Event Management
Manage your catering calendar and event capacity.
Overview
Event management helps you:
- Visualize schedule - Calendar view of all events
- Manage capacity - Prevent overbooking
- Allocate resources - Staff, equipment, vehicles
- Coordinate logistics - Multiple events same day
- Track venue bookings - Private dining and events
Event Calendar
Calendar Views
| View | Best For |
|---|---|
| Month | Overview of all bookings |
| Week | Detailed weekly planning |
| Day | Same-day coordination |
| List | Searchable event list |
Calendar Interface
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CATERING CALENDAR January 2026 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ 1 2 3 4 │
│ ▓▓▓ ▓▓ │
│ Corp Wedding │
│ (50) (120) │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 │
│ ▓ ▓▓▓ ▓▓▓▓▓ │
│ Drop Party Multi │
│ (25) (80) Events │
│ ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ │
│ Legend: ▓ = Booked capacity │
│ Capacity: Green (available) → Yellow (busy) → Red (full) │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Capacity Indicators
| Color | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Green | Full capacity available | Accept new bookings |
| Yellow | 50-80% booked | Review before accepting |
| Orange | 80-95% booked | Limited availability |
| Red | At capacity | No new bookings |
Capacity Management
Setting Capacity Limits
Define your operational limits:
| Capacity Type | Example Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Daily events | 3 per day | Maximum events |
| Daily guests | 300 total | Combined all events |
| Simultaneous | 2 events | Same time window |
| Kitchen output | 200 servings/hour | Production limit |
| Delivery vehicles | 2 trucks | Transport limit |
Capacity Configuration
- Go to Catering > Settings > Capacity
- Set limits:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ CAPACITY SETTINGS │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ DAILY LIMITS │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Maximum events per day: 3 │
│ Maximum total guests per day: 300 │
│ Maximum events at same time: 2 │
│ │
│ PRODUCTION LIMITS │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Kitchen output (servings/hour): 200 │
│ Prep lead time required: 24 hours │
│ │
│ DELIVERY LIMITS │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Delivery vehicles: 2 │
│ Maximum delivery radius: 25 miles │
│ Delivery time windows: 10am-2pm, 5pm-8pm │
│ │
│ BLOCKED DATES │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Major holidays (auto-blocked) [Edit] │
│ Custom blocked dates [Add] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Capacity Warnings
System warns when:
- New booking exceeds daily limit
- Kitchen capacity insufficient
- Delivery vehicles unavailable
- Event overlaps existing booking
- Lead time insufficient
Resource Allocation
Staff Assignment
Assign staff to events:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ EVENT STAFFING Acme Corp Lunch - Jan 24 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ REQUIRED STAFF │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Role Needed Assigned Status │
│ Kitchen Lead 1 Maria L. ✓ Confirmed │
│ Prep Cook 2 Carlos R. ✓ Confirmed │
│ Kim P. ✓ Confirmed │
│ Driver 1 James K. ✓ Confirmed │
│ Setup Staff 2 Sarah M. ✓ Confirmed │
│ (Open) ⚠️ Needs assignment │
│ │
│ [Auto-Assign Available Staff] │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Equipment Tracking
Track and assign equipment:
| Equipment | Total | Available | Reserved |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chafing dishes | 12 | 4 | 8 |
| Beverage dispensers | 6 | 2 | 4 |
| Serving trays | 20 | 8 | 12 |
| Insulated bags | 10 | 4 | 6 |
Vehicle Scheduling
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ VEHICLE SCHEDULE January 24, 2026 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ TRUCK #1 (Large - 200 capacity) │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ 10:30 AM Load: Acme Corp (75 guests) │
│ 11:00 AM Depart for delivery │
│ 11:30 AM Arrive, setup │
│ 12:30 PM Return to kitchen │
│ 2:00 PM Load: Birthday Party (50 guests) │
│ │
│ TRUCK #2 (Small - 75 capacity) │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ 5:00 PM Load: Private Dinner (30 guests) │
│ 5:30 PM Depart for delivery │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Private Events (On-Site)
Venue Booking
For restaurants with private dining:
- Go to Catering > Venues
- Select room/space
- Check availability
- Book with event details
- Link to catering order
Venue Configuration
| Room | Capacity | Features | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Private Dining Room | 20 | AV, bar | $150 |
| Patio | 50 | Outdoor, heaters | $200 |
| Full Restaurant | 150 | Buyout | $500 |
| Wine Cellar | 12 | Intimate | $100 |
Rental Packages
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ PRIVATE EVENT PACKAGES │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ ROOM ONLY │
