Office of Conferencing & Catering expands ability to serve region

Through a new partnership between WKU Conferencing Services and the WKU Catering Group, the Division of Extended Learning & Outreach has formed the new Office of Conferencing & Catering (OCC).

Derek Olive, director of conferencing & catering, said that this partnership means even better service for people throughout the community. “Conferencing Services and WKU Catering have worked closely for years to provide exceptional services for our clients, so combining them makes sense,” he said.

“This partnership takes three important aspects of a successful event – catering, conferencing and event planning – and places them under one roof,” Olive said. “This will expand our ability to serve this region with the best conferencing and catering services around.”

According to Olive, the OCC will consist of three units: WKU Catering, Conferencing and Event Planning Services. The WKU Catering unit will handle all catering services for events that take place not only at WKU, but also throughout the Bowling Green area.

Conferencing will manage all events that take place at the new Augenstein Alumni Center and the Knicely Conference Center. The Augenstein Alumni Center, located on the WKU Main Campus, provides elegant and comfortable space for visiting alumni and the community to hold meetings, social events and educational programs. The Knicely Conference Center, located on the WKU South Campus, offers a comprehensive, all-occasion facility that hosts a variety of educational and social functions, including seminars, workshops, trade shows, workforce trainings, professional development activities, receptions, holiday parties, rehearsal dinners and weddings. Both centers also offer video teleconferencing, spacious rooms, versatile seating arrangements, wireless computer lab and portable audiovisual equipment, making them ideal for a variety of meetings and events.

“But our services don’t stop there,” Olive added. “We also have an Event Planning Services unit which provides event-planning services for events that take place anywhere. We can plan events for clients wherever the event will take place.”

Olive said that he and his staff are thrilled about how new partnership with WKU Catering will help them serve clients and their guests even better. “It’s just one more step we can take to serve the people of our community and beyond. We are passionate about what we do, and we look forward to expanding our services to serve even more clients in the future.”

Catering Director Karen Winkle said that she is excited about this partnership. “The conferencing staff does an amazing job, and catering plays a fundamental role in helping them carry out a successful event,” she said. “We expect this partnership to help us expand our services even further.”

The Office of Conferencing & Catering is part of WKU Extended Learning & Outreach. For information, visit www.wku.edu/conference. For catering needs, email wkucatering@wku.edu. For conferencing needs, email conference.services@wku.edu.

Contact: Office of Conferencing & Catering, (270) 745-1908 or conference.services@wku.edu