The event manager is the person who organises an event on behalf of a company. They may be in-house or work for an events agency. For conferences the equivalent role is the PCO, the professional conference organiser, who manages venue, registration, programme and suppliers.
For the catering, the contact changes, not what needs to be asked. Everything starts from a written brief: date, times, venue, guests, formats, budget, diets. Then you need one person running things and a single running order for all suppliers. It also needs to be clear how invoicing works: caterer billing the company directly or re-invoiced by the agency.
When you need one
For a coffee break or a lunch on the premises, a good brief to the caterer is often enough. For a gala dinner, a conference or an event with many suppliers, an agency takes coordination work off your hands. Read the guide on events agencies and corporate catering.
