Ladies' club luncheons, Bar Mitzvahs, fundraisers, dinner dances, birthdays, anniversaries, retirement parties -- the list of social events goes on and on. But you'd be surprised how often the social catering company forgets the social aspect. A line of guests stretching across one long table can only interact with the people right next to them or directly across from them. They're also stuck in their seats, waiting for the waiter to bring them one course at a time -- and everybody's eating the same thing! These are the events that have you checking your watch and eyeing the nearest exit.
Here at Events, Etc... we believe in keeping the "social" in social catering for the Bay Area. This usually means getting people up on their feet and interacting, and one great way to do that is to create a self-serve environment where people can chat and mingle as they pick out their favorite items. The mere fact that the guests have the option of choosing what's on their plate lends itself to conversation ("Oh, what's that you're getting? That looks great! Are you a vegetarian?"). Standing up and moving around is also more stimulating than sitting and waiting for the waiter to bring the food.
If you really want to get your Bay Area social event going, set up multiple food stations, each with a supply of small plates to keep guests from getting stuffed on any one dish. Your guests will love the excitement of discovering one delicacy after another as they move from station to station. This approach really boosts their ability to mix and mingle as people are going in all directions and making new connections at every turn. We can create a truly social social event for you, so contact Events, Etc... and let's make it happen!
If you've ever held an all-day meeting where the meals took place off site, you know how messy it can get when you're trying to direct guests to local restaurants and then get them back to the event site in time for the next session. Sometimes the mad scramble to get everyone fed becomes an exercise in herding cats. Then at the end of the evening everyone has to figure out where to go for dinner. All this craziness distracts the participants from the event itself while making it harder for them to network and meet each other in a relaxed environment.
