A Meeting Planners Guide to Catered Events

1
A Meeting Planners Guide to Catered Events

• Chapter Five
• Room Setups

2
Choosing the Room

• Appearance
• Room dimension
• Ceiling height
• Number of columns
• Exits and entrances
• Proximity, number, and quality of restroom
  facilities

3
Choosing the room

• Colors and types of floor and wall coverings
• Sound insulation
• Visibility
• Lighting
• Temperature
• Smell
• Layout

4
Color

• Attendees tend to eat and drink more in brightly
  lit, colorfully decorated surroundings.
• Vibrant colors, such as brilliant red, hot pink,
  and bright yellow, stimulate the appetite.
• Dark tones dull the appetite. Examples of colors
  that cool the appetite are dark green, navy blue,
  gray, and black.

5
Table Placement Affects Food Consumption

• An hors doeuvre table placed against a wall
  provides only 180-degree access to the food.
• A rectangular table in the center of the room
  provides two open sides and 360-degree access to
  the food, allowing greater food consumption.

6
Table Placement

• A round table in the center of the room gives an
  appearance of a lavish presentation, but since
  there is no way for a line to form to circle the
  table, guests have to work their way in and out
  at various points for each item they wish to eat,
  which decreases food consumption.

7
Location of Room

• In relation to
• Kitchen
• Parking lots
• Sleeping rooms
• Rest rooms
• Elevators
• Receiving areas
• Business center

8
Utilities

• Type of electricity available
• Number, types, and locations of outlets, etc.
• Maximum lighting and wattage
• Lighting controls
• HVAC capacity
• Speakers
• Doors
• WiFi

9
Space Requirements

• Number of attendees
• Type of dining tables used
• Aisle space
• Open-space setup
• Dance-floor space
• Bandstand
• Other entertainment
• Head tables
• Bank mazes
• Reception needs
• Buffet tables
• Beverage stations

• Side stands, tray jacks, bus carts
• Action stations
• Staging areas
• Cashiers
• Display areas
• Landing space
• Meeting activity during the meal
• Style of service
• Audience separation
• Accessible seating

10
Number of Attendees

• The local fire code will dictate the maximum
  number of people who can be legally housed in a
  function room.

11
Types of Dining Tables

• Allocate about 10 square feet per attendee at
  rectangular banquet tables.
• With round tables allow 12 1/2 square feet per
  guest.
• Assuming the caterer is using standard 20 inch by
  20 inch chairs.
• Adjust your estimates if smaller or larger
  armchairs are used.
• Round tables are easiest for the staff to
  service, and they maximize interaction among
  guests.
• Chair backs should be placed from two to three
  feet apart.

12
Aisles

• Aisles allow people to move easily around the
  room without squeezing through chairs and
  disturbing seated attendees.
• Provide buffer between seating areas and food and
  beverage areas.
• 48 is preferable, with 36 as bare minimum.

13
Aisles

• Leave enough entry and exit room for attendees.
• Cross-aisle space is very important when setting
  large functions.

14
Dance Floors

• Portable dance floors come in 3 feet by 3 feet
  (i.e., 9 square feet) sections.
• Plan on one section for every three attendees.
• A 24 foot by 24 foot dance floor covers
  approximately 600 square feet of floor space.
• Sufficient for approx. 200 attendees.

15
Head Tables

• Usually need about 25 percent to 100 percent more
  floor space than regular dining tables.
• If the tables will be on risers, increase space
  estimate to accommodate the platform area, steps,
  and to spread the table-and-person weight
  properly over the stage.

16
Head Tables

• A raised head table for twelve people, plus a
  lectern, should be a minimum of 26 feet long.
• The rule of thumb is 2 feet per person, plus 2 ½
  feet for the lectern.
• For more comfortable seating, allow 2 1/2 to 3
  feet per person.

17
Reception Space

• You will need about 5 ½ to 10 square feet of
  floor space per attendee.
• With 5 ½ to 6 square feet, people will feel a
  bit tight.
• They also will have more difficulty getting to
  the food and beverage stations.
• Therefore, lower consumption.

