Business dining events cover a broad range of occasions. Some are held to acknowledge staff contributions or celebrate achieving company goals. There are also corporate dining events that allow staff, suppliers, or guests to socialize after an important meeting, product launches, team-building activities, workshops, or a training seminar.
Organizing a business dinner requires some careful planning. In casual get-together with friends or even business associates, more often than not, you agree to meet at a specific location. It could be a restaurant near the office or a more upscale establishment that offers private dining options for Friday brunch.
Corporate dinners, on the other hand, need to be planned and scheduled. A venue needs to be reserved ahead of time while suppliers need to be contacted. If you plan to serve steaks to your VIP clients, you may need advice on wine pairing and make sure that there is enough for people attending the event.
For individuals responsible for organizing dinners or even brunches for their company, here are a few tips to help you out.
Plan early
Begin the planning and preparations as soon as you can. Given that it is a corporate event, you will need the approval of different people for specific parts of the event. It could be regarding the theme, the venue, when to hold the event and food sensitivities, among others.
Those aspects involve the approval of the company staff alone. With corporate events, you will also need to work with vendors. You may need to make venue reservations, have invitations, souvenirs, and other branding paraphernalia designed, made, and delivered in time for the event.
With some dining events, you may also need to consider getting approval from invited company clients and guests. By planning and organizing the event early, you can gather the approval from specific groups quickly and get on with the other aspects.
Determine the goal or theme
What is the dining occasion for? Is it a year-end gathering of company staff, a way to acknowledge achievements, provide an opportunity to mingle with clients, or is it for another purpose? Will it be a formal or casual event?
The answers to these questions can become your guide on how to plan the event. Networking events, for example, often require a lot of chatting and movement. To encourage this type of activity, finger foods and bite-sized appetizers are usually recommended.
On the other hand, if it is an awarding ceremony, a formal sit-down dinner is more appropriate. In such situations, designing a menu consisting of several courses will be needed. You may also need to consider providing alternative food and drink options (i.e. vegetarian dishes, gluten-free meals, non-alcoholic drinks) for the people invited.
Confirm attendance
Similar to grand events such as debutante parties and weddings, it is essential to get a headcount of how many people are attending. Send out invitations a few weeks in advance. Consider sending months in advance in the case of significant events during peak seasons.
By getting a reasonable estimate of how many people are coming, you know the capacity of the restaurant or the venue you need for the corporate dinner or brunch. This will also give you an idea of how much food and branding material you need to order in advance, such as napkins and pens, among others.
Collaborate with the restaurant
As it is a corporate dinner, the food is the most important highlight of the event. To ensure the event’s success, you need to work closely with the restaurant staff. They can help you plan the menu, seating arrangements, provide you with audio/video equipment or point to suppliers who can.
From your end, you will need to provide them with as much information about the business dinner as possible. This is when you should let the restaurant management know how many people are attending, who are the VIPs, when to start serving. If somebody else will be handling the bill, you will need to inform the management as well to avoid any confusion.
Your company may also have special requirements concerning the event. Perhaps private information or trade secrets will be covered during the dinner. Inform the venue beforehand so they can make arrangements to suit your company’s needs and requirements.
Follow up
Your job is not done once the event is over and the dishes have been cleared. Send thank you cards to the guests and ask for their insights. Their comments can help you see any oversights and gather tips on how to improve similar dining occasions in the future.
Planning corporate dining events can be stressful and overwhelming. However, with the help of these tips, you have a better idea on what to do. Furthermore, you can now come up with a strategy on how you to tackle any tasks or challenges that come up along the way.
AUTHOR BIO
Chiara Bisignani is the F&B Marketing Executive at Saadiyat Beach Club. She oversees website maintenance, PR requests, marketing initiatives and all general guests’ enquiries for the company’s destinations of KOI Restaurant & Lounge, Boa Steakhouse and Caramel Restaurant and Lounge in Abu Dhabi.