AT H W conference news
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O S ’ THE menu ? ello and welcome to the October issue of Conference News , where within these pages we will be casting our eyes over the not-so-small issue of event catering .
When planning the yearly calendar , we very nearly left catering off the list , but a chance encounter with a poor-quality sandwich brought on an epiphany : food matters .
They say that at a wedding , guests remember two things : what the bride wore and the food , and I believe that to be true . Certainly , in Britain we love recommending good restaurants to our friends , and perhaps sadistically enjoy even more pouring scorn over bad ones .
Food does indeed matter , but there ’ s so much more than what passes over your tongue .
Yes , on p13 and p15 we proffer a review of two expert caterers ’ fare , judged , and reviewed by a cohort of independent event organisers , but after that we cast our net further afield to embrace the bigger picture .
Between p16 and p27 you will learn how food is an intrinsic part of event culture in Cardiff , Cambridge , and Manchester , and on p29 our very own Louisa Daley talks to organisers and venues about providing plant-based alternative menus .
Louisa continues her mission on p33 , where she interviews the team at London venue 15Hatfields on sustainability in the catering context , while on p36 Sam Morgan , executive chef at The Venues Collection , says it ’ s never been more important to buy local produce .
On p44 we put down the menu and hear from Conference News ’ digital and community editor , Cameron Roberts , about his takeaways from International Confex , which took place 1-2 September at ExCeL London . And on that note , can I say hand on heart how great it was to see so many of you over those two days . It ’ s scarcely believable that this event has essentially bookended an entire pandemic , and I for one am all too keen to crack on .
Bon appetite .
Martin Fullard Editor Conference News www . conference-news . co . uk