banquet equipments

FUNCTION EQUIPMENT

Banquet department uses various pieces of equipment that are necessary to conduct different types of functions. While booking the function, the banquet manager or in-charge should discuss with the host and find out the facilities required and make the host clear what are the facilities available free of cost and what will be provided with extra charges. The banquet department has a store room which is used for storing the banquet equipment. It should be remembered that these equipment occupy the function space. More the equipment in use, more the space utilized. Facilities may be outsourced if they are unavailable in the property.

Banquet Tables and Chairs

No function can be thought of without these pieces of furniture. These are the most basic of all the function equipment

Banquet tables

They are used for making different types of table plans, food service, buffet set-up, display, registration, reception, etc. They are available in quarter round, naff round, round, square, rectangle, oval, and serpentine shapes of different dimensions, and the height being 30". These tables of different

They are used for making different types of table plans, food service, buffet set-up, display, registration, reception, etc. They are available in quarter round, half round, round, square, rectangle, oval, and serpentine shapes of different dimensions, and the height being 30". These tables of different shapes are used for different purpose. The banquet tables are collapsible for easier storage.
Banquet chairs
It is the most important piece of furniture for all kinds of functions. The chairs used for the function must be comfortable. Most chairs do not have armrest, but some do. These chairs should be sturdy and made of light weight aluminum. They should be stackable and transported easily with the help of trolley.

Risers

These are pieces of furniture that are joined together to make a stage of required size. The size of an individual riser is commonly 4' x 8' with the height ranging from 9" to 24". However, a hotel may have risers of 2' x 8', 3' x 8' depending on its need. It is always advisable to have one in the size of 3' x 8' riser to make the stage of odd number size. Most functions need a stage and the size of the stage should be calculated considering the number of persons and/or the equipment to be accommodated on the stage. The surface area of the built-up stage should be adequate to accommodate the persons and/or equipment. The minimum area required on the stage behind the chairs is 4'. To make up the stage of 16' x 24', one needs 12 risers of 4' x 8' and if the hotel wants to make the stage of 11' x 16', then the hotel needs four risers of 4' x 8' and two risers of 3 x 8'. Risers may also be used to create tiered stage for effective display of products.

A small raised platform either on a stage or on the floor, with or without a mic, from which a presenter may deliver.

Lactern
It is a stand upon which a speaker may rest notes or books. It may be placed on the floor, or tabletop. This is generally used by speakers or singers.

Dance Floor
Dance floors may be made by joining the wooden pieces of 3' x 3' that are rimmed with reinforced steel with interlocking clamps. Outside edges of the dancing floor should be slanting. The determination of the appropriate size of a dance floor is very important as a too large floor reduces the dining area while a too small a dancing floor will become over-crowded. It is important to roughly estimate the percentage of participation in dancing. However, it is very difficult to predict because of many factors, such as mood, music preference, age group of participants, ability to dance, etc. The dance floor area allowance per person is approximately about 3 sq. feet for 50 per cent participation. For a 'dine and dance' party of 300 guests, assuming 50 per cent participation for the dance, the area requirement for the dance floor is 450 sq. feet.

Food Service Equipment

The service equipment used in the banquet department should be suitable for formal seated service and also for the buffet set-up. The quality of service equipment chosen for formal dinner and VIP service should be much better than the ones for informal dinner. The quality of service equipment for outdoor catering is normally of ordinary quality. Soup tureen, chaffing dish, ice box, water dispenser, crockery, cutlery, glassware, linen, service spoons and forks, service tongs, platters, ladles, bowls, and other miscellaneous equipment, such as water jugs, cruet sets, pickle and sauce bowls, bread basket, butter dish, etc. are stored in adequate quantity keeping the maximum floor loads of the banquet facilities in mind. Suppose a hotel has four banquet halls of maximum capacity of 300, 250, 500, and 150 each, then the banquet department must have equipment to cater to 1200 people at a given time assuming that all the halls are busy. It is always better to have 20 per cent stock extra.
The equipment for outdoor catering should be kept separately from the equipment used for indoors for better control.

Canopy
Canopy is a temporary structure erected over the buffet counter during the outdoor catering function. The structure is made of aluminum and fabric of bright colours. It is used for the following
•It acts as the cover for the dishes displayed on the buffet
•It helps the guests in identifying the counter from far.
The colour assignment for canopies of various counters for example, green canopy for vegetarian, red for non-vegetarian, blue for water, yellow for sweets, etc. would assist the guests in service.

The name of the dish may be printed and pinned on the canopy so as to assist the guest to locate a particular dish easily.
Most hotels do not stock the canopies in the department as they occupy more storage space. They outsource this structure from the local market.

Pipe and Drape
It refers to portable draping that can be set up as a divider or as a barrier, often used during the exhibition, around the performance floor, etc.

Audio Visual Equipment

Audio visual (AV) equipment refers to the equipment, tools, and materials used in presentations to engage the senses of hearing and sight. There are many advanced audio visual equipment available in the market and there is continuous technological improvement over the old equipment. The banquet staff must be aware of such advanced equipment and update its facilities. The function organizers must know various kinds of gadgets used, their terms and uses, space required, etc. When working out the space for function, the caterers must remember that many types of AV equipment take considerable amount of usable square footage of a function hall. Therefore, they must take the list of AV equipment requirement during booking the function. Some AV equipment set-ups are so extensive that they may take entire rooms.
Following are the terms often used AV facility which the caterer should understand.
Amplifier-   It supports the audio source by intensifying the sound.
Mixer-   It is an audio device that mixes multiple audio sources. It is used whenever multiple microphones are used.
Boom microphone -it is used to capture the audio source from a distance,
Dimmer Switch- it is used to control the intensity of lights.
Equalizer- it is used to improve the quality of the audio by adjusting bass, treble, and mid-range frequencies.
Flipchart- it is a large pad of sheets mounted on a stand, used during interaction of presentation.
Houselights- it is a permanent lighting system of the function room.
House sound- it is a permanent audio system of the function room.
Lavaliere microphone- it is a microphone that is attached to the speaker to allow free hand movement. a lavaliere mic can be cordless or with cord.
OHP- over head projector is a device in which the contents of transparencies are directed to a screen in a forward direction by light through the lens.
LCD- it is a unique device, an improvement over OHP, connected to the computer and the contents of the selected file from the computer is displayed on a screen to the audience through light.
PA systemIt is portable audio (PA) system which is used in auditorium and other large areas. It basically includes microphone (with or without cord), amplifier, and sound box.
Slide projector- it is a device that project the image of one slide at a time on to screen. The slides can be moved with the help of a control device or automatically, according to the time set.
Screen- Screens are used when the images are to be projected. it may be used with OHP and LCD. Screens are used when movies are screened during the function. Free standing screens are used during functions in the room and they are folded neatly and kept side when not in use. Some of me newer banquet and meeting rooms already have screens permanently set up in the room.
There are various sizes of screens and it should be selected according to the area of the function hall capacity.