Don't plan your catering at the last minute! Catering is one of the most important features of any corporate event. Even though it might not be a part of the agenda, it's a large part of what will make everyone feel comfortable, productive, and valued. Here are a few of the reasons why it's important to arrange your Sydney corporate catering in advance.
Why Should You Schedule Your Catering in Advance?
Foremost, your catering company is going to work very closely with your venue. Booking a venue and a caterer early on is important: you can't get a good venue, with the right available dates, last minute. The later you book, the more expensive the venue becomes, and the more difficult a caterer becomes to secure. The best venues are often booked months in advance.
If you want to compare quotes and menus, the process can be even longer.
Many caterers, such as Laissez-faire, have developed relationships with specific venues and can advise you on the best venue to have. If you work with a caterer first, you'll know which venues tend to work best for them, and which venues will work best for your type of event and size of event. Apart from providing catering for corporate events, catering companies can also suggest themes and decor.
And you don't want to rush your planning. Securing a caterer early on gives you more time to think about what you want, in terms of food, menus, and drinks. Your event won't come off as disorganised and rushed, and you'll be able to keep your guests informed and prepared as to what they can expect. There are many elements of catering that take time, such as collecting RSVPs, and making sure that you're meeting everyone's dietary needs. You can't rush these things without the event itself feeling unprofessional.
Getting your preliminary planning out of the way means that you can then focus on other, more complicated things. Once you have the venue and caterer in hand, you'll be able to better plan and budget for things like decor.
How to Organise Your Corporate Event Planning
It's important to secure a caterer and a venue early. But it can be difficult to manage time, especially if you're arranging multiple events, or trying to arrange an event while you're doing other things. If you're still wondering what the theme is going to be for your corporate event, how many people are going to arrive, or what your budget is, a caterer and a venue may feel very far off.
Here are some ways you can improve upon the organisation of your event planning.
- Create a checklist. A checklist makes it easy for you to manage even more complex events. Organise your checklist based on your priorities, and make sure to check things off as you accomplish them! You may even want to create a separate checklist each morning, of things you need to accomplish that day.
- Establish a budget early on. Your budget is going to influence nearly every aspect of your event, from the catering to the venue. Not only do you need to know the total budget, but also the budget per head — and that means getting in those RSVPs.
- Separate things into milestones and tasks. Huge milestones can be broken up into smaller tasks, to make them more manageable. You don't necessarily need to "book a venue" today, but you need to: research venues, call for quotes, and look up reviews.
- Create deadlines and frequently check-in. Knowing when things need to be done by can improve upon your organisational system. Check your deadlines to make sure everything's being handled on time. If deadlines are missed, the entire event schedule can be set back.
- Get things done as early as possible. If you're waiting on one thing, why not try to accomplish another? Getting things like catering and venues organised early on will take things off your plate, and let you focus on other things such as designs and menus.
- Ask for input from your caterer, employees, and coworkers. You don't need to do everything alone. Your caterer can give you professional advice regarding your event, while employees and coworkers can tell you what they'd like to see.
For the most part, organising a company event is about taking it step-by-step. As long as you're well-organised and continually making progress, you should be able to create an event that's unforgettable. And once you find your caterer, everything else often falls into place.
Are you planning a corporate event? It's never too early to book a caterer. We provide complete corporate event services, and can even connect you to some of the best venues in Sydney. Contact us today at (02) 9209 4810 or make an enquiry online.