Reference
Glossary
Plain-language definitions of the terms used in this manual and by venues, caterers and permit offices, in alphabetical order.
Each definition links the chapter section that explains the term. Where a term is a convention of this manual rather than a standard one, the definition says so. Filter by topic, or type a word.
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Access needs | What a guest needs to arrive, move around, hear, see, sit, rest and take part. More |
| Accessible route | A continuous step-free path a wheelchair user can follow from the arrival point to every part of the event; the ADA National Network's guide gives at least 36 inches wide. More |
| Actual | What you paid. More |
| Additional insured | A person or organization added to someone else's insurance policy so it covers them too, often the venue. More |
| AED | Automated external defibrillator: a portable device that checks a heart's rhythm and can deliver a shock, with voice prompts. More |
| All-in | A price with tax, delivery, service charges and fees included. More |
| Allergen card | A card on a dish giving its name, its major allergens and who made it (this manual's convention). More |
| Appliance thermometer | A thermometer that reads the air inside a refrigerator or cooler. More |
| BAC | Blood alcohol concentration: the share of alcohol in the blood. More |
| Backup | The named person who takes a role if its owner cannot. More |
| Balance | The rest of the price, due on a date the supplier sets. More |
| Banquet table | The long rectangular folding table rental companies list as 6-foot or 8-foot. More |
| Billing error | Under the Fair Credit Billing Act, includes a charge for goods or services not accepted or not delivered as agreed; disputed in writing within 60 days. More |
| Break-even | The ticket count at which income covers the costs. More |
| Briefing | What each helper is told before starting: their role, where and when, who to ask, and what to do if something goes wrong. More |
| Budget ceiling | The most the hosts will spend in total; a limit, not an estimate. More |
| Budget line | One row of the budget for one cost. More |
| Buffet | Food set out for guests to serve themselves. More |
| Canopy | A tent open on all sides. More |
| Certificate of insurance | A signed document outlining the types and limits of insurance a supplier or other party carries. More |
| Complete plate | A main, sides and dessert a guest can eat, rather than sides around a gap. More |
| Contact sheet | Everyone you might need to reach on the day, with phone numbers and arrival times, plus the street address for 911. More |
| Contingency line | One budget row for costs nobody can name yet, sized by the hosts rather than spread over every line. More |
| Contingency plan | A short list of what could go wrong, each with a decision made ahead of time: the sign, the moment, who decides and what happens. More |
| Cooking timeline | Every kitchen task with its clock start time, worked back from the serving time. More |
| Cross-contact | An allergen getting into a food that does not contain it, often in amounts too small to see. More |
| Cue | The signal that starts an item: a time, another item finishing, or a person. More |
| Danger zone | 40 to 140°F, the range in which bacteria grow fastest (USDA FSIS). More |
| Day-of kit | A box of small supplies packed the day before so small problems do not become errands. More |
| Deadline | The last date a task can be done and still work; a date. More |
| Debrief | A short conversation or note soon after the event about what to keep and what to change. More |
| Decision log | A table of each open decision with its options, who decides, the decide-by date and what was decided. More |
| Decision point | The moment a decision on a what-if is made, written in advance. More |
| Deposit | A part payment that holds a date or an order. More |
| Dietary needs | Anything that limits what a guest can eat: an allergy, a medical diet, a religious rule or a choice such as vegetarian. More |
| Drop-off order | Food delivered with no setup, service or breakdown. More |
| Estimate | Your own figure for a cost before anyone quotes it. More |
| Event brief | A short written record, on one page, of what the hosts decided the event is: purpose, guests, date, place, food, ceiling, who decides and a good outcome. More |
| Fair market value | The value of what a donor receives in return for a payment, such as a meal. More |
| Family style | A serving style in which dishes go on the table and are passed; it needs extra serving pieces. More |
| Final count | The guest number given to a caterer or venue by its deadline. More |
| Fixed cost | A cost that stays the same whatever the guest count, such as the room or a permit. More |
