subject: 4 Reasons Why To Offer Lunch At A Conference [print this page] Picture this, you have made your decision and chosen the best conference venue you could find. Everything was the right price and the facilities were absolutely superb. But, as the group sits down to lunch you discover something has gone completely amiss. No one is eating and there is an awkward silence in the air.
It is a sad fact that sometimes the little details get away from us and what could have been something wonderful turns out to be a small tragedy. I'll tell you more about my small tragedy later.
Luckily, when it comes to planning a conference, there are some easy things you can do to make sure this doesn't happen. But before we get to that, lets add a few steps to the planning process and discover why food can be a very important element in the success of any conference.
First, depending on the style of conference you are hosting, food may be an incidental add-on, or an essential part of the conference itself. Some coordinators use the luncheon interval to allow guest speakers to address delegates and a full service lunch can become a major focus of the entire event.
Secondly, on the other hand, if lunch is merely a short break between other sessions, care needs to be taken by choosing food which can be served quickly and easily in a short timeframe. Depending on the number of delegates involved, it will also be imperative to ensure that everyone has quick and easy access to serving areas.
Third, if your conference is spread over a couple of days and delegates are accommodated on site or at nearby hotels, then providing lunch may be offered as an option. This means that delegates will have had the chance to decide on the style of lunch they want well before the event, so that catering can be planned well in advance.
If you have full sessions planned for the post lunch period, then you may decide that finger food or a working style lunch should be provided. If this is the case, it is important not to have food which is heavy and difficult to digests as it will shorten the attention span of your delegates well into the afternoon.
Finally, full lunches should only be necessary where a keynote speaker is to address the full conference. Care should be exercised however in the serving of alcohol especially if there are further events planned for the post lunch period.
By the way, the incident I referred to at the beginning of this article actually happened to me, not as an organiser but as a participant, at a conference for vegetarians. I suppose you know what I'm going to say next, yes that's right, they serve to meet as a first course at lunch!
Sometimes, it's the easy things which are overlooked. The importance of planning for a lunch cannot be underestimated and you shall always have a detailed checklist of every element of your conference especially for the food. Whilst it is not always possible to cater for every one's taste, it is vital that the theme of the conference is maintained, and that the conference venue is well aware of your needs
