While many fun and rewarding elements are involved in planning a successful corporate event menu- especially for events held at exciting destinations- success generally starts with clarity about the event’s purpose and audience insight, followed by effective planning and execution. 

Your role as the event planner is to gather intelligence upfront to understand the nature of the event, the attendee profile, and the activities they will engage in. Clarifying the event’s purpose and attendees takes on greater importance when there are more menu choices since you can end up straying further from the target.

Corporate event menu planning is easier and better targeted when you have insight into the event’s purpose and attendees. Skip this step at your peril.

Planning an effective corporate event menu also depends on your deep understanding of the tools in your toolbox. Your experience with different catering companies and venues allows you to mix and match suppliers who deliver consistently and with quality. 

The event planner is the orchestra conductor whose directions enable everyone to play well together. Your effective plan results in delectable meals the audience appreciates.

Clarity of Purpose

Context matters and corporate event menus should reflect the desired style, activities, and purpose. Your food choices can reinforce or detract from the event, so choose wisely and creatively. A conference focused on innovation would do well not to serve meatloaf, yet a creative or beautiful dessert may be enough to make a meal memorable.

When In Rome. For events in cities with regional specialties, leverage those to reinforce what’s unique about the destination and event. Allow attendees to try dishes and flavors that are less available at home, especially fresh or locally sourced items. You can also take the opportunity to reinforce the local cuisine’s history, what makes it unique, and, if possible, how it connects to the event and theme.

Getting To Know You. Events that bring together people who don’t know or seldom see one another are great opportunities for flexible dining options that promote interaction and networking. Interactive stations, small plate kiosks, or food trucks encourage small gatherings and conversations. 

On the other hand, events focused on celebrations and awards work best with sit-down dinners and guests seated with colleagues or friends with whom they can share the evening.

Fueling and Refueling. Many corporate event menus must adjust for daytime and evening activities, such as sightseeing tours, a round of golf, or other physical activities. Box lunches are often the perfect menu choice for trips to and from outside activities. A well-made sandwich and scrumptious chocolate chip cookie- even if saved for later- can provide the right fuel to prepare for the event or refuel afterward.

The nature of the event also influences the range of beverage choices, with the decision to include alcohol being critical. Either way, beverages provide many opportunities for creativity and local specialties.

Attendee Insight

Understanding who you are serving makes your menu choices more straightforward. This requires conversations with the client to understand the event guests or attendees. Good intelligence allows you to plan around a target palate while adjusting for those with modified diets.

Being on Target. Planning a memorable menu requires insight into your guest list. While every group has diverse food tastes, knowing attendees’ industries or professions, age, nationality, or ethnicity may offer insight into their preferences. 

People attending an event at a destination location will likely show more interest in an adventurous menu than those at a conference in their hometown. Build your menu based on what you know about your guests and, when possible, ask about their preferences or selections in advance.

Your menu choices may shift depending on whether the event targets clients, employees, or others. Menus for client events often have more budget flexibility, allowing for more creativity. Since these events also tend to be networking-focused, a less formal dining experience may suit the program better.

Flexibility and Options. Knowing your audience can also affect portion sizes and serving styles. For example, an event focused on sustainability should have a menu that minimizes food waste. 

Menus should offer dietary flexibility regardless of your attendees. Food stations or buffet-style meals allow guests to pick and choose their preferred foods. Still, gluten-free and other menu options should be available for those with specialized dietary needs or preferences.

Planning and Execution

A well-planned menu can only succeed with proper execution, so the best menus ensure execution, which often requires practice.

If It Ain’t Broke. Few corporate event menus require planners to reinvent the wheel. Catering companies and venues are your partners in creating and executing a tasty corporate event menu, so have open discussions about their specialties and crowd pleasers. After all, the caterer may have prepared their specialty one thousand times, but it can still be a new experience for your guests.

Going Together. Like food and wine, the caterer and venue need to pair well. Is the kitchen equipped to handle the caterer’s needs and volume? Can they serve all your guests promptly? Whether the dining events occur indoors or out, be sure the location works well with your menu choices.

Spending Wisely. Of course, the budget is always a key consideration. The budget topic is a reminder that it is better to do one or two things well than a few more in a mediocre fashion. A constrained budget may point toward planning several simpler meals, topped by a fancier finale. Also, you might opt for fewer courses, so your budget allows each course to be done well.

The Final Course

Event planners create effective plans, ensure that every participant knows their role, and oversee the efforts to ensure that the final result is well-prepared, tastefully presented, and has a level of style that the audience appreciates. The event planner brings artistic talent, audience insight, and the ability to execute a well-defined plan while making it look effortless. 

Let us handle the details and do what we do best! Contact us today to learn more about our partnership and how we can book and organize your next event.