| Flame-resistance certificate | A document from the maker or rental company showing the tent fabric meets a flame-resistance standard. More |
| Form W-2G | The IRS form that reports certain gambling winnings, including some raffle prizes. More |
| Good Samaritan Food Donation Act | The federal law that protects good-faith donors of apparently wholesome food to nonprofits; it does not override health rules, and food banks set their own. More |
| Gratuity | Another word for a tip; on a contract, ask whether a "gratuity" is optional or a required service charge. More |
| Gross | Money taken in before costs. More |
| Guarantee | The number a caterer or venue bills at least, even if fewer people come. More |
| Guest list | The record of everyone invited, one row per invitation, with the party size and the reply. More |
| Hazard analysis | Listing what could happen, judging how likely and how bad each item is, and planning the response. More |
| Heat exhaustion | A heat illness with heavy sweating, cool pale clammy skin, dizziness or nausea; the person is moved somewhere cooler. More |
| Heat index | How hot it feels when humidity is combined with the air temperature; full sun can add up to 15°F. More |
| Heat stroke | A heat illness that is an emergency: confusion, a body temperature above 103°F, hot red skin. Call 911. More |
| Hold harmless | A contract term in which one or both parties agree not to hold the other responsible for loss, damage or liability. More |
| Host liquor liability | Insurance cover for alcohol-related claims for a host who serves drinks but does not sell them. More |
| Hotwash | A facilitated discussion right after an exercise, planned event or incident to capture what went well and what to change (Ohio School Safety Center). More |
| Lead time | How far ahead of the event a task has to start; a length of time. More |
| Like for like | Quotes that cover the same job, so their totals can be compared. More |
| Load-in | When and by which route suppliers bring food and equipment into the place. More |
| Major food allergens | FDA's nine: milk, eggs, fish, crustacean shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soybeans and sesame. More |
| Make-ahead dish | A dish cooked fully, chilled, and reheated to 165°F before serving. More |
| Minimum | The lowest food and beverage total a caterer or venue bills, whatever is ordered. More |
| Named insured | The business an insurance policy covers. More |
| Net | Money left after costs. More |
| Net floor area | The floor area minus the space where nobody can stand or sit, such as a bar, storage, washrooms or columns. More |
| No-reply allowance | The share of guests who have not replied that the host expects to come; this manual's default is 0. More |
| No-show | In registered-event data, an expected attendee who did not check in. More |
| No-show allowance | The share of yeses the host expects not to come; this manual's default is 0. More |
| Occasion | What is being marked, such as a 70th birthday or a school's spring fundraiser. More |
| Occupant load | The number of people the building code says a space is designed to hold, from its floor area and use. It counts everyone in the room, helpers included. More |
| Open house | A drop-in event with a long window in which guests come and go. More |
| Parking lot | A list of items raised in a debrief that are dealt with later. More |
| Party size | The number of people one invitation covers, children included. More |
| Per-guest cost | A cost that rises with each person, such as food and plates. More |
| Person in charge | The helper who contacts the health department, instructs food volunteers and oversees preparation, service and cleanup (FSIS's term). More |
| Planning number | The count you give suppliers and cook for, decided from the replies and your own allowances. More |
| Plated | A serving style in which each dish is put onto each person's plate in the kitchen. More |
| Point person | The one helper everyone goes to on the day, who can decide when the host is busy. More |
| Posted occupant load | The sign near the main exit of an assembly room giving the most people allowed in it, sometimes one figure per layout. More |
| Potluck | A meal where each household brings a dish to share. More |
| Program | The items guests notice: the welcome, food, speeches, the cake, a raffle draw. More |
| Public performance | Playing music at a place open to the public, or where many people outside a family's normal circle and its social acquaintances are gathered. More |
| Purpose | What the event is for: the line later choices are tested against. More |
| Quantity recipe | A recipe written and tested for a set number of portions, such as 25, 50 or 100. More |
