Check out today’s blog from the team at easyEventhire for some tips on how to budget for your next catering event, from cutlery hire near you to additional catering equipment rental.
One of the key elements on any event planner’s list is budget. It involves breaking down every last element of an event, culminating in an overall figure that you need to work. Go over-budget, and you’ll be eating into your profit margins. Stay under-budget, and produce a magical event, and you’ll be getting a pat on the back! Your budget needs to be detailed – even down to the cutlery hire near you company that you decide upon!
The key to a successful budget is knowing your costs, your suppliers and also having a vision of what you want to achieve in your mind. Also, it’s about having realistic expectations. Like anything else in this world, you get what you pay for. The chances of you producing a luxury event on a shoestring budget is unrealistic, and will most likely result in a whole heap of stress for you if you try and achieve the impossible. Being realistic about what you CAN achieve on your budget, therefore, is really important.
Breaking your budget down one step further, for the purposes of this article, means that for your catering event, you need to look at the associated costs of this, do your research, and then find the best supplier. It’s never a bad thing to have a couple of preferred suppliers in mind, so that you have a fall-back position if required, or when things don’t go 100% to plan.
Cutlery
Cutlery is tableware that you need to get right! And remember, it’s not just the case that one style of cutlery fits every event. There is a whole world of cutlery for hire available in the UK equipment hire market, from a wide variety of companies, so take a look around and choose the best cutlery hire to fit your specific event. Depending upon the style of event and the budget you have in mind, of course, you can choose accordingly.
Stainless steel cutlery, for instance, is typically used at mass catering and dining events, and provides relatively cheap cutlery hire, whilst gold cutlery and copper cutlery, for instance, are more suited to luxury events, and inevitably cost more to hire – it does enable you, of course, to achieve the stylish finish you want. Just search on Google for cutlery hire near you, and you’ll be presented with a list of results, so take your pick!
Crockery
If you’re looking to go low budget when it comes to crockery hire for events, then standard white crockery may well be the order of the day. After all, white crockery provides you with a clean, crisp finish, and colourful food looks great. Simple, affordable and readily available across the UK market. However, the catering market has moved onwards at great pace over recent years, and there’s now a whole world of luxury crockery hire that you can choose from for your upcoming event or occasion.
Stoneware plates, patterned and textured plates, glass charger plates – the list is endless. These ranges of luxury event crockery enable you to create the luxury finish you are striving for. And yes, you will be paying a little more, but more event professionals will testify that it’s definitely worth it! So, pay close attention to plates and cutlery hire, even though hire plates and cutlery is probably not the first on your list when it comes to your budget for your catering event.
Glassware
The final piece of tableware for which you need to budget is that of glassware, such as white wine glasses, red wine glasses and Champagne flutes, for instance. In a similar vein to cutlery and crockery, there is a wealth of choice in the marketplace, so choose standard wine glasses that are affordable for mass catering events, or choose luxury wine glasses and more for higher-end events, again with a small premium.
Food
Of course, one of the main costs of a catering event is the food offering. For budgeting purposes, you’ll need to work out how many guests you are expecting, as the catering company will no doubt be charging you by the head, so the larger the event, the more expensive it will be!
Staff
The COVID pandemic meant that a lot of staff left the hospitality industry, and now demand has come back, this means that a lot of places are left short-staffed. As a result of this, staffing costs are generally on the increase, so this is something you need to be aware of.
Additional catering equipment
And finally, some catering companies will need you to hire additional catering equipment in on their behalf, especially if it’s a large scale event. They will provide you with a list of cooking appliances, serving equipment, refrigeration and other equipment that they might need. Again, Google is your friend here, and so just search for catering equipment hire online and view the results.
Of course, when it comes to budgeting and sourcing equipment for events, we’d like to think that you’d choose the team here at easyEventhire. We are here to provide you with a seamless hire experience from start to finish, and so don’t hesitate to place your secure order online 24/7 – you won’t be disappointed!
