In January, the Breslin Student Events Center hosted the MSU Federal Credit Union’s (MSUFCU) banquet, which was a resounding success for both the credit union and the Division of Residential and Hospitality Services (RHS).
The RHS team at the Breslin Center frequently works with off-campus clients and on-campus partners to efficiently put on memorable and successful events that keep them returning to Breslin year after year.
Preparation
The work for Catering and Sales Coordinator Mallory Shenefield and Breslin Center Associate Director Alexander Terranova begins long before the day of the event. Early meetings with the client provide a blueprint for what is desired of the event before the teams get to work.
“One thing that we do especially well here is, they give us their theme and then we help them create that vision,” Terranova says.
An important step in the process is when the client first visits and tours the site of their upcoming event.
“We have them over for a site visit, and we do a walk through. And in the walk through, we go over time, important events or important details and any changes that may be happening,” Shenefield says.
Throughout the process, the client works closely with the Breslin team in communicating their needs, and the team accommodates accordingly.
“We do our best to give them what they want,” Shenefield says. “Or if they're asking to do something, we might say, ‘We may not be able to do that, but we can offer this instead.’ So, it’s about working with them to make sure their event is what they want.”
Event Flexibility
Shenefield says because RHS has so many event spaces, it’s uncommon for a client to have a need or want the division can’t accommodate. If a client’s needs or wants were to change throughout the planning process, the client can come back to the site and take another tour with the revised plan.
“It’s not just like one site tour and they’re done,” Shenefield says. “If they go back to their committee or their planning team and something changes, they know they can always call and come back, and we can walk through it as many times as they need to make sure it makes sense.”
By the day of the event, the necessary preparations and walkthroughs have been well planned and finalized. Stage managers and operations teams take over, and the event passes smoothly. MSUFCU’s banquet was no exception.
RHS worked with MSUFCU and MSU Athletics to plan a date that works with the concurrent basketball season.
After holding the annual event at a different venue last year, Shenefield says MSUFCU adjusted the scope of their event in order to return to the Breslin Center because of the division’s support in hosting the banquet in previous years.
“They came back to Breslin because they loved it so much and missed it,” she says.
Multiple screens and projectors around the concourse were required for MSUFCU’s event, according to Terranova. MSUFCU requested simple, homestyle dining options, which were provided by Banquet and Catering Operations Manager Zeinab Mroue and the Kellogg Catering team.
Food options provided by Kellogg Catering included customizable stations such as barbeque nachos, New Orleans style gumbo and Italian style pasta according to Mroue. Portable carts were made into drink stations to accompany the customizable food options.
“We’re there to enhance their experience by way of food and help make that experience memorable for them year after year,” Mroue says. “They were happy we were able to keep more simple, customizable food stations but with elevated components to those dishes.”
Successful Relationships
Another point of pride for Shenefield and Terranova is RHS’ ability to cultivate relationships with clients that make them feel comfortable and confident about their event, which also keeps them coming back to RHS event spaces year after year.
“We get to know them, and I think that's what helps build relationships and keeps people coming back for repeat business,” Terranova says.
He goes on to explain how getting to know the client personally is an integral part of RHS' strength in venue management and successfully hosting client events.
“Anytime the client is in the building, we’re in the building,” he says. “All throughout the planning and their event, I feel like it’s a very personal experience with us.”
Shenefield explains how this personal relationship makes the client feel comfortable in RHS’ spaces.
“It gets to that point where the client knows who they’re working with on the day of the event, like, ‘Oh, that's Dallas, the stage manager. I was working with him on all the drawings, and he does all the production.’”
This curates an environment of collaboration and communication that leads to efficiently managing events and venues.
If Breslin isn’t the perfect fit, another RHS venue likely will be.
“Being a part of RHS is beneficial because, if by chance a client comes to us and we can't accommodate for whatever reason that would be, I’m always ready to direct them to another partner I think might be able to assist them best,” Shenefield says.
By pairing operational expertise with consistent, on-site leadership, the Breslin Student Events Center team ensures programming runs smoothly even within the demands of a busy calendar. That reliability, and the trust it builds with clients, is what continues to position RHS venues as preferred destinations for high-profile events year after year.
Author: Zachary Phelps