Corporate catering is your best choice if you want a stress-free work event, but is not an entirely new concept among the HR and Administrative staff in a company. The goal of corporate catering is to make any work events – be it an intense meeting with company executives or an all-day training session, enjoyable for everyone.
The Importance of Corporate Catering
A catering company can help you from the conceptualization to the execution of a perfect corporate event. A caterer understands the importance of time and productivity in every event, and strives to work on serving food so you don’t have to worry about keeping your employees and guests comfortable, and you can focus on more important things.
Your employees also don’t have to excuse themselves to look for food or worry about bringing their own meals as food and refreshments will be conveniently provided to them on-site.
Types of Corporate Catering Arrangements
There are a lot of possible arrangements that a good caterer can offer. Venue-wise, if you have the proper facilities in your building, they can send their equipment and staff over to your location as agreed. However, some companies also provide venue-inclusive packages and let you choose your location.
In terms of food arrangements, companies can offer different serving types such as buffet, plated, or reception.
In buffet-style, food is served on a table at a certain accessible area in the venue. The table can be manned by an attendant to ensure portion control for each guest, especially if your budget is tight.
A plated service type has a similar concept as that in a restaurant, in which your employees and guests are served meals by attendants at their tables. This is a more expensive setup as more attendants are required, especially if you are hosting a huge event.
Catering companies can also offer a reception service in which appetizers and finger foods are spread on a buffet, and guests can help themselves with the food. This works well with networking parties as they can encourage guests to walk around and mingle with others.
How To Choose A Caterer
For a good caterer, their clients are also their guests.
Of course, the best way to choose the perfect caterer is one that will best fit your needs. A couple of conditions should be able to narrow down your search.
First, you have to consider how big your event would be. Will the catering company be able to accommodate the number of guests? Will they have enough equipment and manpower to attend to your guests’ needs?
The next thing would have to be your budget. You will have to find a caterer that will deliver good results, but is still within your budget, or at least willing to work around the budget that you have.
Also, make sure that your caterer is experienced enough to work on the kind of event that you’re planning. They should also be flexible to adjust their menu to your guests’ dietary requirements and restrictions.
Some caterers also offer complete setup and venue styling. Some of them provide furniture and tableware specific to the kind of event you will be hosting. Be sure to check with them if they can provide what you need; otherwise, you can always contact a supplier.
Good catering companies also provide tastings to prospective clients. Not only is it helpful in your quest to find the perfect caterer, but it’s also fun doing tastings.
Lastly, a simple Google search can prove to be worthwhile in determining if a certain catering company is the best for your event. You should look out for reviews and recommendations from other clients. If they have uploaded pictures, you will also get to see how they handled the events they have worked on.
Communication
Your caterer should be able to communicate directly with you about exactly how you want your event to take place. A good caterer should be responsive and timely, and willing to work out all even the tiniest details to make your corporate event a successful one.
Review and go over the contract details carefully to ensure everything is covered. Discuss billing concerns and cancellation policies, if the company has them. You would want your event to push through, but it helps to be prepared, just in case.
Keep in mind how you chose this particular company and speak to them about any concerns clearly to avoid misunderstandings.
Once the event is over, be sure to provide feedback. Communicate what you and your employees thought of the entire event; what was loved, and what you all think should be improved on.
Building a relationship with a catering company is beneficial if you want to hire them again for your future work events, because they will have an idea of what you want, and they will be able to personalize and fit their services more according to your needs.
Corporate catering is all about ensuring that your employees’ and guests’ experience will be a pleasant one. You would know that your corporate event went well if your employees are still talking about it days after the event!