PCO stands for Professional Congress Organiser: the professional who organises congresses and conferences. They handle the venue, registrations, programme, hospitality and suppliers, including the catering for welcome coffee, coffee breaks and lunches.

Who invoices for the catering, the agency or the caterer?

There are two models. In the first, the caterer invoices the company directly and the agency invoices only its own fee. In the second, the agency buys the catering and re-invoices it within a single quote. Check the tax side with your accountant.

Is it worth going through an agency for corporate catering?

For a coffee break or a light lunch at the office, usually not: a good brief to the caterer is enough. For a gala dinner, a congress or an event with many suppliers, the agency takes on the coordination work and the overall direction.

What should a catering brief include?

Date, times, venue and access, number of guests with a margin, formats and service moments, budget per person, diets and allergies, venue restrictions, the contact person on the day and billing details. The more precise it is, the easier the quotes are to compare.

Event agencies and corporate catering in Rome: briefs and invoices

In short

Event agency, PCO (congress organiser) or in-house event manager: what changes is who talks to the caterer, not what needs asking.

Everything starts with a written brief: date, times, venue, guests, formats, budget, diets.

Two invoicing models: caterer bills the company directly or the agency re-invoices. Agree which one first.

You need one person in charge and one shared running order for all suppliers.

At a corporate event the caterer rarely speaks to the people who will eat. It speaks to an agency, a PCO or the event manager in the marketing department. Each brings requests, budget constraints and other suppliers. This guide explains how the relationship works, from brief to invoice, so that no information gets lost along the way.

The formats for each moment of the day (welcome coffee, light lunch, gala dinner) are in the guide to corporate catering in Rome.

Who sits at the table

Role	Who they are	When they are involved
Corporate event manager	Someone in-house (marketing, HR, office management)	Almost always, even at small events
Event agency	An outside company that designs and coordinates the event	Launches, conventions, galas, incentives
PCO	Professional Congress Organiser	Congresses, conferences, medical and scientific events
DMC	Destination Management Company, a local agency for incoming groups	Foreign groups, incentive trips to Rome
Purchasing department	Manages suppliers, orders, payments	Large companies and public bodies
Caterer	Kitchen, front of house, often the buffet set-up	Always

Not all of them are always there. For a light lunch at an office in EUR, the event manager and the caterer are enough. For a congress at a conference centre, almost everyone is involved.

The catering brief

The brief is the document the agency or company sends to the caterer to request a quote. The more precise it is, the easier the offers are to compare.

Brief item	What to write
Event	Type, purpose, tone (formal, informal)
Date and times	Guest arrival, service moments, end
Venue	Address, floor, goods lift, access times, ZTL (restricted traffic zone)
Guests	Number with a margin, whether there are foreign guests
Formats	Welcome coffee, coffee break, light lunch, aperitivo, dinner
Budget	Per person or total, VAT included or excluded
Diets	Allergies, vegan, gluten-free, kosher or halal
Venue restrictions	Exclusive caterer, naked flames, noise, kitchen
Other suppliers	Set designer, audio-visual, hostesses: who they are and when they set up
Contact	Name and phone number of the decision-maker on the day
Billing	Who receives the invoice, company details, recipient code, purchase order

On diets, EU Regulation 1169/2011 requires information on the 14 allergens even for unpackaged food. Collect allergies and dietary needs when guests register. The details are in the guide to special diets in catering.

Who invoices: the two models

Model 1: caterer bills the company directly. The agency selects and coordinates, the caterer invoices the company. The agency invoices only its own fee. It is more transparent: the company sees the real price of the catering.

Model 2: a single quote from the agency. The agency buys the catering and re-invoices it to the company, together with its other services. It is simpler for the purchasing department, which deals with only one supplier. The catering price may include the agency's margin.

Neither is wrong. Agree beforehand which one applies, because it changes who signs the contract with the caterer, who pays the deposit and who receives the invoice.

Two general tax notes, to be checked with your accountant:

for catering with service, VAT is normally charged at 10%;
between businesses in Italy electronic invoicing is mandatory, according to the Agenzia delle Entrate (the Italian tax authority): the caterer needs the company's recipient code or certified email address (PEC).

Public bodies and publicly owned companies may have extra rules, such as purchase orders and tender codes: ask the purchasing department.

Coordinating suppliers

At a corporate event the caterer works alongside:

the set designer (stage, scenery, furniture);
audio, video and lighting;
hostesses and cloakroom;
the venue, with its own rules and technical staff;
sometimes security and cleaning.

The tricky part is space and time. The caterer has to set up the buffet while the set designer finishes the stage and the sound team tests the microphones. Everyone uses the same goods lift. In a historic building in the centre, where loading times are restricted by the ZTL as Roma Mobilità explains, the slots need to be agreed in advance.

Ask the agency or PCO to send a single running order with:

arrival, set-up and take-down times for each supplier;
a floor plan showing each one's areas;
service times tied to the programme (end of session, coffee break, lunch);
a contact for each supplier with a phone number.

For large numbers, with shifts and multiple stations, see the guide to catering for congresses in Rome.

The timeline

When	What happens
6-12 months before (congresses, galas)	Brief, site visit, first quotes
2-4 months before (corporate dinners)	Choosing the caterer, tasting, contract
1 month before	Final menu, floor plan, supplier running order
1-2 weeks before	Final numbers, diets, access and permits
The day before	Confirm times and contacts, check the weather if outdoors
On the day	A 10-minute briefing between caterer, agency and venue before doors open
Afterwards	Final account: actual guests, extra hours, invoice

These times are indicative, taken from the event timeline: they depend on size and time of year. In December, with Christmas dinners, it pays to start earlier.

The final account matters: at congresses the number of people who actually attend may differ from the number registered. Make clear in the contract whether you pay for the guaranteed number or for those present.

Questions to ask the caterer

Do you invoice the company directly or through the agency?
Is the price inclusive or exclusive of VAT?
Who signs the contract and who receives the deposit?
Have you worked at this venue before? Do you know its restrictions?
What time do you set up and how much space do you need?
How do you keep to the programme if a session runs over?
How do you handle the allergies and diets collected at registration?
Do we pay for the guaranteed number or for those present?
Who is your contact on the day, and who do they report to?

To sum up

With an agency or a PCO, the caterer becomes one supplier among many. A written brief, a clear invoicing model and one person in charge make the difference. Price ranges for each format are in the guide to corporate catering prices. You can compare caterers for corporate events and request a quote, attaching your brief.