│ • Space rental │
│ • Standard setup │
│ • Food/beverage minimum required │
│ │
│ ALL-INCLUSIVE │
│ • Space rental │
│ • Premium setup with linens │
│ • Dedicated server │
│ • AV equipment │
│ • Custom menu │
│ │
│ BUYOUT │
│ • Entire restaurant │
│ • Full staff │
│ • Custom everything │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Multi-Event Coordination
Same-Day Events
When handling multiple events:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ DAILY COORDINATION Saturday, January 25 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ 7:00 AM ════════════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │ Kitchen prep begins for all events │
│ │ │
│ 9:00 AM [Event 1: Corporate Breakfast - 40 guests] │
│ │ └─ Deliver by 8:30 AM | Truck #1 │
│ │ │
│ 12:00 PM [Event 2: Wedding Brunch - 120 guests] │
│ │ └─ On-site private room | Setup 10:30 AM │
│ │ │
│ 1:00 PM ════════════════════════════════════════════════ │
│ │ Truck #1 returns, reloaded │
│ │ │
│ 5:00 PM [Event 3: Birthday Party - 50 guests] │
│ │ └─ Deliver by 4:30 PM | Truck #1 │
│ │ │
│ 6:00 PM [Event 4: Anniversary Dinner - 20 guests] │
│ │ └─ On-site private room | Setup 5:00 PM │
│ │ │
│ └───────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ │
│ RESOURCE SUMMARY │
│ Staff Needed: 12 Equipment: At capacity │
│ Vehicles: Both Kitchen: Peak 11am-1pm │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Conflict Resolution
System helps prevent conflicts:
| Conflict Type | System Response |
|---|---|
| Time overlap | Suggests alternate times |
| Resource shortage | Identifies missing resources |
| Capacity exceeded | Blocks or warns |
| Delivery conflict | Proposes adjusted schedule |
Event Details Tracking
Event Information
Track all event details:
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ EVENT DETAILS #E-2026-0089 │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
│ EVENT TYPE Wedding Reception │
│ DATE Saturday, February 14, 2026 │
│ TIME 6:00 PM - 11:00 PM │
│ GUESTS 150 confirmed (160 guaranteed) │
│ │
│ CLIENT INFORMATION │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Couple: Sarah & Michael Johnson │
│ Contact: Sarah Johnson │
│ Phone: (555) 234-5678 │
│ Email: sarah.j@email.com │
│ Planner: Elite Events (Rebecca Martinez) │
│ │
│ VENUE │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ Location: Lakeside Country Club │
│ Address: 456 Lakeside Dr, Pleasantville │
│ Access: Kitchen entrance, load by 4:00 PM │
│ Contact: Club Manager: Tom (555) 345-6789 │
│ │
│ SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ • 5 vegan guests (Table 8) │
│ • 3 gluten-free guests (Tables 2, 5) │
│ • Nut allergy - NO nuts in any dishes │
│ • Kosher option for 2 guests │
│ • Kids meals for 12 children │
│ │
│ TIMELINE │
│ ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────── │
│ 4:00 PM Load-in begins │
│ 5:00 PM Setup complete │
│ 6:00 PM Cocktail hour - passed apps │
│ 7:00 PM Dinner service begins │
│ 8:00 PM Main course │
│ 9:00 PM Cake cutting │
│ 9:30 PM Dessert service │
│ 11:00 PM Event ends, breakdown begins │
│ │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Blocked Dates
Managing Unavailability
Block dates when you can't accept catering:
- Go to Catering > Calendar
- Click Block Dates
- Select date(s)
- Choose reason:
- Holiday closure
- Private booking
- Staff training
- Maintenance
- Vacation
Auto-Blocked Dates
System automatically blocks:
- Major holidays (configurable)
- Days after large events (optional)
- Low-staff days
Voice Commands
| Task | Say |
|---|---|
| View calendar | "Hey Maximus, show catering calendar" |
| Check availability | "Hey Maximus, is January 25th available for catering?" |
| Day's events | "Hey Maximus, what events do we have today?" |
| Resource status | "Hey Maximus, are both trucks available Saturday?" |
Reports & Analytics
Event Reports
Available reports:
| Report | Shows |
|---|---|
| Monthly Summary | Events, revenue, guest counts |
| Capacity Utilization | How full was the calendar |
| Resource Usage | Staff hours, equipment use |
| Client Analysis | Repeat customers, averages |
Key Metrics
Track performance:
- Events per month
- Average event size
- Revenue per event
- Cancellation rate
- Repeat client rate
Best Practices
Capacity Management
- Buffer between events - Allow transition time
- Kitchen limits - Know production capacity
- Staff scheduling - Plan ahead for big days
- Equipment inventory - Track and maintain
- Backup plans - Have contingencies
Event Coordination
- Detailed timelines - Minute-by-minute plans
- Clear communication - BEO to all teams
- Site visits - Know delivery locations
- Client contact - Final confirmation calls
- Post-event review - Learn and improve
Related Guides
- Catering Overview - Getting started
- Orders & Quotes - Taking orders
- Fulfillment - Executing events
- Staff Scheduling - Scheduling staff