DTU Commemoration behind the scenes

Sune Michael Ejlergaard, Operations Coordinator for waste management, DTU Campus Service

“Together with my team of eight, I handle waste management during DTU Commemoration—for example by emptying the waste containers at the clearing areas on an ongoing basis, so the kitchen and the waiters can work undisturbed and waste does not pile up. We also help get campus ready, including setting up fencing and barriers around Building 101 and the parking areas in the days leading up to DTU Commemoration.”

“We have an important task in ensuring that traffic flows when guests arrive on Friday afternoon. We do this, for example, by cordoning off the area around Building 101 and parts of the parking areas, while at the same time opening selected exits so cars can leave quickly and queues do not form. We have a particular focus on VIP arrivals—i.e. ambassadors and members of the royal family—where we guide drivers on where they can go and park.”

“We work purposefully with reuse at DTU Commemoration, including transparent reusable cups that must be returned in a special container so they can be washed and used again. This is the third year we have used these cups, and most of them are sorted correctly. Last year, however, we experienced that guests stacked the cups on top of the container instead of dropping them into the opening. So this year we have changed the design so the lid is angled, which prevents stacking—combined with clearer signage.”

“DTU Commemoration is a cosy day where colleagues spend the whole day together and help where needed, and where tasks flow across roles. In recent years, we have also helped serve welcome drinks and champagne in the Grønnegården when required.”

Lærke Lundahl, Meeting & Event Coordinator, Compass Group

“Together with Site Manager Svend Nørgaard, I coordinate food, waiters, bars and clearing areas with around 200 waiters, a meeting services team of 8–10 people, and approximately 70 employees from Compass Group. My role is to make sure everything runs smoothly from start to finish.”

“The most critical point is keeping to the schedule. We serve a gala dinner for almost 3,000 dining guests across ten different locations, where starter, main course and dessert must run in one shared flow so that all locations eat more or less at the same time. If guests take their seats a little later than planned, the schedule can slip—but then it is my responsibility, together with the kitchen team, to move chefs from one unit to another to get everything back on track.”

“Occasionally, subcontractors do not deliver at the planned time. We make all the food from scratch, so delays in deliveries of raw ingredients can force the entire schedule to be adjusted. That is why we start preparing—for example vegetables and desserts—several days in advance, so not everything depends on deliveries on the day of.”

“I have helped deliver catering to DTU Commemoration for 12 years, and what I am most proud of is the sense of community in the execution. When skilled chefs, head chefs, waiters and coordinators from different units gather in one place and everything just works, it creates a very special energy – something I already feel on Thursday when we begin plating and preparing the starter and dessert. It is great to feel people’s enthusiasm and eagerness to help make the day a success.”