A corporate dinner party can serve several uses for your business. It can be to impress a new client, celebrate success, reward your employees for a job well-done, or to celebrate a holiday. No matter the reason, a corporate dinner party can add a casual moment to normally serious business dealings. Like any corporate event, a dinner party needs to be properly planned. With some careful planning, you ensure not only a good dinner, but you can also save on costs.
Planning a Corporate Dinner PartyBefore you start to lay out the groundwork for your company's party, above all, remember not to overcomplicate things. By keeping things simple, you can focus on the core details and plan a dinner everyone can enjoy.
- Have Some Networking Time At The Start: the dinner doesn't have to start right away. Set aside 15 to 30 minutes at the start to allow people time to chat and depending on the size of the party, get to know each other. This also provides the added benefit of allowing people time to arrive who may be running late or stuck in traffic. If your company party is particularly large and has departments who may not interact much, attending consider using name tags or place cards to cut down on confusion.
- Print Out Important Materials: cutting down on confusion helps any party go more smoothly. In that respect, printing out the evening's agenda and menu gives your guests an idea of what to expect and how the meeting will go.
- Limiting The Menu: another way to make the party easier to manage is to carefully plan the menu. This can be done in several ways. You can limit the selection to a few entrées and sides to make preparation easier, or if you have long enough time to prepare, you can ask your guests what they would like beforehand. Also, be sure to keep special meal requests such as vegan meals in mind.
- Drinks: beverages such as a good vodka martini recipe are often one of the larger expenses at a corporate party. In general, a good way to keep costs and complexity down is to pre-select the wine choices but allow free ordering of cocktails after the main course. You can also limit drink choices if needed.
- Keep Chesapeake Short and to The Point: any speeches or business presentations should be kept short and focused on key points while people are eating. That being said it's still a good idea to have a presentation while people are eating due to the fact they will listen without many distractions. Another idea is to forgo any presentations and just have discussions instead. The best approach will depend on the size and scope of your get-together.
A well-managed corporate party can serve several goals, such as celebration, relaxation, rewarding people, going over business news, or simply unwinding at the end of the business quarter. No matter the intent or size of your party, proper planning ensures things go well and as planned.
