Corporate executives love to spend money on holiday parties, which requires catering. Book your event date and communicate with the caterer.
Deciding on the menu is another great task. Read on to learn how to do all this in the best possible way.
Think Outside the Box
Think outside the box when it comes to corporate holiday parties. Why not plan your event Monday through Thursday? You can get a better deal with your venue.
Typically, you get a little bit more personal care, and you’re not competing with other holiday parties on the weekends.
Corporate Catering For NYC and NJ
Decide What Type of Party Works Best
Decide what type of party works best for your company. Maybe you want to have a festive holiday lunch or a more casual reception. When you decide what type of event you’d like, all the other details will fall into place.
Trust the Details to Your Caterer
Trust the details to your caterer, this is what they do. You’re busy, you’ve got other things going on, and usually planning an event is just one more thing on an already long to-do list.
A caterer can help with all of your menu planning and also make sure that it fits into your budget. Let the caterer worry about linen colors, tablecloths, centerpieces, dealing with rentals and other professional vendors, so you can just relax and enjoy the event.
What to Expect From a Well-Planned Menu
A caterer studying the menu very well ahead of time means everything is planned out and nothing gets missed. Getting the timing right matters on a caterer’s end, making sure everything comes together at the same time.
Things that hold well, like sauces and soups, are often prepared early in the week, and actually get better and better as the days progress, with ingredients marrying together. Things that will last a little bit, like a crab dip or blanched pasta, get made a couple of days ahead. Light and delicate things, like tuna tartare, fried wontons, and zucchini pancakes, are made right before heading to the job so they’re nice and fresh.
What a Good Caterer Pays Attention To
A good caterer thinks about the small details, like giving a plain cucumber a little more taste with a splash of soy or a little bit of salt before adding a crab salad on top, so the bite isn’t too raw on its own. The kiss method, keep it simple, matters here, since too much seasoning can mask other elements of a dish. There’s a fine balance in cooking, adding too much or too little, and finding the balance in between.
Staying organized and having as many things going at one time as possible is what makes catering for a large group manageable, whether it’s 150 people or just 10 to 12 guests.
Plan Early and Communicate the Date
At many companies, the annual office holiday party is a time-honored tradition, whether it’s big or small. Whether it’s big or small, lavish or simple, your holiday party is more than just an end-of-year celebration.
It’s a great opportunity to gather your employees for recreation, motivation, team-building, and recognition. Indeed, your company party can shape both your reputation and corporate culture, and it doesn’t need to break the bank. With careful planning, you can throw a memorable event even on a limited budget.
Making your company holiday party a success comes down to a few simple steps. First, plan early and communicate the date and time to your employees.
Choosing the Right Timing
You likely want to avoid the latter half of December, when many employees take unused vacation time or have family plans. Bypassing the end of the month also helps accommodate any sales or reporting deadlines and may make it easier for out-of-town employees to attend.
Be sure to consider the travel requirements of any off-site employees as you’re scheduling. You might also check with relevant managers and department heads to see if they’d like to fold in meetings or training for out of area employees, to capitalize on their time in the home office.
Unique Venue and Activity Ideas
Think about hosting your party at a museum, or take a “field trip” to a popular concert or show. Hire a local chef to host a mini cooking class for your team, or engage a stand-up comic to perform during the meal.
Alternatively, you might opt for a family event, such as a bowling party or a make-your-own-pizza outing at a local restaurant. If families are in the mix, have plenty of kid-friendly activities such as crafts, face painting, or cookie decorating on hand, and don’t forget the photo ops with a dedicated photographer on-site or a photo booth stocked with colorful props.
