Technology Summit Gala Dinner – 2,500 Guests

We served 2,500 guests in the same evening at the closing gala of an international technology summit held in Istanbul. Because the hall was 18,000 square metres, the food was divided into 18 stations; each station had 4 cooks and 6 service staff. As participants came from 28 countries, halal, vegetarian and gluten-free options were marked with separate cards.

Logistics

Preparation took 48 hours; products were prepared in the Gebze central kitchen, carried to the hall in 34 delivery vehicles and finished on site. A team of 160 worked on set-up and take-down was completed in 3 hours.

Results

• Service time: 52 minutes from first plate to last
• Allergen incidents: 0
• Guest survey: 4.7 / 5

Lessons learned

At a large event plate management and the separation of clean and dirty areas were the factors determining service speed. Assigning a “quality lead” at each station standardised plate presentation.