If you’re holding a conference, it’s usually a good idea to have a detailed catering schedule in place prior to the event. Conferences are important in portraying yourself and/ or your business in a positive light, so it’s essential to create a good first impression and to make sure that this impressions lasts.
Make sure that you have catering on offer for when people arrive. This doesn’t have to be complicated – a cup of tea or coffee, juice, water and biscuits will suffice. Just make sure that it’s done well. For example, use good coffee, make sure the biscuits aren’t broken and serve water cold and in jugs. The catering on arrival will break the ice and act as a conversation starter – you don’t want the conversation to be about how cheap the instant coffee tastes!
Have refreshments available throughout the day. People will be in the best mood if they’re not hungry or thirsty. Again, this doesn’t have to be flamboyant or difficult – just make sure that the there are drinks and snacks so that people can help themselves. You may want to bring in some mid-morning cakes or pastries when you have a break.
For lunch, make sure that there is plenty of food for everybody. Over-cater if needs be, as it’s better than people going hungry. Traditional buffet food where people can help themselves usually works well. You don’t want to feed your guests enormous stodgy meals which will make them tired for afternoon meetings. You also don’t want to serve anything too messy – the last thing people want is to be dropping their lunch all over their expensive suits. Simple yet well-thought-out finger food will work extremely well.