Tip: Dinners – From Ordinary to Extraordinary!

If you’re hosting a fundraising dinner, take it to the next level and make it extra special!

Here are some ideas:

• Make sure you have people opening doors for guests arriving and leaving. Don’t let anyone leave without a “Thank-You!”
• Provide a complimentary coat-check room. It’s fun and may bring in an extra couple of bucks in tips at the end of the night.
• Have someone fill the role of maître d’ and provide hosts/hostesses to escort people to their seats.
• Go with candlelight and low level lighting.
• Play classical music or jazz in the background for some delightful ambiance.
• Hosting a spaghetti dinner? Have some fun and go with an all-out Italian theme, speaking in over-the-top Italian accents and fake mustaches for all staff.  Make it a playful caricature… ensure that you don’t offend any of your guests.
• Don’t overlook the details… nicely folded napkins, mints, flowers on tables (that guests can take home), waiters floating around refilling glasses, etc.
• Fun for the kids: learn how to make some basic balloon animals and travel around the room making them for the kids attending.