Successful Event Planning 101: 3 Tips for Selecting the Perfect Menu
“A party without cake is really just a meeting.” - Julia Child
Hosting a successful event often hinges on the smallest details, and few elements are as crucial as the menu. Attendees bring along a variety of tastes and preferences to your event, along with potential allergies and avoidances. Added to that, no guest wants to worry about BBQ sauce on their face or broccoli in their teeth. Planning a menu to accommodate your attendees can be overwhelming, but these three tips can help ensure everyone feels comfortable and included:
Menu Option 1: Mingling + Networking
Whether you’re hosting a fundraising gala or a corporate retreat, your guests will be looking for opportunities to connect with other attendees. One of the easiest ways to encourage this networking is through – you guessed it – food! While many major events offer a seated dinner to allow for additional programming, adding small plate stations to your cocktail hour will give your guests that opportunity to mix and mingle they’re craving.
Menu Option 2: Variety + Safety
The menu planning concept of “beef, chicken, or vegetarian” is long gone. Diet preferences are much more varied in this day in age, and the rise of food allergies is significant. Successful events now need to be much more inclusive, incorporating additional options, such as gluten-free and/or vegan dishes. In addition, many successful events will include ingredient cards for their menus, listing the “top 8 allergens” to aid in the inclusivity and safety of their guests.
Menu Option 3: Ease + Comfort
It’s happened to all of us: we’ve left an event with a stained shirt or realized that we had onion breath halfway through a conversation during cocktail hour. Successful menu planning goes beyond logistics and variety to really consider the ease of how guests will consume the menu items. Using a fork + knife during a cocktail hour can be just as difficult as eating finger foods while trying to navigate handshakes. Did someone say toothpick?
Bottom line: variety is essential to planning a menu that will ultimately aid in a successful event! Keeping these three tips in mind will help guide your planning process and enhance your guests’ experience.
Are you planning a major corporate event in 2025 or 2026? Glint Events is ready to help ensure it is a success, from start to finish! Contact us today to learn more about our services.
