Moving Venue launches catering academy to mentor venue professionals

The Moving Venue Catering Academy is set to take its first internal cohort of foodservice professionals in September.

Launched by event caterer Moving Venue, the Academy will run for six months, offering six modules covering venue event catering; sales and marketing; planning; operations; provenance and product; and kitchen and menu development.

Classes will involve workshops, competitions and onsite experience across Moving Venue’s 40-strong portfolio, which includes the Natural History Museum, Kensington Palace and the Science Museum.

The mentorship and training programme is open to venue event professionals within Moving Venue’s accredited venues who are either at entry level or more senior but still seeking to broaden their experience.

Ten participants will be chosen based on nominations from senior staff.

At the end of the course, participants will be tasked with creating a spring/summer menu that will be served at Moving Venue’s own events.

Academy mentors, of which there are 12 in total, include Chloe Jackson and Ben Paris, managing director and deputy managing director of Moving Venue, as well as creative marketing director Abby Squire, operations director Lee Bushnell and executive pastry chef Sarah Hartnett.

Chloe Jackson, managing director of Smart Group and Moving Venue, said: “This feels like the culmination of 40 years at the sharp end of event catering, distilled into a unique programme designed entirely to support the next generation of talent for our vibrant industry. We are offering this programme without charge and to give back to the sector, and venue partners, that have been instrumental to the success of Moving Venue.”

Ben Lheureux, head of catering and events at the Science Museum, which has signed up for the Academy, added: “Moving Venue has been a trusted accredited supplier of the Science Museum for over 20 years and exclusive catering partner to our dedicated events space Illuminate for 5 years, and we look forward to making the most of that experience as we develop the careers of our employees.”

The London-based caterer, which was founded in 1984, was acquired by owner-operated hospitality business Smart Group in 2015. In May this year, the firm restructured into two core divisions: venues and events, and hospitality.