If you saw our last post, you might have wondered how successful a virtual gala (or any corporate event, for that matter) for almost 700 people could be. Well, we’re here to say that it was a smashing success! Here’s what Victoria Young, Senior Development Manager for CASA Travis County had to say:
“There were a lot of details to coordinate with transitioning CASAblanca to virtual and Royal Fig made it so easy! Claudia was always willing to jump on the phone to talk through ideas and answer our questions. Their entire team was great to work with – from professional servers to DELICIOUS and creative meals, everything ran smoothly. The Royal Fig team helped us accommodate all of our guest’s needs and meal preferences, delivering individually packed meals all over Austin. Our guests have been raving about how wonderful everything tasted and how easy the experience was for them.”
People Want to Participate in Corporate Events
We’re so proud of our team and their dedication to making an event like this one run so smoothly. Of course, an event this unique and on this scale leads to a lot of reflection. As we looked back on the planning and execution of catering CASAblanca, a major trend emerged, and we think it will be the dominating theme of corporate events in 2021: participant comfort.
People still want to engage with their communities and teams. A great meal can still bring people together. But the way we come together for the foreseeable future will be all about adaptability and providing options that make everyone comfortable enough to participate.
How We Have Adapted
From the very outset of planning, we knew we needed to create a unique menu that could transport well for this unique event. We discussed this at length in our last blog, but now that this event is in the books, we decided that our corporate events need more of these individually portioned options. We’ve started adding some of these options to our corporate events menu because no matter the size of the event, the days of buffet lunches are likely on an extended hiatus.
Ordinarily for an event this size, we also establish hard deadlines for head counts so that we can order supplies appropriately. However, it became clear that between the virtual nature of the event and the ever-evolving status of COVID-19 guidance, guests needed greater flexibility so that they could participate in a way that was comfortable for them.
For example, as the day of the event neared and COVID-19 levels increased in the local area, many of the guests who would have attended at hosts’ homes opted to attend from their own homes. Now that we’ve successfully navigated an event like this, we can better help clients navigate the planning process from the very outset to anticipate attendee needs and preferences. These insights may be especially helpful to teams as they begin organizing their first team events since the pandemic began.
Whether you’re planning a team-building luncheon or some other kind of corporate event, we can help you succeed. Contact us today to see how we can bring your team together over a great meal, in a way that makes everyone feel welcome and safe.