18
Reception Space

• Seven and a half square feet per person is
  considered to be a "comfortably-crowded"
  arrangement.
• It is thought to be the ideal amount of floor
  space per person for receptions and other similar
  functions.

19
Reception Space

• Ten square feet provides more than ample space
  for attendees to mingle and visit easily the food
  and beverage stations.
• An appropriate amount of floor space for a
  luxury-type reception.
• It is not an appropriate setup if your client is
  paying according to the amount of food and
  beverage consumed.

20
Reception Space

• Take into account space taken up by buffet
  tables, check-in tables, plants, props, and other
  décor when forecasting the number of attendees
  that can be served adequately.

21
Buffet Tables

• All food stations need enough floor space for the
  tables and aisles.
• An 8-foot long rectangular banquet table needs
  about 24 square feet for the table, and about 60
  square feet for aisle space (if the table is
  against the wall).
• About 100 square feet for aisle space is needed
  if the table is accessible from all sides.

22
Buffet Table Considerations

• Number of attendees expected
• Length of dining time
• Amount of service equipment required
• Type of service equipment required
• Type of menu
• Style of service
• Amount of decor desired on the buffet line
• Amount of total floor space available in the
  function room

23
Allocate Two Running Feet of Buffet Table for
Each Food Container Needed

• Three hot offerings, three cold offerings, and a
  condiment basket, require a buffet table about 14
  to 16 feet long.
• Two standard 8-foot rectangular banquet tables
  will take about 48 square feet of floor space for
  the buffet table and approximately 150 square
  feet of standard 3-foot aisle space surrounding
  the buffet table.
• Total allocation for this setup is about 200
  square feet.

24
Room Set Affects Flow

• Table locations, exhibits, displays,
  food-and-beverage-station locations, table sizes,
  head table, seating mix (i.e., number of rounds
  of 8, rounds of 10, and so forth), table spacing,
  table settings, and preferred decor usually are
  planned by the caterer and the meeting planner.

25
Graphic Layout Software

• Meeting Matrix
• Room Viewer
• Vivien
• Gliffy

26
Standard Tables/30 High
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Other Tables

• Schoolroom or classroom table
• Serpentine table
• Half-moon table
• Quarter-moon table
• Cocktail table
• Oval table

28
Chairs

• Seat height should measure 17 inches from the
  floor.
• Most common seat-cushion dimension is 20 inches
  by 20 inches.

29
Bar Layout

• Unlike food, alcoholic-beverage service tends to
  be very standardized.
• Avoid grouping bars too closely to prevent crowd
  build-up.
• In a large room, ask the caterer to first open
  the bars farthest from the entrance to encourage
  guests to move into the room.

30
Coffee Station and Refreshment Break Layout

• There are more compulsive coffee drinkers in the
  U.S. than there are compulsive liquor drinkers,
  and they need coffee throughout the day.
• Coffee drinkers are generally impatient and want
  their coffee right away, especially in the
  morning.

31
Coffee Station

• Coffee station setup should be separated from
  the rest of the refreshment center.
• Must be visible and easy to understand.
• You must make access easy.
• Traffic must flow smoothly with no backtracking.

32
Coffee Station

• Attendees can draw 5 gallons of coffee from a
  single urn in 15 minutes.
• It is critical that the caterer provide adequate
  and speedy replenishment.
• You can anticipate 20 6-ounce cups of coffee per
  gallon.

33
Coffee Station

• It takes twice as long to add cream and sugar as
  it does to pour coffee.
• Cream and sugar should never be placed directly
  in front of the coffee urns.
• By placing these items away from the urns, the
  line will move much faster.

34
From Left to Right, Items Should be Placed in
This Order to Facilitate the Traffic Flow At a
Coffee Station

• Cups and saucers
• Regular coffee
• Decaffeinated coffee
• Hot water for tea
• Teabags, sugar, sweeteners, cream, lemon slices
• Spoons or stirrers
• Napkins
• Food (ideally this would be at the far end of a
  table, or on a separate table)

35
Buffet Layout

• Buffets allow attendees to choose their favorite
  menu items.
• Attendees also have some personal control over
  the portion sizes.
• However, it is imperative to offer foods that
  hold up well.

