“There is always more negotiating room if the venue is providing the catering than if F&B is a separate vendor. Also, work with venues to find the lowest cost date and times they need to fill.”


- Ronnie Anderson, CMP, Ronnie Anderson Events


experiences outside the hotel. Be sure to find out what the gen- eral footprint of the location looks like and consider their view- point. Are we dropping them into a food or social desert where they are going to feel limited to the confines of the hotel?”


Curtolo says that it’s important to make sure that any potential host venues can adequately accommodate her group’s needs for spacing and rooms, as well. She adds that she always wants to be certain she is appropriately matching her RFP with a destina- tion that has the proper inventory to host her function.


Again, in the case of non-profits, she says that it’s important to always be budget conscious. “Aim to stay focused on spending right from the start and base decisions off of that,” advises Curtolo. “An exciting day is the rare opportunity to work with a larger budget. When this is the case, the first items on my ‘list to upgrade’ all focus on the attendee. How can I best enhance their experience while also aligning them to our objective? My ‘go-to’ is food! It is an area with which I am quite familiar, and I take a lot of pride in selecting a variety of offerings that are both satisfying and fun.”


When it comes to working with vendors and suppliers, there simply are no shortcuts. “The most important criteria when choosing a vendor is to determine if they have a true under- standing of our needs or the ability to ask appropriate clarifying questions to get there,” observes Curtolo.


Meet & Retreat in Unique Venues Castles, Mansions, Historic Inns, Wineries and Breweries Fonthill Castle 4­ 6 March­z April­2020


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