Planning is the first and most important element to a great event. How much food will be needed will depend on how many people attend. Try t o get an accurate count, or as accurate as possible in advance. It’s a good idea to have a variety of food to choose from taking into consideration peoples likes, dislikes and dietary needs such as diabetes and certain allergies.

Consult with the caterer. Just Corporate Catering will help with all of the decisions to be made. Do you want a buffet style dinner or a sit down meal with a wait staff? As a successful caterer, we have the experience and know how to assist you.

Where to hold your event is vitally important. Try to have your event in a pleasant, relaxing and attractive atmosphere that’s not confining so people can move about freely and comfortably. The room needs to be large enough to accommodate both the guests and the staff. You not only want the guests to have enough room but you also want the wait staff to have plenty of room to serve. The venue also should be in a convenient enough location. Try to avoid having the event too far from work or people’s homes. This will make it easier for people to be on time and time is important especially if there is an itinerary to follow.

Make sure to plan everything well in advance. Although times are tough right now there needs to be enough time to add to or subtract from the number of people who will be attending. You may want to change menu choices, or there may be a need to change any number of other things. You may want to have entertainment and a lot of acts book well in advance also. Many catering facilities book rooms not only months but years in advance and, unless you have plenty of good places to choose from. the place you want for your event may be booked on the date that you want .

You also will have to sign a written agreement .This is something that you also want to do to get confirmation. A deposit is almost always required by halls, entertainment companies and caterers, which may or may not be refundable up to a certain date, so booking in advance is again very important.  Have a meeting to plan the event. A team may be needed to put together a big event. No one person should have to plan an event all alone. Always enlist the help of others and get updates from them.

If entertainment is going to be a part of the event, even if it’s just piped in music that will have to be arranged as well. Mixing business with pleasure can be a good thing. By not making it all about work or play, you will be able to get some work done and have a good time as well. So, if it’s a sales meeting or some other kind of business event employees will be less stressed and resentful than if it were just a business meeting.

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Justin Cook stirs up his recipes concerning corporate catering, event planning and other dining related topics on his Just Corporate Catering blog. Please feel free to add comments to his posts and contact Justin with questions or other communication at justin.cook@justcorporatecatering.com