Book Description
Are you looking to put more fun in your functions? More bang in your banquets? Now real help is at hand—with Themes, Dreams, and Schemes, the complete guide to menu and theme management for banquet, catering, and meeting/event planning operations.

Filled with practical advice and using a step-by-step approach, this hands-on reference contains everything you need to know in order to design unique theme parties, develop winning menus, write compelling proposals, and negotiate effectively.

The book features over 375 theme experiences and is packed with hundreds of innovative menu suggestions to get you started. There are menus for meeting breaks, receptions, and theme parties, as well as sit-down and buffet breakfasts, luncheons, and dinners—including low-cholesterol, low-fat, low-sodium, and kosher menus. New food combination and presentation ideas let you take the "blahs" out of menu planning and put the imagination back in.

Drawing on over 30 years of international catering expertise, G. Eugene Wigger brings his well-informed perspective and tremendous enthusiasm to every aspect of the management process, from attendee and staff involvement strategies to smart ways to save on food and budget costs, prop purchase, and more.

So why wait? Transform your dreams into wonderful themes, and devise the schemes that will make them come true. With this comprehensive sourcebook, you're on your way to memorable special event planning.

"Gene is a genius! This book will be THE resource for every caterer or special event manager who wishes to go beyond the ordinary and expected to produce a visual and culinary medium of delight." —Richard E. Marriott, Chairman of the Board, Host Marriott Corporation.

"Gene Wigger is one of the most creative people in the business of 'Experience Creation.' This book is a wonderful resource." —Paul R. O'Neil, Vice President, Managing Director, Sheraton New York Hotel, Sheraton Manhattan Hotel.

"Bravo! We have needed a book like this for a long time! It will be a valuable resource to stir up the creative juices of caterers and meeting planners alike." —Patti J. Shock, Associate Professor/Department Chair, Tourism & Convention Administration Department, William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

"Putting on a successful event that truly meets your objectives is both a science and an art. Gene Wigger is considered the 'Doctor of Creativity' of our industry. His work is a superb guide on how to get it done with taste, flair, and professionalism." —Frederic V. Malek, Chairman of the Board Thayer Capital Partners (Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts).

"When it comes to creative catering and special theme party events, Gene Wigger didn't just write the book, he invented it!" —Scott A. Dillion, President SDI Travel and Incentives.


The publisher, John Wiley & Sons
This innovative, comprehensive reference guide is ideal for caterers, special event managers, and other foodservice professionals. There are over 375 themed experiences, ranging from meeting breaks to dinners to outdoor functions to unique theme parties and more. Step-by-step menu suggestions, concepts and implementation details are provided.


From the Back Cover
Are you looking to put more fun in your functions? More bang in your banquets? Now real help is at hand—with Themes, Dreams, and Schemes, the complete guide to menu and theme management for banquet, catering, and meeting/event planning operations.

Filled with practical advice and using a step-by-step approach, this hands-on reference contains everything you need to know in order to design unique theme parties, develop winning menus, write compelling proposals, and negotiate effectively.

The book features over 375 theme experiences and is packed with hundreds of innovative menu suggestions to get you started. There are menus for meeting breaks, receptions, and theme parties, as well as sit-down and buffet breakfasts, luncheons, and dinners—including low-cholesterol, low-fat, low-sodium, and kosher menus. New food combination and presentation ideas let you take the "blahs" out of menu planning and put the imagination back in.

Drawing on over 30 years of international catering expertise, G. Eugene Wigger brings his well-informed perspective and tremendous enthusiasm to every aspect of the management process, from attendee and staff involvement strategies to smart ways to save on food and budget costs, prop purchase, and more.

So why wait? Transform your dreams into wonderful themes, and devise the schemes that will make them come true. With this comprehensive sourcebook, you're on your way to memorable special event planning.

"Gene is a genius! This book will be THE resource for every caterer or special event manager who wishes to go beyond the ordinary and expected to produce a visual and culinary medium of delight." —Richard E. Marriott, Chairman of the Board, Host Marriott Corporation.

"Gene Wigger is one of the most creative people in the business of 'Experience Creation.' This book is a wonderful resource." —Paul R. O'Neil, Vice President, Managing Director, Sheraton New York Hotel, Sheraton Manhattan Hotel.

"Bravo! We have needed a book like this for a long time! It will be a valuable resource to stir up the creative juices of caterers and meeting planners alike." —Patti J. Shock, Associate Professor/Department Chair, Tourism & Convention Administration Department, William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

"Putting on a successful event that truly meets your objectives is both a science and an art. Gene Wigger is considered the 'Doctor of Creativity' of our industry. His work is a superb guide on how to get it done with taste, flair, and professionalism." —Frederic V. Malek, Chairman of the Board Thayer Capital Partners (Ritz-Carlton Hotels and Resorts).

"When it comes to creative catering and special theme party events, Gene Wigger didn't just write the book, he invented it!" —Scott A. Dillion, President SDI Travel and Incentives.


About the Author
G. EUGENE WIGGER, CPCE, is Director of Catering and Convention Services for the Adam's Mark Hotel Dallas, the ninth largest meeting hotel in the United States, and the creator of Theme Dreams, an innovative and interactive thematic event program for hotels and resorts. He has served the White House Military Protocol office as a member of the elite United States Air Force Presi-dential Honor Guard, and has designed and produced thousands of special events and social affairs for U.S. Presidents and former Presidents, foreign Heads of State, royalty, dignitaries, celebrities, and business leaders.

Widely recognized as one of the country's leading catering executives and special event authorities, he has participated in the opening of 15 hotels and resorts by the Hilton, Hyatt, Sheraton, and Marriott hotel corporations, and was formerly the executive director of catering sales, services, and creativity at the Euro Disney Resort, now known as Disneyland Paris, in France. He is the author of Catering to Every Whim, a textbook for hospitality professionals.

FROM THE PUBLISHER