Working in the restaurant and catering industry, a sales and catering coordinator keeps records, improves quality and variety of meals, coordinates vendor services during events and identifies sales opportunities. Although having a high school diploma can land you this job in small to medium businesses, large organizations prefer individuals with a bachelor’s degree in sales and marketing or restaurant management.

Coordinating Events

Sales and catering coordinators organize a wide range of events, such as business meetings, conventions, birthday parties or small dinners. They plan and coordinate all logistics to ensure a successful event. For example, if a company wants to hold an investor meeting in your hotel, you ensure vendors, such as florists, videographers, caterers, landscapers and cleaning professionals, perform their duties adequately. You might arrange for transport and accommodation of guests. An effective sales and catering manager conducts a post-event assessment to measure its success.

Processing Orders

Faced with the need to increase sales in a competitive industry, some hotels and restaurants launch online portals that allow customers to order for meals from their homes or offices. If a restaurant has an online meal ordering system, for instance, the sales and catering coordinator receives the orders, oversees packing of meals according to clients’ specifications and dispatches them to respective customer locations. A good sales and catering coordinator sends follow-up emails to customers to inquire about quality of service to identify weakness and strengths.

Keeping Records

Although the human resources department may be responsible for overall maintenance of organizational records, an effective coordinator keeps quality records in her section to facilitate quick and efficient access to information. If your employer wants to determine the average age of customers for policymaking purposes, for instance, you should able to provide accurate and verifiable documents for all guests in the facility. Keeping good records also helps you minimize errors, manage bookings, detect fraud and comply with institutional policies.

Improving Quality

A sales and catering coordinator works to improve the quality and variety of meals served in a hotel. Although he may not be responsible for preparing food, he supervises the kitchen staff to ensure meals are well cooked, attractive and tasty. The coordinator may focus on enriching the facility's menu by instructing chefs to prepare meals from various cultures and communities. A sales and catering coordinator also creates a pleasing environment in which people can enjoy their meals by ensuring good lighting and proper furniture spacing.