More than 50% of the people polled said “cocktail hour” was their favorite part of an event. Cocktail hour allows people to unwind with great appetizers and alcohol and get into the mood of the event. And, who doesn’t love eating a variety of great foods while socializing with family and friends?
If cocktail hour is as important to you as it will be your guests, and you plan on having “cocktail hour”, here are two tips for a successful cocktail hour.
- Make Sure To See The Space Before The Event. While menus and event space look great on paper you really need to see the space. Sometimes what you think might be a perfect space, based on recommendations by the catering hall, end up to being a small closet sized space that will feel cramped and uncomfortable for your guests. So, schedule a time to visit the catering hall. Ask them to show you the room where cocktail hour will be held for your specific number of guests. Given your number of guests, the catering hall can determine the best room for your cocktail hour. Look at this space and make sure it feels adequate and comfortable for your guests.
- Inquire About Seating. While this sounds like a given, there’s a little secret you need to be aware of in the catering business. To cut corners in staffing and resources, some catering halls offer far less seating than your number of guests during cocktail hour. While the room may be appropriate, many of your guests will have to stand to eat. The catering halls’ excuse to this business approach? Not all your guests will want to sit to eat so less chairs are adequate. Remember if the food is great, which it should be, your guests will want to sit to enjoy it. So, when the room fills up and your guests don’t have a seat to eat great appetizers you’ll have an embarrassing situation making your guests feel uncomfortable.To ensure this doesn’t happen you need to ask a critical question and be specific to get the clearest answer. Ask if there will be enough seating for every one of your guests. You want to make sure that if you have 200 guests there will be seating for 200 people.
Start your event off on the right foot. Follow these two tips for a successful cocktail hour. You’ll be glad you did and your guests will be talking about you well after the event is past.
