Banquet Event Order (BEO) Template

BEO for one function: contacts, guarantee and over-set, timeline, menu with allergens, room set-up, AV, staffing, billing with service charge and tax, change log

Hospitality & Food ServiceStandardbanquet event orderUpdated Oct 29, 2026

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How to use: Use it for every catered function at a hotel or venue, one BEO per meal or room. Fill the guarantee, timeline and menu first, then billing from the signed contract. The main pitfall is a late change that reaches the kitchen but not banqueting, so every change gets a new revision.

Preview

Banquet Event Order: [Event name]

A banquet event order (BEO) for one function at a hotel, venue or caterer: the single sheet that tells every department what to deliver, when and where. It covers the client and contacts, guarantee numbers, timeline, menu and dietary needs, room set-up, audio-visual (AV), staffing and billing. Based on common hotel and catering event practice. Replace every [bracketed] value and every row marked Example. Commercial terms come from the signed contract; this is not legal or financial advice.

Document control

Field	Value
BEO number	[BEO-YYYY-NNNN] (Example: BEO-2026-0318)
Revision	[0]
Contract or booking reference	[Reference]
Event date	YYYY-MM-DD
Venue and room	[Example: Corvelle Quay Hotel (fictional), Harbour Ballroom]
Event manager	[@events-manager]
Issued	YYYY-MM-DD
Client signature and date	[Signature] YYYY-MM-DD

1. Client and contacts

Role	Name	Phone	Email
Client organisation (Example)	Quillmere Consulting (fictional)
Booker	[Name]	[Phone]	[Email]
On-site decision maker	[Name]	[Phone]	[Email]
Venue event manager	[Name]	[Phone]	[Email]
Duty manager on the day	[Name]	[Phone]	n/a

2. Event summary and guarantee

Item	Detail
Event type	[Example: Annual awards dinner]
Expected attendance	[Example: 120 to 122]
Guaranteed number	[Example: 120, final guarantee due 72 hours before the event]
Set for	[Example: 124 (guarantee plus 3% over-set, rounded up)]
Room access	[Example: Client from 16:00, guests from 18:30]
Dress code, theme	[Detail]
Post on signage and screens as	[Exact event name as the client wants it shown]

3. Timeline

Time	Activity	Department
14:00 (Example)	Room set, linen, staging	Banqueting
15:30 (Example)	AV install and sound check	AV
16:00 (Example)	Client access, décor	Events
18:30 (Example)	Drinks reception, foyer	Banqueting, bar
19:30 (Example)	Guests seated, welcome speech	Events
19:45 (Example)	Starter served	Kitchen, banqueting
20:30 (Example)	Main course served	Kitchen, banqueting
21:15 (Example)	Awards, 30 minutes, service paused	Events, AV
21:45 (Example)	Dessert and coffee	Kitchen, banqueting
22:30 (Example)	Bar package ends, cash bar opens	Bar
23:30 (Example)	Event ends, strike	Banqueting, AV
[HH:MM]	[Activity]	[Department]

4. Menu and beverages

Course	Dish	Allergens (from matrix)	Covers
Starter (Example)	[Dish]	[List]	124
Main (Example)	[Dish]	[List]	112
Main, vegetarian (Example)	[Dish]	[List]	10
Main, gluten-free (Example)	[Dish]	[List]	2
Dessert (Example)	[Dish]	[List]	124

Special meals: [Example: table 4, guest name, nut allergy; table 9, guest name, coeliac]. Each plated in the kitchen and named on the ticket.

Beverages: [Example: 4-hour package 18:30 to 22:30: house wine, beer, soft drinks; then cash bar]. Responsible service of alcohol applies; staff may refuse service.

5. Room set-up

Item	Detail
Layout	[Example: 12 rounds of 10, plus 1 round of 4 for the set-for over-set; head table none]
Linen and colours	[Detail]
Stage and lectern	[Example: Stage 6 m x 3 m, lectern with microphone, steps with handrail]
Registration desk	[Example: 1 x 1.8 m table in foyer, 2 chairs]
Accessibility	[Example: Wheelchair space at tables 3 and 7, step-free route from lift]
Floor plan reference	[Attachment]

6. Audio-visual

Item	Qty	Supplier	Operator
Projector and screen (Example)	2	In-house	AV technician 15:30 to 23:30
Wireless microphone (Example)	2	In-house	AV technician
Laptop with slides (Example)	1	Client	Client contact
[Item]	[Qty]	[Supplier]	[Operator]

7. Staffing and other departments

Banqueting: [Example: 1 captain, 12 servers (about 1 per 10 guests for plated service), 2 bartenders].
Kitchen: [chef in charge, pass, plating team].
Front office: [room block, VIP arrivals, late check-out].
Security: [door, cloakroom, ends of evening, taxi rank].
Housekeeping: [toilets checks every [30] minutes].

8. Billing

Line	Basis	Example amount
Dinner, 3 courses	120 guaranteed x 68.00	8,160.00
Beverage package, 4 hours	120 x 32.00	3,840.00
Food and beverage subtotal		12,000.00
Room hire	Flat	1,500.00
AV package	Flat	450.00
Subtotal before charges		13,950.00
Service charge	20% on food and beverage (Example rate)	2,400.00
Sales tax	10% on subtotal plus service charge (Example rate)	1,635.00
Total		17,985.00
Deposit received	YYYY-MM-DD	5,000.00
Balance due		12,985.00

Extras on the day (cash bar, extra covers above the guarantee) are billed at contract prices and signed for by the on-site decision maker. Method of payment: [master account / card on file / invoice, terms].

9. Changes and sign-off

Rev	Date	Change	Requested by	Distributed to
1 (Example)	2026-11-10	Gluten-free mains from 1 to 2	Booker	Kitchen, banqueting
[N]	YYYY-MM-DD	[Change]	[Name]	[Departments]

Debrief after the event: [what went well, issues, actual attendance versus guarantee, extras billed, client feedback].

Standard and licence note

Based on common hotel and catering banquet event order practice. All text, the fictional client, venue and example figures are original. Template licence: MIT.

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