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One Sandwich Per Person

(*a short guide to how not to run conference catering)

There I was, standing in a queue of professionally dressed adults, each waiting patiently for our turn to receive one cold sandwich.
Just one. No seconds, unless there was food left.
A sad salad to the side, muffins if you wanted them. (And to be fair, muffins there were plenty.)

This was not a budget airline. It was a space conference. One that was supposed to be professional, relevant, and worth the price of entry.

And yet, the food situation felt more like survival training than hospitality.

Gone in 60 Seconds

At one point, the trays of sandwiches were cleared so fast it felt like watching a reenactment of an action movie. Were the staff starving too? Was someone monitoring leftover sandwiches to make sure no one went for a second one?

All I know is that when professionals, who paid for a full conference ticket, are rushing toward a tray of cold sandwiches, something has gone wrong.

No one expects Michelin-star dining at a conference. But offering one sad, rationed sandwich and calling it a “lunch break” is not it. You are not just feeding people, you are setting the tone for the entire event.

Should You Even Offer Food?

This is a serious question.

If the choice is between:

  • Standing in line for 20 minutes for a cold sandwich
    or
  • Buying my own hot meal from a restaurant nearby

Then let me opt out of the ration queue.
Take the €30 off the ticket price and let me handle my own lunch.

The worst part? There was dinner, yes, but again, cold.
No warm food. No meaningful hospitality. Not even the feeling of being looked after.

Hungry People Do Not Network

Here is the thing: hungry people are not happy people.
They are distracted. Irritable. Counting the minutes until they can sneak off and find something edible.
You can have the best speaker lineup in the world, but if attendees are dehydrated and underfed, it all falls flat.

Food is not just about calories. It is about care, energy, and experience. It is a powerful part of event design.

The Basics Are Not Optional

If your attendees are standing, juggling plates, and pretending it is fine. It is not fine.

Feed them well. Give them space to sit. Offer something warm. Make the food part of the experience, not a logistical failure.

It is shocking how many events in this industry still treat catering as an afterthought. In a sector that prides itself on precision, can we apply the same to the lunch queue?

Final Thought

If you want your attendees to stay alert, network, and remember your event fondly, start by not starving them.

One sandwich per person is not logistics.
It is a metaphor for everything else that is broken.