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Secrets of Successful Banquets
Feeding the masses? Anticipation and attention to detail are key to a memorable business event
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Business New Haven
2/19/2001
By: Priscilla Searles
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Banquets are a ubiquitous part of business life - retirements, award ceremonies, fundraisers. We sit through all of them, sometimes tackling food that defies description, praying for the event to be over. But careful planning can take the pain out of a banquet for both the sponsor and the attendee.
Just what goes into making a banquet a success? “Good, as opposed to average, is the level of service because every banquet is different,” says Lisa Farrell, sales manager for Grassy Hill Country Club in Orange. “You have to find out what the client's needs are: What are their requirements, their expectations, what is the budget, number of guests? It's our responsibility to put together a quality event within those guidelines.”
Clients should trust their gut reaction when it comes to making that big decision: Is this place the right place? If you're comfortable with the person you are working with and have confidence that your wishes are going to be handled properly, you're probably in the right place.
“The first contact with a banquet facility is very important,” explains Sandra Cavallaro, sales manager for Woodwinds in Branford. “If the person on other end of phone is knowledgeable, it gives the client a sense of security about working with that banquet facility.”
The first decision that must be addressed is location. Is it convenient for people to get to, close to where most attendees will be coming from? And when they get there, is there parking? Most people try to stay away from events when they know they are going to have to walk blocks, particularly if they aren't comfortable in the neighborhood.
“Another consideration when picking a site,” says Rhonda Lewis, banquet manager for 500 Blake Street Café, “is the facility wheelchair-accessible, and is there a handicapped restroom on the main floor?”
The sponsor of the event should approach a banquet facility with certain information already established. What are you trying to achieve? What is the objective of the event? And although it is obvious budget is a major consideration, many fail to include items such as printing invitations and postage as well as costs for marketing the event, if that is needed to attract attendees.
“You have to guide people through the process of planning a banquet, because many of the people planning the event have little or no experience,” says Cavallaro. “You need to get a sense in the first call of what type of event they have in mind.”
“It's my responsibly to pull the information from the client that he may not have thought about at all,” says Farrell. One item that often proves problematic is how to handle seating. “We try to steer people away from open seating,” Farrell says. “It works a lot better to have assigned seating. For one thing, each seat is occupied. You don't end up with empty chairs at some tables. And some people are not comfortable just taking a seat anywhere, especially if they are attending alone.”
First impressions are lasting impressions, so what people see when they enter the room is important. “The lobby should be warm and welcoming and everything should be clean,” explains Farrell. Checking out the restrooms is another way to check on how professional a banquet facility is. If the washrooms are dirty and uninviting, the rest of the facility might not be up to par. The ambiance of the facility is also important: If a room feels cold or unwelcoming, attendees are likely to react negatively to the event - and to the sponsor.
Major considerations include set-up. What kind of event is it - awards ceremony, fundraiser? Each has its optimum setup. Is there a head table or dais? What are the audio/visual needs, and does the banquet hall have equipment? If you are bringing your own, are there ample A/C outlets or data ports to plug in equipment?
How many people are going to be seated at each table? Being on top of the person next to you does not make for a wonderful experience. Room set-up has to be addressed. Can everyone see the speaker, or are some attendees seated behind a pole or around a corner?
“Meal choices can be a major headache if you are not working with a facility that can walk you through the process and stay within budget,” Lewis says. “For example, if your event is a sit-down dinner for 300 people, then soup of the day would not be recommended because it would take too much time to serve with that number of people, where something cold can be pre-set on tables. People don't want to sit around forever waiting for an appetizer; when they come to a banquet they're hungry. It also frustrates people to sit and wait for service.”
All agree that the menu should have mass appeal. Try not to get too specialized in your menu choices. Also, people don't want to guess at what they are eating. “People are health-conscious,” says Lewis, “so it's wise to keep that in mind. Also, don't pick something heavy because people will fall asleep during presentations if they are too full.”
“Beverages are important,” Lewis reminds. “Cash bars leave a bad taste in everyone's mouth if they have paid for a ticket and no drinks are offered. At the very minimum have soda available.”
Placement of the bar is also an important issue to address. It should be convenient for people to get to, but at the same time placed where it is not going to interfere with the dinner.
“Clients need to remember that the first feeling they get when they come in the door should be a feeling of professionalism,” says Cavallaro. If the event sponsor wants attendees to feel that the event is going to be pleasurable, that first impression is important.
Cavallaro also suggests that the room be inspected the day of the event to ensure that it is exactly as contracted for, and the audio/visual equipment is in the proper place and working. All agree that the individual responsible for the event needs to plan to be at the event in advance to check details. This can't be done as people are arriving.
Sit-down meal or buffet is a choice the client has to make, and that decision is often dictated by how formal the event is and what kind of event it is. If a buffet is your choice, consider where the buffet table is going to be located and if it is going to interfere with the traffic flow.
Indeed, traffic flow is important regardless of the type of event. If there is no head table, speakers need to be able to reach the lectern without climbing over bodies to get there. And as to placement of the lectern, it should be placed in a location so speakers will not be distracted if a member of the audience has to get up and leave.
It's painful to sit through an event when you can't hear the speaker, so it is imperative to test equipment in advance (another reason for the planner to come early) and make sure that speakers can be heard from every corner of the room. Conversely, no one wants to get blasted out of his seat because the microphone and speakers are not adjusted properly.
Making an list of issues to be addressed and having at least one other person look at it before you go to a banquet facility can be a lifesaver. Know what you expect to get out of the event, what the goal is before you sign on the dotted line. And because people like to network, pick a location that has a section near the dining area where people can stand around and talk. It's no fun to go to an event where you are ushered to your seat without having an opportunity to mingle.
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