Creative Menu Ideas: Mix Up Meeting Meals for Better Attendance

Ask any meeting planner and they will confirm that food is a huge motivator in getting people to attend and enjoy meetings. This is especially true with recurring meetings (e.g., weekly, monthly), and meetings in which the topic may be less than stimulating. As a consultant, I attend more than my share of meetings and can usually expect the following: donuts, Danish, pastries and fruit for breakfast; cold cut platters, salad, and cookies for lunch; more cookies for snacks; some type of chicken, green beans, and potatoes au gratin for dinner; and spinach puffs and a cheese plate for hors d'oeuvres. I bet some of you are laughing as you read this because you know how true it is! As one meeting planner said, "People will come to a meeting if the food is going to be better than what they would eat in their office or grab by themselves."

Imagine how much more satisfied and motivated meeting participants would be if they didn't know what to expect when they entered one of your meetings, but they knew they would find something different, creative, and delicious. To plan exciting menus requires thinking outside the box, but it does not have to mean breaking the bank or expanding your budget. Here are a few general tips, followed by interesting suggestions that other meeting planners have tried.

• Tie the food to the theme. For instance, if the theme of your meeting is an update from the administrative departments, name each dish for one of the departments (e.g., Marketing's Mac ‘n Cheese; Finance's Fajitas, etc.)

• Vary the menu each session for recurring meetings - how many months in a row can one group face the same cold cut platter?

• Engage the meeting participants in some way, whether by having a "tasting," a contest, or a hands-on meal in which they need to customize their food (such as a taco bar).

• Work with local restaurants and caterers and mix it up a bit so you are trying different resources from time to time.

Here are some interesting and unusual menus that other groups have tried.

• In a meeting that focused on teambuilding, the participants were assigned to groups and sent to eat together in different rooms. There were no serving pieces or silverware in the room, but rather an assortment of odd items. The team had to work together to fashion these items into replacement silverware and serving pieces.

• At a potentially boring software evaluation meeting, the planner invited six local caterers to prepare their best dishes in "taste bites." The participants voted in different categories for the winning dishes. This gave the caterers a chance to showcase their best dishes and engaged the participants in a fun way. As they walked around the room looking at the various software options they picked up their tastes along the way.

• In the tradition of Seinfeld, another meeting planner held a "Soup Nazi" event (who remembers the "No soup for you" episode from the classic sitcom?). For lunch, they served hot and cold soups in shot glasses with a variety of breads and cheeses. The meeting's topic of discussion was not enough to compel people to attend but the Soup Nazi twist got people in the door.

• I used to coordinate a monthly training session for the junior associates in a law firm. It's very easy for this particular group to skip a meeting because of the piles of work on their desk. To keep them coming back each month, I took votes for menu ideas and then ordered lunches from local ethnic restaurants. For instance, one month we had Chinese food, the next Mexican food, and the next Indian food. The associates loved it and readily attended.

• Instead of donuts for breakfast, how about something more hearty or healthy such as scones, biscuits, or yogurts with toppings? Or try a cereal bar with classic cereals and lots of toppings.

The ideas abound - serve regional foods, such as lobster rolls for meetings in the Northeast, barbeque in the South, or hot dogs with all the fixings in Chicago. Snack breaks offer great opportunities for creativity - consider hot pretzels with mustard, an ice cream cart, or bowls of trail mix. To manage the budget at cocktail receptions, serve beer and wine paired with just one signature cocktail (no need for a full bar).

The bottom line? Mix it up and think creatively about your menu. Resist the urge to order what you've always ordered. You'll keep your meeting participants coming back for more!