It depends on the venue, but for EAG Boston for example the food and beverage minimum spend is $540k, and we’re planning to spend just a bit over this (we may go higher if more attendees end up registering).
I’m not sure how those academic conferences work — it’s possible that they take place in venues without in-house caterers or that they pay more up front to avoid a minimum spend. Because we usually get a minimum spend, attendees aren’t allowed to bring in their own food unless they have serious allergies (though of course people might still bring in their own food covertly).
It depends on the venue, but for EAG Boston for example the food and beverage minimum spend is $540k, and we’re planning to spend just a bit over this (we may go higher if more attendees end up registering).
I’m not sure how those academic conferences work — it’s possible that they take place in venues without in-house caterers or that they pay more up front to avoid a minimum spend. Because we usually get a minimum spend, attendees aren’t allowed to bring in their own food unless they have serious allergies (though of course people might still bring in their own food covertly).
These academic conferences likely take place at universities which likely won’t have any minimum spend requirements (at least for internal events).