Top 10 F&B facts on catering a Qatar convention

Louise Birchall, November 26th, 2012

Qatar National Convention Centre’s (QNCC) preparations for the start of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP18/CMP8) include readying to feed and water 15,000 delegates, VIPs, media, visitors, contractors and staff each day of the event, which takes place from November 26 to December 7, 2012.

“This is the single biggest food and beverage undertaking so far at QNCC,” said Jeremy Hagenbach, director of F&B at QNCC. “This will be an opportunity not just to show that Qatar can host large scale events, but will also allow our award winning chefs to showcase the exquisite food of Qatar and the region.”

Here are some fast facts that sum up the scale of the F&B operation:

1. The battalion of chefs, kitchen and service staff will prepare and serve 200,000 cups of coffee

2. They expect to serve up five tonnes of Arabic mezzes during the 12 days of COP18/CMP8.

3. The event which will run between November 26 and December 7, 2012 will employ a team of 128 chefs, 100 stewarding staff and 650 service staff on rotation and kitchens and serveries will be operating almost non-stop.

4. A total of 39 food outlets will operate at QNCC serving delicious, fresh grab-and-go food such as Arabic mixed grill, chicken Biryani, Cantonese noodles, Cuban Panini and Spaghetti Bolognaise.

5. COP18/CMP8 is a massive undertaking and planning has been underway for almost one year to ensure that everything from the food outlets to a wide selection of menu choices will be in place before the arrival of the first visitor

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6. For an event on such a large scale it has been necessary to divide the building into zones and, already, zone leaders and their teams are setting up the various food and beverage stations and making preparations for the arrival of the delegates next week.

7. The kitchen brigade has the daunting task of preparing mouth-watering items for all palates and dietary needs. Executive Chef, Oswald Jockheim, estimates that five tonnes of assorted Arabic mezzeh (hommus, baba ghanoush, fattoush, marinated olives) as well as 15 kilometres of vegetarian sausage will be consumed during COP18/CMP8.

8. More than 75,000 litres of fresh drinking water will be drunk by delegates and staff.

9. Every effort has been made to ensure the event is environmentally friendly. All take-away packaging and utensils have been made from biodegradable cellulose and palm leaf materials.

10. During the course of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP18/CMP8), the QNCC’s team of chefs and waiters will serve meals, coffees and snacks to an average of 15,000 delegates, VIPs, media, visitors, contractors and staff each day.