health consciousness, public freedom, and career attitudes construct the
drivers of this sector where globalization has included diverse workforce from different cultural
backgrounds. To present the standard business structure cross-cultural training are important to
cultural awareness.
Technological: With rapid technological advances the industry now is more dependent on
technology which means the growth trend must be consistent with industry survival. As C&B
sector is still considered as emerging, therefore, data privacy and security are highly important
terms here. The customers are demanding unique presentation and events which is increasing the
competitive pressure. As an example, the 3D printer based food and drink creation, fusion food
festivals are attracting customers while conventional C&B servers are not ready to serve them.
The food-led license has increased by 14.9% while the eating out trend has reduced by 47%.
Again, the internet has increased the knowledge base of customers which is reflected in the low
alcohol consumption and 45% of the Pub and Bar revenue is generated from the food services
(Kim et al, 2015). Moreover, digital services and social media tools are directly influencing the
brand reputations.
Legal: The legal environment is highly complex for this emerging industry as the major
components are health and safety manuals, customer rights, product and packaging rules, event
management, traffic control protocols etc. In this context, the business names act, trade
description act, data protection act, furniture and furnishing regulation act, gas safety regulation
as well as health and safety work act are important.
Environmental: The product presentation, recycling, and waste management strategy are
targeting more green technology and equipment to the present day. In this context, use of plastic
alternatives, safe areas, and signs near congested areas are significant.
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Task 2:
2.1 The key strategic and operational issues of Conference and Banquet
management:
As the corporate activities are increasing, therefore, identifying the strategic and operational
issues are highly important. The issues are discussed below:
● Price and packaging: Considering the competitive market the C&B sector needs to use
flexible pricing and value-added packaging while dealing with domestic and international
customers. Moreover, the range and scope of customization must be dynamic to deal with
sudden changes in the strategy according to the customer demand. Again, the cultural
aspects are the critical point as C&B sector deals with culturally diverse customers and
workforce.
● Discounts and offers: This is the most fundamental strategy to attract customers. Most of
the unique and creative events spaces are located away from residential areas and the
uptown event spaces are costly (Wang et al, 2014). Considering the seasonal increase in
population the discount and various offers (free service, low-cost decoration) can be the
example of value based proposals for UK customers (C&B)
● Licensing and protocols: In case of business the local council provides relevant licenses
where different terms of disruption must be considered. Moreover, the event management
should cover traffic, food workplace security protocols to provide error-free services.
● Health & safety regulations: The workforce must have relevant experience and standard
certificates to work in preparation (food and drinks), serving and protection. In this
context, the C&B employers must follow recruitment and fair work act terms to introduce
hazard free environment. Moreover, the gas, furniture, traffic rules and food security
regulations must be followed via regular training sessions as well as seminar and
webinars to provide global standard service.
● Cultural and religious guidelines: The international standard reflects certain limitations
for religion and culture acceptance. As the workforce and consumers are diverse
therefore the advertisement and other promotional events must follow the relevant
guidelines without harming any religious or cultural viewpoints (Radojevic et al, 2015).
● Food production styles: The principles cover the starting and ending points of the food
production which means the ingredient selection, processing, cooking, quality
maintenance, transportation are included here. Moreover, the kitchen environment must
be satisfactory in terms of the cook, chef, helper, and servers.
2.2 Performance and quality review techniques used in Conference & Banquet
industry:
The review techniques cover the present and future events using widely accepted practices and
procedures. The major review techniques are given below:
● Administrative help: This majorly refers the function sheet which lists all the bookings
of events, conferences with style, type and scalability factors. According to the document
the price and service details will be recorded with major contact details as well as deposit
amount, inquiry points etc. This document is a real-time proof can help to identify the
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quality of the service provided by the industry (Calhoun, 2017). Another similar
document is the booking diary which can help as a reminder of upcoming events with
related activities and actors therefore after the event checking the diary can help to review
the performance considering the outcome. The other helps are contract terms and overall
quality report from different actors.
● Budget: Usually, the planning stage allocates a particular sum of money which changes
with the inclusion of different phases at the end. Considering the series of events the total
budget sum is identified in the process breakdown schedule and reviewing the same can
be helpful as a performance indicator.
● Service and dress code review: Apart from event activities the food and drink service
review can be done using the food and health guidelines as well as fair work principles.
In case of dress code, the specific features per event should be maintained and the
worksheet of the organization can prove the actual conditions.
● Entertainment review: According to the contract, the organizational fact sheet will
cover the table plan, decoration, mode of transportation and at the completion point the
issues are checked comparing the given conditions and maintained conditions (Jones et
al, 2016).
● Contingency plan review: Even the most accurate event can face uncertain issues,
therefore, this review will check the major risks like natural calamities, shortage of
supply, low workforce, poor quality, traffic risks etc. Moreover, delay and outsourcing
issues can be hazardous too which determines the requirement of alternate plans here.
Task 3:
3.1 Food production system and styles:
According to the size of conference and banquet, there will be different food supply system and
beverage specifications. Moreover, the culturally diverse customers can demand different types
of food according to their domestic environment. Usually, big conferences are completed by
large dinner parties while low and medium range conferences use a short cocktail or mocktail
parties considering the themes (Walker and Walker, 2016). In this context, the banquet service
support is important with unlimited tea and coffee services. Again, the seasons are major
components of different themes. As an example, the summer conferences use soft drink support
while autumn and winter conferences use gala dinner parties with hard drink supports. The food
items must be fresh, hygienic according to the menu plans and supportive to the hazard control
measures. In this context, the salad, meat-free food services are significant. Finally, the service
must be adequate according to the venue area and environment considering the legal terms and
conditions.
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Conclusion:
In conclusion, it can be said that C&B as an emerging sector must consider the economic and
political issues of hospitality and tourism industry to survive for the long term.
References:
Calhoun, J.R., 2017, October. The Relationship Between Gender and Career Advancement in the
Hospitality and Tourism Industry. In Global Conference on Services Management (GLOSERV
2017) (p. 50).
Jones, P., Hillier, D. and Comfort, D., 2016. Sustainability in the hospitality industry: Some
personal reflections on corporate challenges and research agendas. International Journal of
Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(1), pp.36-67.
Kandampully, J., Zhang, T. and Bilgihan, A., 2015. Customer loyalty: a review and future
directions with a special focus on the hospitality industry. International Journal of Contemporary
Hospitality Management, 27(3), pp.379-414.
Kim, M., Vogt, C.A. and Knutson, B.J., 2015. Relationships among customer satisfaction,
delight, and loyalty in the hospitality industry. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 39(2),
pp.170-197.
Radojevic, T., Stanisic, N. and Stanic, N., 2015. Ensuring positive feedback: Factors that
influence customer satisfaction in the contemporary hospitality industry. Tourism Management,
51, pp.13-21.
Walker, J.R., and Walker, J.T., 2016. Introduction to hospitality management. Prentice Hall.
Wang, C.J., Tsai, H.T. and Tsai, M.T., 2014. Linking transformational leadership and employee
creativity in the hospitality industry: The influences of creative role identity, creative self-
efficacy, and job complexity. Tourism Management, 40, pp.79-89.
Appendix:
https://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Article/2017/04/18/UK-general-election-2017-impact-
hospitality-industry
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/07/03/hospitality-industrys-rapid-growth-threat-
without-government/
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https://www.bighospitality.co.uk/Article/2016/12/20/The-biggest-issues-in-hospitality-in-2016
https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2018/03/13/Technology-health-and-Brexit-most-
pressing-issues-for-hospitality-industry
https://www.assetsure.com/business/hotel-insurance/hotels-laws/
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