Programme and delivery tools
Event dietary count reconciliation tool
Registrations have moved, the dietary list has grown and the caterer needs one set of numbers that adds up.
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The short answer
The tool reconciles dietary requests with attendance and with the caterer's confirmed serving plan. Each row is one combination of requests, such as vegan and nut-free, with the guests who have exactly that combination, so every guest sits in one row and is counted once.
Per-request totals are shown as well, with the overlap made explicit, because a vegan and nut-free guest appears under both requests but is one guest. Allergen safety stays with the caterer's verified process: a matching number does not show a meal is safe.
What to enter
- Registered attendance at the last count, then the additions and withdrawals since. Leave the registered figure blank if it is not known yet.
- One row for each combination of requests, with the number of guests who have exactly that combination. Tick the row if it is an allergy or medical need rather than a preference.
- The caterer's confirmed standard meals and its confirmed special meals, written with the same combinations so they can be matched, with a tick if the confirmation is in writing.
Why overlaps are modelled as combinations
If vegan and nut-free are entered as two separate rows, a guest with both is counted twice and the catering order is inflated. If they are entered as one row for the combination, the guest is counted once.
The per-request table then shows, for each request, how many guests have it and how many of those also have another request. The sum of that table is shown only as a warning: it is larger than the number of guests whenever requests overlap.
How the numbers are worked out
Attendance is the registered count plus additions minus withdrawals. Guests with any request are the sum of the rows. Standard meals needed are attendance minus guests with any request.
If guests with a request exceed attendance, the tool warns and leaves the standard count unknown rather than showing a negative number. A blank count is unknown, not zero.
Matching the caterer's plan
Each combination is compared with the caterer's confirmed number for the same set of requests: short, more than needed, matches, or not confirmed. Caterer lines that match no row are listed, usually because the combination was written differently.
Attendance changes do not say which dietary rows changed, so recheck the rows after every change. For the wider headcount, see the catering headcount model and dietary request collection.
Allergen safety and limits
The tool reconciles numbers only. Allergen safety is the caterer's verified process, so ask the caterer for its written process and who is accountable for it on the day. Final numbers and cut-off dates are set with the caterer; see final catering numbers.
Worked example · Fictional example
A fictional conference lunch
Fictional counts, to show how overlap and matching work.
A fictional conference has 120 registered, 6 added and 4 withdrawn, so 122 attending. It lists 1 guest who is vegan and nut-free, 7 vegan, 2 nut-free, 30 halal and 3 gluten-free. That is 43 guests with a request, and 79 standard meals needed.
Added up separately, the per-request totals come to 44, because the vegan and nut-free guest appears twice. The caterer has confirmed 7 vegan, 3 nut-free, 30 halal and 5 vegetarian meals. Nut-free is one over, gluten-free and the vegan and nut-free combination are not confirmed, and vegetarian matches no row.
| Combination | Guests | Caterer confirmed | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| vegan + nut-free | 1 | - | NOT CONFIRMED |
| vegan | 7 | 7 | Matches |
| nut-free | 2 | 3 | More than needed |
| halal | 30 | 30 | Matches |
| gluten-free | 3 | - | NOT CONFIRMED |
Use this yourself
Dietary reconciliation worksheet
Use one row per combination, so each guest is counted once. Fill the caterer columns from the caterer's written plan.
| Combination of requests | Guests with exactly this | Allergy or medical (yes or no) | Caterer confirmed | In writing (yes or no) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guests with any request (sum of the rows above) | |||||
| Standard meals (attendance minus guests with any request) |
Handle it in-house, or bring in help?
Your team can usually handle this when
- A small attendance, a short dietary list and a caterer who confirms numbers in writing.
- Registration changes are few and one person owns the list.
Outside planning help earns its fee when
- Registrations change daily, requests come through several channels and the caterer asks for numbers more than once.
- Several caterers or venues each need their own split of the same attendance.
- Overlaps, allergy needs and written confirmations need a single owner against the event timeline.
Need the catering numbers coordinated?
An outsourced conference project lead can keep the dietary list reconciled with registration, put the numbers to the caterer in the format it needs and chase written confirmation before each cut-off. The caterer's food safety process and your decision on final numbers stay where they are.
Questions organisers ask
Why is a vegan and nut-free guest counted once?
Each guest sits in exactly one row, the row for their whole combination. The per-request table shows the overlap, but the guest count is not added up from it.
Does a matching caterer number mean the meal is safe?
No. The tool reconciles numbers only. Allergen safety is the caterer's verified process, which you should ask for in writing.
What if I do not know the registered attendance yet?
Leave it blank. Attendance and the standard-meal count are then shown as unknown, not zero.
Related resources
Content record: Draft. Written from the cited sources and checked by automated rules; not yet independently reviewed.