Corporate event entertainment food beverage

This one’s been coming up a lot lately, and especially now that we’re about to enter office holiday party season, I suspect it will continue to be raised. The issue: what do we do about serving food and beverages at corporate events?

At first glance, it may seem like a no-brainer. You have a function, and there will be food and drink – simple, right? Not so fast! As any experienced event planner will tell you, there are a LOT of things to take into consideration with respect to eating and drinking when you are entertaining a corporate group. Here is a quick primer which I hope you will find useful!

Alcohol – Should You Serve It?

Let’s start with this one. Again, it may seem obvious to many, like something you wouldn’t event think twice about: will there be booze? Depending on the type of event, where it’s being held and who will be there, however, the answer may not be a default “yes.” First off, what type of event is this? Are we celebrating a milestone or special occasion? Are we rewarding hard-working employees or loyal clients? Is this even a “drinking group” to begin with? More pressing from an HR standpoint: will there be any underage people present, such as interns or summer associates?

If the nature of the event doesn’t lend itself to serving alcohol – say, a 9am bring-your-child breakfast presentation for potential clients – well, don’t serve it. Got underage folks there? You’d better be sure to have some form of ID checking or bracelet system, or you could be looking for trouble. Keep the broad picture in mind as to WHY you’re holding the event, before you determine IF you’ll even serve in the first place.

Now, let’s look at the location of the event. Is it being held offsite, where people will be driving to/from? You might want to consider assigning designated drivers, or shutting the bar down at a certain time. Another option here is to hire transportation, be it a bus, vans, or private cars. This is a good move, I think – not just convenient for attendees, but they can feel comfortable drinking and not having to worry about getting home.

Another consideration to think about: what will these people be doing at the event? If it’s trivia for an office party like I produce, then I think it’s fine – a little social lubrication doesn’t hurt! However, if your group will be doing something strenuous or physical, I’m not so sure you want them to be consuming alcohol. Just keep that in mind if you’re planning to take everybody kayaking, cooking with sharp knives, or playing paintball.

For another useful article on whether or not to serve alcohol at your corporate event, follow this link.

When Should the Bar Be Opened?

Because I produce interactive corporate event entertainment in New York City, Southern California and everywhere else, planners often want to know: when should the bar be open? I have a few thoughts on this subject, and am happy to share them with you!

Assuming you’ve made the decision to have an open bar at the event, and it’s a safe, appropriate environment, I’m a big fan of having the bar open upon arrival. Very few people like to arrive at what’s supposed to be an entertaining event, only to be told that the bar is not yet open. Doing so will just make your attendees aggravated, and that’s no way to start what should be an enjoyable experience. People also don’t all arrive at the same time, and if folks are just milling about waiting for whatever is supposed to happen to happen, they will also get restless and/or the situation can become awkward. Having a drink helps.

Perhaps the bigger reason to make sure the bar is open upon arrival, however, is that it serves as a wonderful chance for people to mix, mingle and socialize before the main event kicks off. We all work so hard, and people long for opportunities to just unwind and relax a bit. It serves as a transition between the grind, and the activity. At my events, I always encourage clients to schedule a cocktail hour-like atmosphere BEFORE the trivia contest kicks off, even if it’s not a full hour. Just a little time for people to let their hair down and enjoy a drink goes a long way towards creating the environment I think you’re looking to establish.

When Should Food Be Served?

This is probably the one I get asked the most, I think for just about every gig I produce. When should we let people eat? Again, my preference (and I suspect the preference of many folks coming directly from work to a corporate party) is to enjoy some form of cocktail party atmosphere, before the true event kicks off. That means appetizers immediately upon arrival, either passed, stationed, or a combination of the two.

Once the event has begun, however, you’ve got to really ask yourself a few important questions: what is the corporate event entertainment? Will there be breaks? Is it interactive, or passive? Oh, and let’s not forget a pretty vital one: how many people will be there? All of this comes into play when prepping your fete, so don’t just assume that the venue will know what to do and when, or that “everything will work itself out.” What do I think your best course of action is? Ask your entertainment vendor directly. No one has as much experience with this as they do, and they should be able to offer recommendation based on your attendees, format, and timetable as far as when the best time to serve a meal would be.

How Should Food Be Served?

So you’ve decided to serve food during the event itself – great! Now the big question remains: how? There are usually several different options available to you, and you should seriously consider all of them before determining a final plan, based on your specific group, goals, and activity:

• Buffet – This is your traditional “line up and grab a plate” scenario. It’s easy to arrange, however also less formal. It can also take up a big chunk of time, and it’s hard to gauge just how long it will take for everybody to fill up and sit down (and, probably, fill up again).

• Stations – Similar to a buffet, but instead of one line of tables (and a bigger line of people), you can have a few different designated areas for food service in different parts of the room, each specializing in a different thing. I did this for my own wedding (read about it here) – it’s fun, it’s casual, and the wait for each station is usually less that at a buffet. The downside? You need a venue with enough space to accommodate.

• Seated/Plated – Once everybody sits, that’s it. They’re not getting up and milling about, it’s more formal, and you can more or less control (or at least somewhat predict) the timing of courses. On the other hand, this tends to be the more expensive option; it’s also disruptive, having servers come around and take orders/deliver food and drinks to the table.

• Family Style – I love this option for office parties. No one’s waiting on line, the food comes to you, but it also eliminates the time necessary for à la carte

This is by no means an exhaustive guide, but should at least help get your wheels turning as you get your party planning underway. For another useful article, visit www.trivworks.com/2016/11/holiday-party-planning-tips/