Despite our elaborate dinner parties, we are a fairly casual people. Like any gathering from Northern Ontario, people wearing plaid shirts average anywhere from 33-66% at any given time.
That made it all the more alarming when we were greeted by my sister in a blazer and her partner in a dress shirt and tie. For a moment, I panicked that I had missed a message and we had shown up severely underdressed. Me, especially in my ever-expanding maternity leggings and what was probably my husband’s shirt.
As the rest of the guests trickled in, I was relieved to see we were all equally underdressed for our surprise business dinner party.
So this week let’s talk about what made this business dinner party so much fun – from the decorations that you likely already have to the presentation that definitely could not be shown in any real meetings.
The Decor: Business Casual
There are a few things about a business dinner party that make it pretty easy to put together while still being very entertaining to your guests. One of these things is the decor.
Think:
- “Meeting in Progress” sign taped to the front door
- Binders, pencils, pens and highlighters set out as decorations on the table
- Name tags for everyone – make sure they include job titles. I, as a very pregnant woman, was titled Vice President of Internal Affairs
- Elevator music or something equally as dull
- A slide deck up on the screen – the topic at your discretion, but I would recommend making it mildly unsettling for your guests (we will talk more about this later!)
- Chairs set out to view the presentation after the meal
Most of these things are either in your possession already or easy to come by and quite inexpensive. You can lean into your own workplace for inspiration or look to the Office.
The Menu: Easy Gourmet Appetizers You’d Be Happy To See At An Office Lunch
For the menu, use basic office lunches as the foundation and build on it with slightly more intricate recipes and ingredients.
They had a station with water bottles, juices and sparkling water set out with a fresh pot of coffee made nearby. Appetizers included a veggie tray, and sandwiches were served as the main. These sandwiches were made with homemade focaccia and were definitely unlike anything I’ve ever seen at a meeting!
Lastly, dessert was a variety of cookies and brownies set out for us to pick away at the rest of the evening. Altogether, this was fairly simple but definitely hit the spot, and has the benefit of being pretty crowd-pleasing if you have any picky eaters in your midst.
The Presentation: Big Slide Deck Energy
Now you have a well-fed, captive audience eagerly waiting for you to dive into your presentation. How should you wow them? You know your group best and what they would find funny; lean into that. But if you are having trouble coming up with anything, be sure to check out this article from Cosmopolitan for some different ideas.
If you plan this well enough in advance, you could cover some topics like:
- Who wore it best? Where you show pictures of your friends wearing similar outfits. This is incredibly easy to do when plaid is such a staple item.
- Top Ten Funniest Things Said This Quarter. You’ll have to be quite organized to make this happen, but I believe in you!
- Which Meryl Streep Character You Remind Me Most Of (And Why). Replace with any actress or actor that resonates best with your group.
As for our hosts, they decided to cover our dinner parties.
Good luck with planning your own business dinner party! Let us know how it goes in the comment below.
Looking for more inspiration? Check out this Hot Ones Dinner Party!
