Top event ‘Uh-Oh’ moments: Lessons (and laughs) from our dining disasters
Whether it’s a picnic in Hyde Park, a buffet in Singapore, or a grand banquet in Edinburgh, dining experiences are an essential ingredient in almost every event. For delegates, these meals aren’t just about satisfying hunger—they’re prime time for networking and building those all-important working relationships.
For events agencies like ours, the dining experience is often the litmus test of an event's success. Whether it’s a conference, team-building weekend, award ceremony, or gala, the meals reveal whether our carefully planned activities and seminars have truly inspired and connected delegates. A smooth dining experience is critical because dining disasters can get in the way of this essential bonding time.
That’s why we’re so meticulous in selecting reputable food and drink suppliers. We leave no stone unturned planning every detail, conducting quality checks, and maintaining clear, regular communication. Yet, even with all this preparation, the unexpected can happen. Take our experience in Manila, for instance, where welcoming our dinner guests suddenly felt like being dropped into a live episode of Fawlty Towers!
A food fiasco in the Philippines
The venue was stunning but lacking food preparation facilities, so we employed offsite catering and drinks services - something we’re very used to successfully orchestrating. After treating our delegates to a city tour in the sweltering heat, we arrived at the venue only to find the wine and beer hadn’t yet been delivered. Staying calm in the heat, we tracked down the drinks, which was still on board a delivery truck stuck in traffic. So our priority turned to taking care of our guests’ thirst and well-being until the welcome drinks arrived. We handed out water, emphasising the importance of staying hydrated in the hot weather and thankfully the delivery truck turned up soon after.
This would have solved all our problems - if there was anyone around to serve the drinks. The catering staff had decided this was the perfect time for a break, so while we had the drinks, we had no one to serve them. Being the ‘dynamic’ team we are, the two of us present jumped in and took on the task, ensuring all 100+ guests were served until the staff finally joined us.
With the guests now sipping their drinks and starting their appetisers, we breathed a sigh of relief and retreated to the kitchen to check on the main course - but it wasn’t there. The main meals, it turned out, had also not been delivered. Turns out, the meals were delayed, likely caught in the same traffic jam as the drinks. Knowing we couldn’t leave our guests with an awkward gap between courses, we proposed a quick fix to the client.
“We’ll bring the entertainment forward,” we explained, “Instead of after dinner, the dance troop can perform now.” The client agreed and, as the guests enjoyed the performance, the main course arrived ready to serve when the dance was over.
Calm nerves and creative thinking are key in these situations. Our team at Dynamic Events regularly brainstorms a range of scenarios to ensure we’re ready with a range of contingency techniques in our arsenal for when things go off script. This way, we’re not just taking a problem to the client, we’re ready with a solution. Another consideration here may have been cultural differences. We honestly don’t believe the caterers expected us to stick to our schedule, so they didn’t feel the need to keep to theirs.
Food not arriving is not the only catering crisis we’ve faced though. In fact, at a UK conference dinner we hosted two years back, we might have preferred certain dishes never arrived at all -
From delectable to detestable
Despite the growing popularity of vegetarian and plant-based diets, it’s frustrating how often the veggie option at event dinners feels like an afterthought. We’ve lost count of the times we’ve sighed, “Another risotto?” or “Quiche, again?” while reviewing proposed menus for gala dinners, award ceremonies and corporate dining events. That’s why, when we attended the menu tasting at our venue for a UK conference dinner in 2023, we were so pleased to be presented with a beautiful butternut squash curry. It was colourful, with a rainbow of vegetables - a textural spicy delight so delicious we raved about it in the office for the rest of the week.
We don’t just attend food tastings because we can, we do it because it’s essential. Even when you’re working with highly reputable caterers and restaurants where you’d expect the food to be showstopping, nothing should ever be taken for granted. Not only do we taste and select the food, but we also take photographs. And we’ve never been so pleased we did as when this formally visually stunning butternut squash curry emerged from the kitchen at the conference dinner.
What came out was not what we’d tasted beforehand. One by one we noticed this brown-orange sludge emerge from the kitchen and stared at each other in horror.
“It looks like a microwave meal!” our event manager, Olivia, exclaimed as bowls of the mushy curry were placed before the unfortunate vegetarian diners. One of which, naturally, was our client.
At this stage, there was not much we could do. Fortunately, it seemed the curry didn’t taste as bad as it looked but we were keen to assure our client that this was not the dish we had given our blessing to. Thanks to our thoroughness in the planning stage, we were able to show our clients the picture of the meal we’d tasted and selected so they were satisfied with the standard of vegetarian food we’d expected to be presented with.
Following this, it was our job to ensure the caterer took all of the vegetarian meals off of the bill since we were able to prove that what arrived was not what had been approved.
Why events agencies have the edge
Whilst hiring an event agency doesn’t always guarantee everything will be smooth sailing, it does ensure our clients can stay focused on their event without having to manage unexpected hiccups themselves.
When it comes to planning event dinners, we’re the taste testers, the timekeepers, and the eyes in the kitchen—making sure every dish is perfect and every dietary need is met. Furthermore, because we know the importance of putting stringent agreements in place to ensure catering suppliers and venues meet their obligations, we are able to ensure our clients don’t pay for it when these obligations aren’t met. Another reason why our dining ‘uh-oh’ moments are few and far between.
Are you seeking an event partner to elevate your corporate events? Whether in the UK or abroad, Dynamic Events provide a wealth of experience, creativity and expertise. Get in touch to find out more about what we can offer.