EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT PLANNING A CORPORATE EVENT

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AN EVENT IS AN OCCASION FOR LIKEMINDED PEOPLE TO GATHER AND CONNECT, AND A CORPORATE EVENT IS NO EXCEPTION

When we think of event planning, we might immediately envision a wedding, anniversary, or graduation party. But there’s another important category that should not be overlooked: Corporate event planning! An event is an occasion for likeminded people to gather and connect, and a corporate event is no exception. Business professionals deserve a great gala, too.

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However, there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to corporate event planning. Do you have an appropriate theme figured out? How comfortable are you with your company’s budget? How will you go about selecting and booking the perfect venue? Are there any additional decorations, equipment, or supplies needed on event day? And here’s the big one: Have you thought about the food and catering? These are all very important considerations for both novice and seasoned corporate event planners alike.

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CORPORATE EVENT PLANNING ESSENTIALSWhen brainstorming a theme (or whether a theme is appropriate) for your corporate event, it’s helpful to keep the participants and the purpose of the gathering in mind. Will the attendees be mostly millennials with marketing backgrounds or a crowd of conservative bankers? Is the event a teambuilding seminar, an intensive educational retreat, a holiday party, or a black tie awards ceremony? Once you’ve established the “whos” and the “whys,” you can better visualize the theme that will tie your event together.

Working within a budget—especially if it’s a conservative one—can be a challenge for any planner. Knowing your priorities and where you’re willing to compromise and where you’re not is a great first step. We don’t recommend skimping on the food or catering, for example, but you might be able to cut corners elsewhere. Break your budget down into categories such as catering, rentals, venue, staffing, entertainment, and miscellaneous so you know how much you can spend for each area. As you continue the planning process, check back to your budget often to ensure you’re on track and can make adjustments if necessary.

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Selecting the right venue can really elevate your event and set the tone for a unique experience. After you’ve conceptualized your theme and mapped out your budget, you’ll get a better sense of which event venues to scope out. Make sure other important details are nailed down, such as the number of attendees. You don’t want to book a huge, expensive space that will look empty with a modest guest list. By the same token, you don’t want a large group of attendees to feel claustrophobic in an intimate space. Plan accordingly.

Do you want to simplify the entire process? Hire a team of professional catering consultants who can not only create and execute a delicious menu, but also manage a wide range of services from providing personnel and aiding with venue selection, to supplying additional supplies, décor, floral arrangements, entertainment, and more!

If you work with a caterer who covers all the bases for you and still respects your bottom line, you’re going to be one happy corporate event planner — not to mention everyone’s favourite person at the office for weeks to come.

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QUESTIONS THAT WILL LEAD YOU TO THE PERFECT CORPORATE CATERERSo you have your theme, your budget, your list of attendees, a vision, and a very long to-do list. You’ve yet to find the right caterers, and you’re looking to hire a catering service to handle not only your food and beverage needs, but also a range of other details. Where to start? By asking your caterers these important questions before making any hiring decisions.

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CAN YOU PROVIDE A WIDE VARIETY OF MENU CHOICES, INCLUDING OPTIONS FOR DIETARY RESTRICTIONS?

Food is a huge part of people’s lives, and not everyone can eat the same things. Many people have allergies, specific dietary restrictions, and lifestyle preferences. When you’re dealing with a large crowd you’re bound to have a few vegetarians, vegans, and non-dairy or gluten-sensitive people to feed at your event—not even taking into account religious dietary needs as well. Nothing will put a damper on your event quicker than having some attendees go hungry as they watch others eat and enjoy themselves.

Asking whether your caterer can offer a variety of menu items to anticipate the potential dietary needs of your guests is paramount. No one attending your event should feel like his or her meal was an afterthought.

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CAN I SPEAK TO SOME CURRENT CLIENTS AND/OR READ ANY CLIENT TESTIMONIALS?

Anyone involved in corporate event planning is responsible for the success of their event, including the performance of the caterers. For this reason, you must do some due diligence before hiring.

Luckily, any great caterer will have loyal clients who are more than happy to speak about their work, and with social media and review sites being so popular, it should be fairly easy to read what others have to say about your potential caterers.

Having absolutely no customer reviews online can be just as bad as having a couple of negative ones, and if your caterer is unable to provide any testimonials, it’s a sign you should look elsewhere.

