Our Major Events

Royal Ascot

As the official catering and hospitality partner, Sodexo has been providing race day and non-race day catering services at Ascot Racecourse since 1998, serving around 300,000 visitors over the five-day Royal Ascot meeting.

For centuries Royal Ascot has been the highlight of the British summer social calendar.  Every year the Sodexo team push the boundaries of fine -dining and catering to deliver the best in hospitality and retail.  From collaborations with Michelin- starred chefs such as Phil Howard, Tom Kerridge and Raymond Blanc to introducing new retail food concepts such as Bubbles and Bangers and The Smokehouse, Sodexo consistently enhances the race day experience for the discerning racegoer.

With over 50,000 bottles of Champagne, 5,000 kilos of salmon and 1,000 kilos of clotted cream consumed at a typical Royal Ascot, Sodexo recruits and manages 3,000 staff, and is able to maintain high service standards through our award-winning Ascot Academy that trains all casual staff for the event.

Sodexo supports Ascot Racecourse throughout the year at every Ascot race day and also on non-race day events such as corporate meetings, conferences and weddings.

 

The Open

Sodexo has been working with The R&A, the governing body for golf worldwide, on The Open since 1995.  The event moves to a different golf course each year and is a complex operation due to the sheer scale and range of catering and hospitality options that are on offer.

We provide catering for over 16,000 hospitality guests and patrons, 250,000 members of the public, The R&A and their international guests, the players and their families, and the media who attend The Open every year.

In 2008, Sodexo was awarded a new contract with The R&A which was the first of its kind; prior to this all catering contracts awarded by The R&A had been divided among various providers.  As part of the new contract, Sodexo and The R&A also formed a joint venture to design, market and sell hospitality experiences through The Open Hospitality Programme, with a dedicated sales and marketing team managed by Sodexo.

In appointing Sodexo as the exclusive caterer and joint venture partner to the world’s most prestigious and original golf Major, The R&A strengthened its successful and longstanding relationship with Sodexo.

RHS Chelsea Flower show

Centred on a temporary village built on the grounds of the Royal Hospital in Chelsea, Sodexo has provided the catering at RHS Chelsea Flower Show for more than 30 years, a complex event not least because the ‘blank canvas’ venue affords only ten days to set up. The Chelsea Charity Gala Preview Evening intensifies this challenge, with Sodexo serving Champagne and canapés followed by full-service dinner for 1,100 guests before clearing the service overnight for the horticultural show the next morning.

From 2016, world-renowned chef Raymond Blanc OBE and Sodexo Sports & Leisure partnered with the RHS to revamp the Hospitality Village and President’s Marquee at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The partnership saw hospitality guests enjoy Raymond’s passion for seasonality, locality and great quality ingredients, all delivered by the experienced Sodexo team.

Under the new partnership, Sodexo and Raymond served a variety of experiences including breakfasts, champagne receptions, lunches, afternoon teas and evening private dinners, all designed to provide an oasis of calm away from the hustle and bustle of the show. Jardin Blanc was born out of a desire to provide a truly botanic catering experience by blending Raymond’s expertise from his Manoir aux Quat’Saisons with the beautiful setting of the RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

Based on our strong relationship with the RHS, Sodexo was also awarded the contract for RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show in 2013 to provide hospitality, public catering, and sales and marketing services.

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