36
Buffet Layout

• Buffets are generally faster and more efficient
  than table-service, assuming that there are
  enough buffet lines to accommodate the attendees
  quickly and efficiently.
• One disadvantage of buffets is the possibility
  that some attendees will be finished eating while
  others are still waiting in line.

37
Buffet Layout

• Lower cost food items, such as salads and breads,
  should be placed first on the table so that the
  attendees' plates will be full when they reach
  the main course.
• Cut down on consumption by using a 9-inch plate
  instead of a 10-inch or 11-inch one.

38
Buffet Layout

• Request small containers of food on the buffet
  line that hold no more than 25 to 30 servings.
• They will be more attractive than large,
  elaborately garnished containers.
• Only the first few attendees through the line
  will see the beautifully garnished large
  presentations before they are disturbed.
• Small containers will need frequent replacement,
  thereby maintaining a fresh and attractive
  appearance.
• However, this may require more labor.

39
Buffet Layout

• Experience shows that attendees will take smaller
  portions from smaller containers, and larger
  servings from bigger containers.
• Save more on food cost than you spend for any
  extra labor.
• Most buffets are set with one line for every 100
  attendees.
• This is based on the assumption that it takes 100
  persons about 20 minutes to go through the line.

40
Buffet Layout

• One line is one side of a buffet table if there
  are two sides (double-sided buffet table), this
  counts for two lines.
• The maximum amount you can serve efficiently with
  one line is 120 attendees.
• The break point is 120 attendees.
• You should plan one line for every 100 attendees,
  but you should have two lines if the number of
  attendees ranges from 120 to 200.

41
Tablescapes

• The top of the table is the stage.
• Once attendees are seated they will spend the
  rest of the meal function looking at the table.
• The table presentation sets expectations for the
  meal and should reflect the theme.
• The colors chosen for napery should not clash
  with the carpet or wall treatments.

42
Tablescapes

• Each place setting is referred to as a cover it
  includes placement of flatware, china, and
  glassware.
• The cover should never be empty, or what is
  called a "naked cover."
• A show plate, folded napkin, menu, or preset
  first course should be placed between the
  flatware.

43
Tables

• Tables should be padded so that table noises are
  minimized.
• The typical dining table and buffet table often
  have pad under-liners placed underneath the
  tablecloths.

44
Place Setting

• The exact place setting depends primarily on the
  menu and style of service.
• Flatware is placed in the order in which it will
  be used by the attendee, from the outside in.
• The soup spoon would be on the outside and far
  right, as soup is usually an early course.
• The knife would be closest to the center plate,
  with the blade edge facing the rim of the plate.
• The smaller salad fork would be set to the left
  of the dinner fork on the left side of the plate.

45
Place Setting

• Dessert flatware set above the plate would have
  the bowl of the spoon facing the attendees left,
  and the tines of the fork facing to the
  attendees right.
• Coffee cups should not be preset at a formal
  dinner.
• They should be placed on the table after dinner
  when coffee service begins.

46
Centerpieces

• Appropriate for the type of function.
• An edible centerpiece, such as a bountiful basket
  of various types of bread, makes an attractive
  and inviting centerpiece
• Consider how flowers will look on the day you
  will be using them.
• For flowers in full bloom, they should be
  purchased a few days early to allow them to open
  fully.

47
Centerpieces

• Keep in mind that strongly scented flowers, such
  as Tiger Lilies, can interfere with the palate,
  i.e., taste of the food.
• To avoid this, some meeting planners use balloon
  art in lieu of floral arrangements.

48
Centerpieces

• Centerpieces on dining tables should never be at
  eye level.
• They should not interfere with a person's normal
  sight line.
• They should be placed under or over these sight
  lines.
• You do not want uncomfortable attendees peering
  under, over, or around centerpieces trying to see
  the person on the other side.
• Attendees should not have to have a conversation
  with a disembodied voice.