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Objective

People love free food at events! A pre-event reception provides an opportunity to welcome guests to your main event (see below), and a post-event reception gives them a reason to stay for the duration and provides a chance for them to chat with event speakers, panelists, and other attendees.

IMPORTANT NOTE: The Public Forum/Panel Discussion was organized by EcoCycle as part of an evening that included a pre-event warm-up reception, a showing of the Zero Waste Video, a Guest Speaker, a Public Forum/Panel Discussion, a Zero Waste Idea Contest and a post-event dessert reception . The pre- and post-event receptions' places in the larger event are in bold in the following schedule of EcoCycle's event. Remember, offering food and drink-before AND after your event if possible- is key to a well-attended event!

Schedule for Eco-Cycle event
(This event was held on a Friday night-the evening before Earth Day 2000-at the Boulder Public Library auditorium.)

How To Do It

Step 1 (4-6 weeks before event): Decide what you want to have to eat at your event (see Tips below). Call a few caterers to get price quotes.

Step 2 (2-3 weeks before event): Recruit volunteers to assist you with setting up and serving food/drink and with take-down afterwards. Note: approximately 10 staff/volunteers were utilized to help with set-up, food/beverage service, and clean up at EcoCycle's event. 250 persons attended the event.

Step 3 (2 weeks before event): Settle on a caterer (you'll have to estimate the number of attendees at your event). Also, arrange rental of durable food service items: plates, cups, silverware, napkins. Keep it a Zero Waste Event. Consider putting a "closed" sign on the nearby trash cans and ensuring that everything (or nearly everything) can be reused, recycled, or composted. Consider a meatless event so that composting scraps is less problematic. Buy beverages. If you have wine or other alcohol, be sure this is allowed in your facility, and monitor carefully the distribution.

Step 4 (Day before event): Contact caterer and confirm food delivery arrangements on the day of the event.

Step 5 (Day of event): Set up and leave lots of time to do so. Make sure volunteer hosts know what and how to serve guests, and what to do with used dishes, plates, cutlery, and napkins. Place clearly marked recycling bins next to trash cans and, again, consider placing "closed" signs on trash cans for added effect. Remember that at the end of a long evening, having lots of help on hand to clean up is very important! Make sure to announce again your dessert (post-event) reception at the outset of the activity just preceding it (this was the public forum/panel discussion at EcoCycle's event); this will encourage attendees to stay around.

Tips

• Consider cost, but order food that your guests will appreciate.
  
• Focusing on "finger foods" makes clean up easier.
  
• Have a variety of items so the individuals with allergies or dietary restrictions can partake.
  
• It's very helpful to have the caterer deliver the food, rather than the hosts having to pick it up.
  
• Think of ways to keep your reception "zero waste": reusable dinnerware, minimal wrapping on food items, reusable or recyclable bottles for beverages; make a point of this to guests, and invite them to help you by placing recyclable or reusable materials in clearly designated receptacles, etc.
  
• Check beforehand to ensure that coffee makers or hot water urns will work in the electrical receptacles into which they will be plugged.
  
• Recruit a responsive volunteer hosting crew that can respond to unforeseen problems and concerns.

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