Event-Catering: Behind the scenes of Stockheim

It’s a decisive day for Marion Audonneau, Project Manager at the Stockheim Company, as the EuroShop.mag team followed her every move for our exclusive report. The "Para Athlete of the Year" (“Para Sportler des Jahres”) event takes place in the Rheinterrasse Düsseldorf, giving us an exciting insight into the world of event catering. But we should warn you upfront: This job requires stamina and endurance...

Catering for an event is so much more than it was just a few short years ago. Food and brand management go hand in hand. Event planning has become more digital-friendly and more personalized at the same time. Everything has to be planned right down to the smallest detail. "Event caterers must be detail-oriented," says Audonneau. To implement the plans, Stockheim - like most catering services – uses suitable software. Carla Stockheim, Head of Brand, knows the advantages of digitization. However, she believes that the key to success ultimately lies in creating a customized plan for each event.

According to Statista, the German catering industry generated sales of nearly 8.9 billion euros in 2017 and employed around 165,000 people in 2016. To maintain growth and profitability, catering companies like Stockheim often use an external network of professional service providers.

At the “Para Athlete of the Year" evening event of the German Disabled Sports Association, 100 employees are on duty, including 60 banquet servers, 25 cooks and kitchen helpers and 15 additional bakery helpers. That’s enough staff to serve the 400 guests seated at 75 tables. To quench their thirst, there are 300 liters of beer, 260 liters of wine and 820 liters of soft drinks waiting in the wings. And once the party is over, things really kick into gear in the scullery: 1260 plates, 1000 juice glasses, 800 wine glasses and – of course - 400 champagne glasses are waiting to be washed.

Anyone who thinks that this setting is prone to chaos is utterly wrong. A look inside the kitchen of Stockheim reveals a well-oiled machine. Everything goes like clockwork. The chefs appreciate working in event catering, as they have all worked in a variety of kitchens in the restaurant and catering business before. Here is what they like most about this job: less stress than in à la carte restaurants, more time for preparation and a lot of variety.

Find out what it all boils down to and discover how the day went on in our report. EuroShop 2020 is just the right place if you want to learn more about event catering. For more information about the event and Expo & Event specifics, click here.

The family business was founded in 1948. The company specializes in event catering and congress and trade fair catering. The company-owned location: the historic Rheinterrasse. Stockheim has catered for Messe Düsseldorf and the Congress Center Düsseldorf (CCD) for many years. And for EuroShop 2020 of course.

EuroShop.mag; Editor: Natascha Mörs