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ANY GREAT CATERER WILL HAVE LOYAL CLIENTS WHO ARE MORE THAN HAPPY TO SPEAK ABOUT THEIR WORK

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DO YOU ALSO PROVIDE WAIT STAFF, TABLES, CHAIRS, AND OTHER EQUIPMENT?

In the world of corporate event planning, you might end up hosting events at your own location or one where certain essential items are already taken care of. However, most times you will require rental equipment.

Asking your caterers about items like tables, chairs, decorations, flower arrangements, audiovisual equipment, and other supplies beforehand will give you peace of mind knowing that these things can be handled directly through a full service caterer. Dealing with multiple vendors can be time consuming, more expensive, and harder to organize and coordinate.

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DEALING WITH MULTIPLE VENDORS CAN BE TIME CONSUMING, MORE EXPENSIVE, AND HARDER TO ORGANIZE

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WHAT’S INCLUDED IN YOUR MENU’S PRICE PER PERSON?

While most caterers will give you a menu price per person, it’s important to clarify what exactly will be included in this price as there can be unanticipated fees for things like condiments, plates, glassware, cutlery, service staff, etc. Unexpected costs, whether significant or small, can derail your budget if you’re not careful. It’s best to iron out all the little details in advance.

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UNEXPECTED COSTS, WHETHER SIGNIFICANT OR SMALL, CAN DERAIL YOUR BUDGET

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HOW DO YOU HANDLE LAST MINUTE REQUESTS?

During the planning of any event, there are bound to be some last minute changes or requests. This is true of even the most prepared corporate event planners. It’s just the nature of the industry.

This is where knowing your caterer’s rules and procedures, as well as the costs, for any last minute changes are crucial. Knowing that your caterer understands and can accommodate such situations will provide peace of mind and lower stress levels—crucial for any event planner.

CAN I TOUR YOUR KITCHEN?

This is a fairly important question to ask, as you’re going to want to see exactly where your food is being prepared, and to get to know who you’re partnering with.

Most caterers will invite you to see their facility and meet in person, but if they don’t, you should ask to do so yourself. If they decline, you might consider it a red flag.

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EXCITING CORPORATE CATERING MENU IDEAS After all that preparation and planning, there’s little worse than waiting out a long corporate event with a rumbling stomach, only to find a sad tray of catered sandwiches awaiting you. Food plays an important role in our lives and this idea is at the heart of creating a deliciously satisfying menu.

Food can nourish both the body and the imagination. If you’re looking to break free from the ordinary and do something different for the catering at your next meeting or corporate event, you’re going to want to check out a sampling of trendy corporate catering menu ideas.

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F R E S H A N D L O C A L

It’s one of the biggest trends in the food world right now. The words fresh and local are buzzing and can be seen everywhere from restaurant menus to farmers’ markets, so it’s only natural that this trend is also being reflected in the corporate catering world. And who doesn’t want to feel like a food tourist in his or her own city?

Incorporating fresh, local foods into your corporate catering menu can be a great way to showcase seasonal produce, open everyone’s eyes to the foods available around them, and keep everyone energized during your corporate event. Using fresh, flavourful ingredients over rich, heavy foods will score high praise and keep everyone satisfied and powered through long meetings and events.

B I T E S I Z E B E A U T I E S

Snack size foods are always fun. One of the trendiest corporate catering themes right now is taking your favourite foods and making them into delicious, bite-size versions. If you’re planning a large-scale event or corporate cocktail reception and need a corporate catering menu that’s fun, easy to eat, and delicious, consider making the move to minis. Think gourmet sliders, stuffed meatballs, mini crab cakes, one-bite antipasto skewers, and oyster shooters. The beauty of this catering trend is everything comes in its own little vessel to make it easier for guests to mingle without being weighed down with cutlery and a large plate.

USING FRESH, FLAVOURFUL INGREDIENTS OVER RICH, HEAVY FOODS WILL SCORE HIGH PRAISE AND KEEP EVERYONE SATISFIED

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E T H N I C I N S P I R E D

What could be more fun than taking your attendees on a lunchtime journey to Vietnam or India? Planning an ethnic menu is a great way to step outside the ordinary and pique your guests’ interest with something unexpected.

