Sixty-five hungry senior executives, an all day conferencing event, a slashed budget and high expectations. This predicament is one event planners are more than familiar about, with the question on every customer’s lips “is this really your best price?”

There’s no question event managers are feeling the pressure of reduced function sizes and budgets. But one catering sector that is getting the people’s votes is the value-based Sydney caterer Packed Lunch.

Mini-bagels and wraps with roast beef, ham or salmon

“We had prepared ourselves to batten down the hatches for a tough year but sales are up 126 per cent and we’ve also opened up our first franchise in the North Shore,” said Packed Lunch marketing manager Gaynor Lloyd. “It’s a fallacy if you think that in this present economic environment that everyone is doing poorly – it is quite the reverse. 

“An event planner with a client in North Sydney recently told me the Packed Lunch product solution she supplied a client was better than the food served at a restaurant at their last conference, which overcomplicated what was essentially a working lunch,” she said. 

Fresh fruit and cheese platter with a nice drop of red
 
With glimmers of hope for the Australian economy, will customers simply return to their old ways once budgets are reinstated? Lloyd isn’t so sure.

“One of the best lessons to come out of recent hardships is that it has educated consumers to shop around, question price, and revaluate suppliers.  It has been like a stint in rehab, helping us to re-evaluate the present and plan for the future. Let’s face it no one wants to go back to rehab anytime soon.”

“Event managers and customers are becoming increasingly cost savvy. Companies like Packed Lunch are producing fresh attractive food have come to the fore when events look for quality without the fu-fu and fanfare of a fully serviced event,” she said.

Sushi platter with individual wasabi and soy sauce

For more information, call 1300 906 900 or email gaenor@packedlunch.com.au.

Packed Lunch is a business unit of award-winning high-end caterer Gastronomy.