Conference & Seminar Catering · Sydney
Conference catering for 50 to 2,500 delegates.
Individual lunch boxes or shared platters. Morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea or any combination. Hills District, North Shore, Parramatta and surrounds.
About our conference catering
Food that keeps a conference moving.
Conference catering has one job: give delegates something genuinely good to eat so they come back refreshed and able to concentrate. We've been doing this out of our Castle Hill kitchen since 2014, for events from 50 to 2,500 guests.
The logistics at scale are what most caterers get wrong. Dietary requirements across a large group, staggered session times, venues with limited kitchen access. We've handled all of it, and we know how to make it smooth on the day.
Individual lunch boxes mean everyone gets what they need, dietary requirements are managed cleanly, and there's no scramble at the serving table. Shared platters work beautifully when the format allows for it. We'll help you work out which suits your event when you enquire.
Looking for smaller team or office catering? See our corporate catering page →
What we can cover
- 50 to 2,500 delegates
- Individual lunch boxes portioned, labelled, easy to distribute
- Shared platters and buffet-style service
- Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea or any combination
- Full dietary management: gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, dairy free, halal
- Drop-off or fully staffed and set up
- Equipment and servingware supplied as required
- Multi-day and recurring conference arrangements
Our kitchen is in Castle Hill. We deliver regularly to conference venues across the Hills District, North Shore, CBD and Parramatta CBD. For venues outside these areas, contact us: we travel further than you'd expect.
2,500
Maximum guests catered
2014
Cooking for events since
Castle Hill
Our kitchen, our recipes
1 business day
Quote turnaround
How we serve
Two formats. Both made from scratch.
The format you choose depends on your venue, your schedule and your guest numbers. We'll recommend what works best for your event when we quote.
Popular choice
Individual Lunch Boxes
Each delegate gets their own portioned box. This is the cleanest way to handle dietary requirements at scale, the easiest to distribute in a breakout session, and the format that keeps everything moving on a tight schedule.
- Each box individually portioned — no shared serving equipment needed
- Dietary variants clearly distinguished (gluten free, vegetarian, vegan)
- Ideal for working lunches, short lunch breaks, or tiered session schedules
- Works in venues with limited table space or no buffet setup area
- Contents: sandwich or wrap selection, salad, fruit, sweet item. Variety of boxes to choose from. Confirm on quote
Shared Platters
A more generous, social spread: sandwich and wrap platters, hot mains, salads, fresh fruit arranged on the table. Works beautifully when you have time and space for people to move around and serve themselves.
- Full table setting with all servingware supplied
- Drop-off (laid out and ready) or staffed service available
- Dietary options clearly labelled and presented separately where needed
- Ideal for longer lunch breaks, networking sessions, or end-of-day events
- Can include hot dishes, salads, grazing boards and sweet platters
Session catering
We cover the whole conference day.
Book one session or all three. Most conference clients start with lunch and add morning or afternoon tea once they've worked with us.
7:00 – 10:00 am
Morning Tea
The session before morning tea is always the hardest. A proper spread, not a tray of store-bought biscuits, changes the energy in the room.
- Fresh seasonal fruit platters
- Savoury filled croissants, danishes and baked pastries
- Homemade baked slices
- Gluten free and dairy free options always available
- Tea and coffee service (see note below)
11:30 am – 2:30 pm
Lunch
The most important meal of the conference day. Individual boxes or shared platters, we work with whichever format suits your schedule and your venue.
- Individual lunch boxes (our most-requested format for large conferences)
- Sandwich and wrap platters with generous fillings
- Hot mains (Beef Lasagne, Butter Chicken, Slow Roast Lamb)
- Garden and grain salads
- Vegetarian, vegan and gluten free options always included
2:30 – 5:00 pm
Afternoon Tea
The 3 pm slump is the conference organiser's enemy. A good afternoon tea solves it. Sweet, savoury, or both is enough to carry people through to the end.
- Homemade cakes and baked slices
- Fresh seasonal fruit platters
- Sandwich fingers
- Savoury bites
- Gluten free and dairy free options always available
Note on beverages: We can supply freshly brewed coffee & a variety of gourmet teas, as well as cold drinks service. We are fully licensed and can provide a bar service for afternoon/evening events if desired. Let us know when you enquire and we'll advise on options.
The process
Straightforward from start to finish.
Most conference organisers are working around a dozen other things. We make the catering part easy.
1
Tell us about your event
Dates, headcount, venue, which sessions you need catered and any dietary requirements you already know about. Fill in the form below or call us directly. The more detail you give us, the faster we can quote.
2
Receive your tailored quote
Within one business day. We'll confirm the format (individual boxes or platters), the menu, pricing, delivery window and how we'll handle dietary requirements across your group. Then we lock it in.
