Summertime heat is well and truly here! However, no one wants that to stop us from enjoying our outdoor garden events and parties. Extra care will have to be taken in the stages of the event planning as you look to choose the right venue, catering menu, and layout. Additional care should also be taken to monitor elements of food safety in the scorching heat. With this in mind, we’re going to share our four top tips for a successful summertime outdoor event.
Having a contingency plan
The first step to take in planning any event is choosing a venue that is perfect. For outdoor venues, you can choose from options that include courtyards, rooftop decks, gardens, beaches, or even parks. All of these options can make for a beautiful backdrop to a brilliant event, but be sure to make preparations for the weather. Contingency plans should be made ahead of time to make sure that your party continues, whatever the weather brings. If the venue is on a rooftop deck or outside area, ensuring it has an indoor or covered portion is important for shade purposes.
Choosing the correct menu for catering
Choosing the right catering menu for any outdoor event during summertime is massively important. Thinking seasonal, fresh, and light is always a good idea. Everyone knows the feeling you get after eating a large meal, and no one likes it when the heat is on! Designing a cool, light summertime menu is going to be key here. It’s hard to go wrong with dishes like grilled vegetables, salads, gazpachos, or small bites.
Strategic setup of stations and venue
Carefully planning your venue’s layout prior to an event is highly recommended. Planning to setup bars and food stations in spaces that are outside of direct heat is also a good idea. Keeping drink and food stations out of the heat will ensure that guests and also staff visiting food stations remain comfortable.
It is important to plan food displays in a way that will ensure food temperatures stay where they need to be. Utilising granite and marble serving slices that can be frozen ahead of time will keep food optimally nice and chilled. Filling trays with ice to put under the buffet dishes will keep your cheese plate as fresh as possible and green salad staying crisp!
Ensuring guest comfort
Make sure that you have plenty of water ready and plan for hydration stations that guests will inevitably need in the heat. Fans are a sure-fire way to keep guests cool, and can either be hand fans or larger ones, and they are great at keeping bugs away. Taking the correct precautions here will ensure that the outdoor event your guests attend will be one they get excited to tell everyone about for weeks to come.
If you are looking for a reliable buffet caterer to provide you with delicious and exciting food for your Jubilee party, look no further than Lauren’s Catering.
We are a family run firm and have been catering for the people of Gloucester for over 25 years, so you may well know us already. We are incredibly talented when it comes to cooking up a variety of tasty food. We take pride in delivering a service that leaves our customers feeling best pleased! When it comes to catering, we understand that the customer is always king. So we have included as much variety in our sandwich options as we can!
Find out more about our buffet catering services here or, discover what else we get up to here at Lauren’s Catering, and whether we can help you with your catering journey.