Vietnamese street food is hugely popular right now and still includes many familiar flavours that people know and love. Banh mi sandwiches can be served alongside cold rice paper rolls and spicy noodles. You could even get playful with some Pho shooters.

For an Indian-inspired menu, try charred tandoori chicken with an assortment of vegetable and meat curries, served with rice, naan, and fresh cucumber salad. Just make sure you keep the curries mild to please everyone and serve hot sauce on the side.

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D I Y S A N D W I C H B A R

Sandwiches are a popular lunchtime meeting option for a corporate catering menu, but often, they leave a lot to be desired. This doesn’t have to be the case though.

Say goodbye to boring sandwiches and spice up your next catered lunch with a DIY sandwich bar featuring artisanal breads, fresh vegetables, locally produced meats and cheeses, and an assortment of creative spreads and topping options. You can even include a few griddles or sandwich presses for people to grill their creations to toasted perfection.

This option provides a fun break for everyone and a chance to be creative and make the ultimate customized sandwich of their dreams. Pair this with a bar of fresh juices or smoothies and you’ve got a lunch time menu that will leave everyone satisfied.

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You might run into a hitch when planning your event—and that’s okay! During the event planning process, things can (and often do) go wrong, even for the most seasoned of planners. It’s just the nature of the business. There are a few additional steps, however, that you can take to minimize the possibility of those nasty day-of surprises.

Conceptualize the big event. It all starts with an idea. From there you can begin to conceptualize and plan out exactly what you want your event to look like, feel like, and even sound like.

SOME FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

Make your budget manageable and check back often. Break your budget down into categories, so you can map your spending in each area. As you continue the planning process, check back to your budget often to ensure you’re on track and can make adjustments if necessary.

Contact vendors well ahead of time. Some corporate events require a year or more of planning and forethought. For this reason, it’s important to reach out and contact your vendors well ahead of time to ensure you’re able to secure everything you need for your chosen date.

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THE DAY-OF TIMELINE WILL BE YOUR BIBLE ON EVENT DAY, AND WILL HAVE ALL THE IMPORTANT HAPPENINGS MAPPED OUT

Maintain constant communication. Once you’ve made connections and signed contracts with all your vendors, it’s a good idea to keep communication open. If you drop off for a few months and then get back in touch only a short time before your event, you may find that things aren’t exactly as you agreed upon which could cause unnecessary last minute stress.

Make lists. These will be your reference guides throughout the event planning process and will help ensure that nothing gets forgotten or overlooked.

Stick to your timelines. It’s a good idea to create a pre-event and day-of timeline for your event. The pre-event timeline will include when everything must be finalized and paid for, when contracts need to be signed, when invites must be sent out, and any other timely details. The day-of timeline will be your bible on event day, and will have all the important happenings mapped out with times so that you can easily check whether you’re on schedule.

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From Toronto’s most sought-after executive dinners to Bay Street’s ritziest holiday office parties, Seventh Heaven Event Catering stops at nothing to ensure the success of your corporate event and the satisfaction of your taste buds. With Seventh Heaven, you get quality food, unbeatable service, and refreshing honesty. We are truly a one-stop shop event catering company. We look after food, beverage, rentals, labour, and event coordination.

CORPORATE EVENT CATERING YOU CAN COUNT ON

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Our team of event catering consultants is professional and passionate about assisting you in creating the perfect corporate event. Menu creation and execution is, of course, one of our star services along with providing rentals and exceptional service personnel. However, we can also manage a number of other services including venue selection, décor and floral arrangements, audiovisual and entertainment, just to name a few.

Everyone loves a great party, but we still respect the importance of a bottom line. We work hard to stay within your budget while delivering the event you envisioned. In our eyes, having a great corporate gala should not mean having an unbalanced budget.

Whatever your corporate catering needs may be, we will provide you with the ingredients to keep the water cooler conversation fresh for days.

WE WORK HARD TO STAY WITHIN YOUR BUDGET WHILE DELIVERING THE EVENT YOU ENVISIONED

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G E T S T A R T E D T O D A Y

We’d love to work with you on your next event!

If you have any questions or would like additional information about how Seventh Heaven Event Catering can help with your upcoming event, contact us today.