We recently wrote a blog post about the difference between a Venue Manager & a Wedding Day-of-Coordinator (click here to read it), so we felt inspired to write about the differences between a Venue Manager & a Banquet Manager.

THE VENUE MANAGER

(i.e. Lesner Inn’s Event & Sales Manager)

The Lesner Inn’s Event & Sales Managers are your main point of contact at the venue. They are commonly referred to as a Venue Manager & they act as the liaison between you & both the catering team & banquet staff at the venue.

At The Lesner Inn, you will meet your Event & Sales Manager (i.e. Venue Manager) at least 3 times.

1. Initial Tour & booking appointment
2. The 90-day planning meeting & tasting
3. The 14-day final planning meeting

They focus on your wedding menu (food & beverage), basic timeline & floor plan, but also assist in upgrading your wedding package with specialty linens, event lighting & draping, elevated tabletop (flatware, glassware, chargers), & furniture. They will help you answer questions like, 

1. What hors d’oeuvres do you want to offer your guests during cocktail hour?
2. What style menu are you interested in? Buffet, stations or formal sit down? And what selections are you interested in offering your guests?
3. Are you partnering with a preferred vendor for your wedding cake? Or do you want something less traditional like a dessert bar through Lesner Inn?
4. What kind of bar do you want to offer your guests? Full open bar with premium or house offerings? What about a signature cocktail?
5. Do you want to keep our house white linens or upgrade to our specialty linens?
6. Are you interested in adding event rentals?

On the day of, they are there to oversee the Banquet Manager to ensure that all food, beverage & miscellaneous venue requests are performed according to the clients’ contract. 

THE BANQUET MANAGER

The Lesner Inn’s Banquet Manager is responsible for overseeing the hosting of all events at The Lesner Inn. They coordinate all event details relayed from the Event & Sales Manager (Venue Manager) & the Head Chef to the banquet staff.

On the day-of, the Banquet Manager is responsible for following the details outlined in the contract, overseeing the staff throughout the event (& set up & breakdown), replenishing food & beverage, & managing any venue needs. 

They play an important role in leading our catering team & ensuring our clients’ exceptional experiences!

WHAT ABOUT A DAY-OF-COORDINATOR?

For those interested in learning more about the difference between our venue manager (event & sales manager) and our day-of coordinators, click here to read a blog post we wrote about the differences.