How to source catering for New Zealand conferences and events, from delegate day-catering to gala dinners.
Catering shapes the delegate experience as much as the programme. New Zealand conferences typically need a mix of arrival coffee, morning and afternoon breaks, working lunches and, for many, a gala or networking dinner. Some venues cater in-house; others work with preferred or external caterers, and standalone catering companies serve offsite and unique venues.
On MICE you can find dedicated catering providers, and check whether a venue caters in-house on its profile. Dietary range, local and seasonal sourcing, and the ability to serve your numbers within the session breaks are the practical things to confirm.
Match the caterer to the format — a plated gala dinner is a different brief to high-volume conference day-catering — and confirm menus, dietary handling and pricing directly with the provider.
Live from the MICE directory, ranked by our data. Figures are indicative — confirm with each provider.
Many do; others use preferred or external caterers. Each venue profile on MICE indicates catering, and you can also browse dedicated catering companies.
Often per delegate, per day or per session. Confirm menus and per-head pricing directly with the caterer or venue.
Most cater to common dietary and cultural requirements — confirm the range and how allergens are handled when you brief them.
Standalone catering companies serve offsite and unique spaces. Browse catering providers on MICE and match them to your venue.
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The Invercargill and Southland venues with a room seating 150 or more guests for a banquet or gala dinner, ranked by capacity.
The Whangārei and Northland venues with a room seating 550 or more delegates theatre-style, ranked by capacity.
Taranaki's largest conference rooms — seating 450 or more delegates theatre-style — ranked by capacity.