With a much more educated attendee, it becomes harder to impress and your traditional banquet with rounds for eight to ten people is just not going to cut it anymore. So what to do?

Your inspiration is closer than you think. Just take a look at the restaurant industry for how to break that banquet habit.

Need a few ideas? We talked with Linwood Campbell of Horseshoe Casino Cincinnati, and he let us in on a few of his secrets:

Ditch the matchy furniture

Want to really make your banquet feel like a restaurant dining experience? Then get rid of those rounds. Replace them with square tables and make sure that no two tables next to each other are alike. This eclectic feel will mimic that of a restaurant and right away signal to your attendees that they are not at the average event.

Retrain the banquet wait staff

Banquet wait staff are used to one kind of set-up and a certain way of serving food. When you start mixing those two elements up, it’s important to make sure that the wait staff knows how to maneuver through the room and serve food. Especially since this is a major part of the attendees’ experience. So whenever making a major change like this, make sure the wait staff is ready for it.

Look at what’s hot in restaurants now

Within a few years, most of the hot trends in restaurants tend to trickle down to events. But why wait? Stay ahead of the curve and look at what restaurants are doing now when planning your event. You can integrate one or two that fit best into your particular event, whether it is menu or decor. Just a couple little changes will make you look like a very innovative event planner.

Rent out a restaurant

Why reinvent the wheel? There are many restaurants, especially in Cincinnati, that can accommodate larger groups and can put on a spectacular event. You will save time and can be guaranteed an unforgettable event. If you’d like a few ideas of restaurants that would be a good fit for this option, contact us for more information.