Ratgeber
Supporting programme and dinner on a business trip
Corporate recommends deriving the supporting programme and dinner from the goal of the trip, not overloading the day, and planning the seating plan and running order deliberately. One highlight a day with room for free time usually works better than a packed schedule.
Von Corporate, Stand
Schritt für Schritt
- Define the purpose of the supporting programme: thanks, exchange or experience.
- Plan the rhythm: highlight, break, free time.
- Choose the dinner according to group size, diet and mood.
- Fix the seating plan and the running order of the evening in advance.
- Keep speeches and programme items short and agree the timetable.
- Have alternatives ready for bad weather or delays.
Checkliste
- Purpose of the programme formulated
- One highlight per day fixed
- Free time planned in
- Dietary wishes and allergies recorded
- Seating plan and table size clarified
- Running order of the evening agreed with times
- Bad-weather alternative and transfers checked
- Alcohol-free options planned as an equal choice
The supporting programme often decides what participants remember after a business trip. Rhythm, seating plan and running order at dinner shape the mood more than the setting. This article shows how to plan the programme and dinner with purpose.
What is the purpose of the supporting programme?
A supporting programme is not a compulsory part but a means to an end. It should enable exchange, express thanks or bring the group together. For each programme item, ask yourself which goal it serves. If you find no answer, drop it.
Distinguish between events with a working character and recognition trips. At an offsite, the supporting programme serves recovery and relationship building, while on a reward trip the experience takes centre stage. The weighting affects duration, budget and selection.
Discuss the programme with management. It often knows expectations that are not voiced in the team, for example about appearances, speeches or guests.
What does a good daily programme look like?
Plan one highlight per day and leave the rest open. A programme filled from early to late tires the group and limits conversation. Free time is not a shortcoming but part of the planning.
Shape the rhythm: active in the morning, a break at midday, a quieter afternoon, dinner to round off. Take account of arrival and departure, when energy is lower. On the first evening a simple meal is enough. The second evening can be the festive one, once the group has settled in and conversation comes more easily.
Offer choices. Two activities to choose from instead of one compulsory exercise raise satisfaction and prevent individuals from feeling uncomfortable with an unsuitable offer. People with limitations feel less excluded when alternatives are provided.
How do you choose the venue and format for dinner?
Dinner is often the most important shared moment of the trip. Choose a venue that suits the size of the group and where conversation is possible. Rooms that are too loud and tables that are too tight are a nuisance. Ask about private areas if you have a larger group.
Clarify the format: set menu, buffet or sharing. A set menu simplifies the running order, a buffet gives more freedom, and sharing encourages conversation. Record allergies and dietary wishes early and pass them on to the venue in writing.
Check the route and time: how does the group get to the venue and back? For larger groups, organised transfers or a venue within walking distance of the hotel are worthwhile.
Seating plan, speeches and running order
A deliberate seating plan mixes the group. If everyone sits with their usual team, the meal misses its purpose. With place cards or seats drawn by lot you create new conversations without it seeming forced.
Keep speeches short. A brief welcome and a word of thanks from management are enough. Long speeches during the meal disrupt the flow. Agree the order with the venue so that service and programme do not clash.
Plan the end of the evening. Anyone who wants to leave early should be able to do so without fuss. At the same time, others may stay longer. Clarify how the return to the hotel works and who the contact person is.
What about alcohol and inclusion?
Offer alcohol-free drinks as an equal choice and put no pressure on anyone. Set ground rules for the evening, for example a drinks allowance if the company pays the costs. Clarify this in advance with management.
Think of cultural and religious differences, of diets and of people with limited mobility. Ask about wishes in the invitation so that nobody stands out on the evening.
Legal questions on whether the evening programme is compulsory or voluntary are for HR or your legal department to settle. Tax treatment is a matter for your fiduciary. This article is no substitute for advice.
How do you react to changes?
Plans change: weather, delays, cancellations. Keep an alternative programme ready and agree with providers until when rebookings are possible. A contact person on site decides quickly when things change and has the phone numbers of all providers to hand.
Inform the group briefly and clearly. An information sheet with times, meeting points and a phone number reduces queries. Update it when things change and share it the same way.
For planning, Corporate offers consultation by video call. Start via the [Corporate planning page](/m/corporate/planen).