3
We handle the day
On time, set up properly. You focus on the conference. We're there and gone without any fuss, or we stay and manage food service if that's what you need. Your choice.
Client stories
What conference clients say.
“
Fantastic food and fantastic service. They catered for a conference of 80 people, and it was brilliant. Will use again next year!
Mike Southon
Event organiser
“
We've been using Rachel and her team at Dinner on the Table for over 5 years, month in, month out. The team always provides delicious food whatever the event — from boardroom lunches to grazing boards — to suit all dietary needs.
Jon Sermon
Founder, BIO Australia
“
The team at Dinner on the Table is an absolute delight to work with. I had a last-minute catering request for our board meeting and Rachel and her team were able to accommodate. Tasty, delicious and fresh food, delivered on time and with a smile. I will definitely be ordering again.
Gloria Hill
Business Manager, EnergyCo
Get a quote
Tell us about your conference.
Fill in the form below and we'll come back to you within 1 business day with a tailored quote. If your event is coming up quickly, call us directly on 0403 688 486.
Common questions
Questions about conference catering.
Individual lunch boxes are portioned per person. Each delegate gets their own box with everything in it. This is the cleanest way to manage very large groups or dietary requirements at scale, the easiest to distribute during a short lunch break, and the format that causes least disruption to a tight schedule. Shared platters are a generous, communal spread that works well when there's time for people to serve themselves and move around. We'll recommend which suits your event when we quote.
We ask for a likely dietary breakdown at the quote stage. Once registrations are finalised, we'll send you a simple form to complete so we accurately capture all dietary requirements. For individual lunch boxes, each dietary variant is clearly distinguished so distribution is straightforward. For shared platters, dietary options are clearly labelled and kept separate where needed. Gluten free, vegetarian, vegan, dairy free and halal options are all standard for us, not special requests. If you have a delegate with a complex requirement, let us know and we'll advise on what we can safely accommodate.
For conferences of up to around 100 people, two weeks usually gives us what we need. For larger events: several hundred to 2,500 delegates, six to eight weeks lets us plan the logistics properly and ensure the food is right. If your conference is coming up quickly, get in touch anyway. We'll tell you honestly whether we can make it work and what we'd need to do so.
Yes. Larger conferences are something we handle regularly. We have capacity to cater conference events up to 2,500 guests (please get in touch if you have a larger event than this). The logistics for events at this scale are different: more lead time, more coordination with the venue, often a staffed set-up rather than a drop-off. When you enquire, include your expected headcount, the venue, the sessions you need catered, and your preferred format. We'll come back with a quote that accounts for all of it.
Both. Drop-off means the food arrives ready to serve: boxed and laid out so it's easy to manage without our team present. A full set-up means we deliver, arrange everything and stay to run the session if you need staff there. Which option suits you depends on your venue and how your event runs. We'll recommend what makes most sense when we quote.
Yes. For set up and staffed events we supply everything needed to present and serve the food: platters, serving tongs, napkins and equipment for hot dishes. Individual lunch boxes are packed with cutlery if required. For drop-off orders, we can supply recyclable plates, cutlery and cups if your venue doesn't provide them. Just ask when you enquire.
Yes, we invoice directly for conference bookings. Payment by bank transfer or company credit card is fine. We provide a tax invoice for your accounts department. If you have specific purchase order or invoicing requirements, let us know when you enquire and we'll accommodate them.
Yes. We work with organisations that run annual conferences, quarterly training days and multi-day events on a standing arrangement. We can vary menus so that delegates have plenty of variety over a multi-day event. If you have a recurring event, it's worth talking to us about it directly. We can lock in the arrangement and make the ordering process very simple for your team year after year.
Where we deliver
Hills District, North Shore and Parramatta, and further.
Our kitchen is in Castle Hill. We deliver to conference venues across the Hills District, the North Shore and Parramatta CBD regularly. We also deliver to the Sydney CBD, Inner West, Eastern Suburbs and Northern Beaches.
For venues outside greater Sydney - regional NSW or Canberra - get in touch. For the right event and the right lead time, we'll travel.
Venues and areas we serve regularly:
Castle Hill
Norwest
Bella Vista
Baulkham Hills
Kellyville
Rouse Hill
Pennant Hills
Hornsby
Wahroonga
Pymble
Gordon
St Ives
Chatswood
North Sydney
Macquarie Park
Parramatta
Sydney CBD
Epping
Carlingford
Dee Why
Frenchs Forest
Manly
About Dinner on the Table
We've been cooking for people since 2014.
We're a social enterprise based in Castle Hill. Almost everything we serve is made from scratch in our own commercial kitchen using real ingredients. After twelve years and more events than we can count, conference catering is something we do well. The food is consistently good because we cook it ourselves, not because we've outsourced it to a production facility.
Every booking also contributes to a program that gifts meals each month to families living with disability. You can read more about that here.