| Quid pro quo contribution | A payment to a charity that is partly a gift and partly a purchase; over $75, the charity gives a written disclosure (IRS Publication 1771). More |
| Quiet hours | The hours in which a noise rule sets lower limits, usually overnight. More |
| Quote | A supplier's written price. More |
| Raffle | A drawing in which people pay for tickets for a chance to win prizes; states set the rules. More |
| Recruitment message | The written ask for help: what the problem is, what the solution is, what is involved and what we need you to do (Volunteer Maine's four answers). More |
| Regrets only | An invitation where guests reply only if they cannot come. More |
| Resting time | The time a cooked dish stands out of the oven before it is cut or served. More |
| Run of show | The production term for a run sheet: a detailed timeline of each element with the names and contacts of the people running it. More |
| Run sheet | The event day as a timeline: time, until, what happens, who, where, and a note or cue. More |
| Safety factor | The 25 percent the National Weather Service's Event Ready guide adds to alert time plus move time. More |
| Screening | The checks an organization runs before giving someone a role, such as an application, references, an interview or a background check. More |
| Separation of duties | No one person collects, records, reconciles and deposits money. More |
| Service charge | A charge the customer is required to pay. The IRS does not treat it as a tip, whatever the bill calls it, and staff may not receive all of it. More |
| Serving time | The moment food goes on the table. More |
| Shift | A block of time one person covers in a role. More |
| Slowest booking | The booking with the longest lead time; it sets the schedule's start. More |
| Social host | A person who serves alcohol at a gathering without selling it. Whether a social host is liable for a guest's drinking differs by state. More |
| Special event insurance | A one-event policy; cancellation cover pays for costs if the event is cancelled or postponed for causes outside your control. More |
| Special event liability insurance | Cover for claims of injury or damage at an event. More |
| Standard drink | The US measure of about 14 grams of pure alcohol: 12 ounces of 5 percent beer, 5 ounces of 12 percent wine or 1.5 ounces of 40 percent spirits. More |
| Store run | An errand on the day, done by a helper kept free for it. More |
| Supplier | Any business paid to provide food, a place, equipment or a service for the event. More |
| Supplier brief | A short written description of the event plus the one job a supplier is asked to quote. More |
| TCS food | Time/temperature control for safety food: food that has to be kept cold or hot to stay safe, such as meat, dairy, cooked rice and cut fruit. More |
| Teardown | Everything from the end time until the place is as you found it. More |
| Temporary food permit | A health department's permission to serve food at one event or for a short period. More |
| Tent | A temporary structure with a fabric roof. More |
| Tent permit | A fire department's permission to put up a tent above its size threshold. More |
| Terms of reference | A committee's few written lines on what it decides, its chair, its share of the budget, its dates and what it reports back (this manual's phrase). More |
| Tip | A payment the customer chooses freely, in an amount the customer sets. More |
| Trigger | A feature of an event that usually means asking someone first, such as a tent, open flames, alcohol for sale or amplified sound. More |
| Two-hour rule | Perishable food stays out of refrigeration no more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (USDA FSIS). More |
| Variance | The difference between the estimate and the actual. More |
| Venue | The place the event happens, from a rented hall to your own dining room. More |
| Venue checklist | The same set of questions asked of every place you consider, so places compare on equal terms. More |
| Volunteer Protection Act | The 1997 federal law that limits some volunteers' personal liability for nonprofits and government bodies, under conditions, without protecting the organization. More |
| Volunteer role | One job written with what the person does, from when until when, where, and who does it. More |
| Walk-through | A slow walk of the guests' route and the work areas before the event. More |
| Weather clause | The part of a booking or contract that says what happens if weather stops or changes the event. More |
| Weather watcher | One named person who watches the forecast and the sky and starts the weather plan. More |
| Wind rating | The wind speed at which the maker says a tent is cleared or taken down. More |