EPCAS 2010 - meeting in Düsseldorf

European party caterers met again for the annual EPCAS Summer Meeting, which took place in Düsseldorf on the 30th and 31st of July 2010. Host for this years’ event was Georg Broich (Broich Premium Catering) who made provisions in das Altes Kesselhaus for this conference and gave the guests the change to take a peek into his kitchen. He also showed a "real-life best practice" at Schloss Dyck, where he is responsible for the catering during the famous "Classic Days".

Also other party caterers were conducting presentations, under which George Zapantoulis (Jaarbeurs Catering Services, The Netherlands). He showed how Jaarbeurs Catering Services grew from a local caterer to a flexible, national catering company. Their focus lies on venue catering and party catering in which the ‘working companies’ are kept separated from the back office operations to keep a clear structure and overview.

Vincent Rombaut (Liberty Food Services, Bulgaria) shared his unique experiences as a caterer in Bulgaria, where it is vital to be one step ahead of competition. Diversity, multi-tasking and flexibility are crucial elements. They do everything for their customers. They receive continuous payments from their clients, making them stand strong in the market, even in times of crisis. Their new brand Deli Chef is a good example of success.

Ruedi Bachmann (Paradis Gourmet Catering, Spain) explained how Paradis managed to become resistant against the current economical crisis through an internal restructuring. They are optimistic about the future. Paradis focuses on quality, innovation and presentation all being delivered from five central kitchens and logistics centers across the country.

Lastly, Frank Lantz (Lantz Catering, Denmark) took the floor and shared his know-how with participating EPCAS members. High quality is the most important aspect ("It is all about taste") in his catering. Despite the rapid growth of the company over a short time, there was need for restructuring in order to beat the economic downturn. In addition to its party catering business, Lantz develops new and innovative ideas, the recently introduced Lantz Fastfood and Lantz Bakery have shown to be very successful.