Catering steps up the wedding biz
Helping the students and staff of USU have memorable wedding celebrations is at the center of University Catering’s marketing push for 2014.
“We want to provide them with a nice wedding opportunity, … one that exudes elegance without being expensive,” said Alan Andersen, executive director of Dining Services.
The theme “Meet Here, Fell in Love Here, Celebrate Here” has been promoted by University Catering since in January. It will be the center of Catering’s marketing strategy for 2014, a strategy that includes everything from fliers to advertisements in newspapers and on buses.
One such advertisement was the display in the window of the Campus Store that was up until the beginning of this week. Already, University Catering has seen interest in the service due to the placement of the display, Andersen said.
“So often, students don’t know what is offered on campus,” Andersen said.
Any part of the wedding can be held on campus, from the actual wedding to any variety of receptions. University Catering is already involved with two weddings taking place in March.
According to Andersen, the idea for the marketing push came as the staff worked toward meeting their mission of “Creating an Excellent College Experience.”
“Why Catering is part of campus is because of the students,” Andersen said.
For many student couples, the university plays a major role in their story. They may have shared their first kiss over the Block A. They might have been in class together and studied in the Merrill-Cazier Library. Andersen said having the university play a role in these student couples’ weddings can be an important part of those stories.
“It’s about accommodating students,” said Annie Christensen, senior Catering sales associate.
There are several spaces available on campus for events. The David B. Haight Alumni House is a smaller venue with outdoor features. The Skyroom has vistas of Cache Valley. The various ballrooms are good for larger events, Andersen said.
In fact, a previous wedding held in the TSC International Lounge catered to more than 500 guests.
Each space has several different options as to what can be done, Andersen said.
“There are a lot of audio-visual elements. There is no limit to what these spaces can do,” Andersen said.
University Catering maintains a blog to showcase the events it hosts. The top two events currently featured on the site are weddings receptions held for students employed by Catering.
“Neither wedding was that expensive,” Andersen said.
Christensen said the blog will soon be updated to display photos of the transformations of some of the venues. To check out the blog, visit exceedingexpectations.blogspot.com.
Amy Rasmussen, University Catering sales and event manager, said there could be the misconception that University Catering would serve as event coordinators and wedding planners as well. This is not the case; Catering would only provide the food and staffing for the event.
“Our staff is exceptionally professional,” Rasmussen said.
To reserve the event spaces, contact the scheduling secretary for the Taggart Student Center at 435-797-1724 or in TSC 326.
– david.berg@aggiemail.usu.edu