You’ve got a catered holiday event to plan. What are you responsible for? How much can you expect the catering staff to do?
What do you need to know?
The well-seasoned catering team at Jacquie’s Gourmet Catering say it’s a good idea to follow these considerations:
Change your perspective. Think like those you are planning the party for.
Ask yourself what type of party would appeal to them, rather than what you might prefer.
Here’s a checklist of what to know as you initialize your event planning:
What’s the average age of your group? How important is a venue with a contemporary popular vibe?
Will your event trend more upscale, or more cozy?
Is the event appropriate to be home or office-based? Or, would it be better to rent a facility?
Are families invited?
Are you expecting out-of-town guests? If so, how many, and how will you accommodate them (this doesn’t mean you need to pay for hotel stays. It does mean you should have to some nearby accommodations to recommend.)
What theme would they find fun and exciting?
What about differences in food preferences?
Do you want an open bar? Just beer and/or wine? Or a “special occasion” drink?
Although there are no hard and fast answers, here are a few important things to consider when choosing a venue:
People want to come to a popular event. Make sure your event is right for your crowd – by size, place (downtown? Mid-town? Exclusive event or laid back venue? Inside or outside?
Think about venue size. When your space is huge and beautiful but there aren’t enough guests to fill the room, guests feel uncomfortable.
Be prepared to wow your guests. If they expect a top-notch venue, make sure you exceed their expectations.
If you are dealing with a creative, artsy crowd, surprise them with the unexpected – in venue as well as food and drinks.
Plan how bar and food traffic flows at your event. More important than you would think!
Guests will forgive an event that could have had another restroom, but they will always remember how good the food was -- or wasn’t.
Presentation of food matters. A lot. Food should always look (and taste) luscious, fresh, beautiful and be served at the right temperature.
Last but certainly not least – Jacquie’s number one catering rule: Never ever ever run out of food!
Give us a call and let’s start planning your upcoming event – the right way.
