Craving an event menu that will satisfy attendees’ appetites and minds? Catering to both can be creative and budget friendly. Consider these four tips to please and impress attendees:

  • A close-up of a cheese bar with different types of cheeses, cheese knife, fork and apricots. Make special dietary needs a focus of your menu. Gluten free and vegetarian options are just two examples of special arrangements that may need to be made for attendees. Don’t make them an afterthought. Instead, highlight these one or two unique items on the event menu. Then, round out those items with the more mainstream options. You’ll be perceived as a great host, and you’ll maximize your catering budget.
  • Showcase local fare for out-of-town attendees. Work with a certified catering professional, like Monona Catering, to explore items that could add a bit of local pizzazz to your event. For example, at Monona Terrace, a variety of Wisconsin cheeses, meats and samples of craft Wisconsin beers frequently add the “welcome” to the reception.
  • Surprise guests with an unexpected snack. Caramel corn and cotton candy or a bruschetta bar could be fun deviations from the standard snack bars and cookies. The bonus? Since snacks are a smaller scale menu item, this special touch can be budget friendly as well.
  • Consider food as a take-home gift. And be sure to include a message from your company or organization thanking people for their attendance. For clients at Monona Terrace, we have handcrafted special order cake pops, which can be wrapped and tagged with a custom message that recipients will read later. Include your company’s social media accounts or a QR code so attendees can keep in touch.

Unique catering for your business meeting can get attendees networking and keep the event running smoothly with energized focus. Wow your guests with unique details they will not soon forget!

By Patty Lemke, CPCE, Monona Catering