Banquets
There are many occasions that require
banquets
in a high school setting. There may be a
"Senior Banquet" for graduating seniors, Awards Banquets for sports or
extra-curricular teams, or even a
banquet
for staff members. Any or all of these may come under your job description.
L O C A T I O N
The most important thing to find out initially, is how many people will be
attending. This will be a large factor in determining where you will hold
the dinner. There are
sites with dining rooms that
specialize in
banquets; restaurants that have a "back dining room" for this purpose, or
you could hold it at a local Elk's Club, church, or even in your own
cafeteria. The location you choose will largely determine the
atmosphere of the event.
C O S T
You need to determine how much people are willing to pay to attend your
banquet. Most
schools try to keep costs down, and often have pot-luck dinners for sports
teams. Whatever the group wants to spend will also determine how fancy
your dinner will be. Just remember, there is no right or wrong
approach--only different. Get a feel for the group's ideas about their
banquet by asking them lots
of questions. The more you know about their ideas, the easier it will
be to plan an event that will be successful.
F O O D
Food can range from an elegant three course meal, to hot dogs and
hamburgers on a barbecue. Most high school students haven't attended
many banquets, and are not
familiar with "banquet chicken." As a result, they may be a difficult
audience to satisfy. Part of your job will be to educate them as to what
to expect. Food is expensive, whether it is at a fancy banquet facility,
or your own cafeteria. So be careful when giving estimates on the cost.
It is easier to estimate high and come
down in price than to add on to the price at the last minute. And remember
that "doing it yourself' isn't always cheaper.
S E T U P & D E C O R A T I O N S
Again, decorations is an item that can run the gamut in approach and expense. There
are some basic things you will need--enough tables, chairs, linens, silverware, dishes
and glassware to serve your group. (If you have it at a banquet center or
restaurant--they will take care of these details.) You may also need people to help
serve food, depending on what type of dinner you are having.
After these basics are taken care of, you will need to consider decorations. This is
an area where most students excel. Have a student group spearhead this activity. Be
sure that they know their budget ahead of time to help them gear how elaborate they
can be. Then let them do it. They may want balloons, banners, confetti, swags, or
some other creative item that students are so adept at thinking of. Just keep in
touch with your student committee and don't be surprised at the end because you never
kept up with their plans. Communication is crucial to your success.
A W A R D S , S O U V E N I R S , P R O G R A M S
You may need special awards, souvenirs, or programs for this event.
PRINTED PROGRAMS: Your school secretary or a student should be able to help you set
up a nice printed program. It is a nice way to add a formal touch to a banquet.
Often times parents, teachers, or others have gone beyond the call of duty, and a formal
thank you in the program is nice. Be sure that any names printed in the program are
spelled correctly. It takes a bit of research time, but spelling a person's name wrong
can be insulting--so take the time.
AWARDS OR CERTIFICATES: This can take many shapes and forms. You may need trophies,
plaques, t-shirts,
engraved pen & pencil sets, or anything that will be given out for
special achievement. Allow lots of time for this. Eight weeks is a good rule of
thumb for delivery time. But contact your vendor early. They may need time to get
the item you want as well as time to engrave or personalize it. Certificates don't
take as long, but give people enough time. That way you won't be disappointed by not
having what you need on the evening of your banquet. (Also check to be sure that names
are spelled correctly on certificates or awards. If they need to be redone, you will
need to allow time for that.)
SOUVENIRS: There are many types of souvenirs that you may choose for a banquet. If
you need ideas, you can check in catalogs. Anderson's catalogs have hundreds of items
that could be used for banquet souvenirs. In fact, they probably have more things
available than you thought possible. Most catalogs will do rush orders, but you
should probably allow two months to receive an order.
P A R E N T P A R T I C I P A T I O N
If you can get parents to help you with this or any other event you plan, it can be
fantastic. Be sure that you communicate with them on a regular basis. They are
usually better acquainted with the other parents than you are, which enables more
involvement by the community as a whole. Certainly an important goal in education
today is parental involvement. This is one way you can help facilitate that.
