How to organise a corporate food and drink event: showcooking, tastings and pairings

Almost every corporate event involves food. At a food and drink event, the food is also the reason for getting together: a chef cooking in front of the guests, a guided tasting, a dinner where every dish has its own glass. That is why they are remembered and why they work so well for teams, clients and brands.

This guide covers which formats work for companies, how to choose for your group and goal, what the venue needs, how to plan the menu and timings and which mistakes to avoid.

The essentials in 30 seconds

• Choose the format for the goal: bringing the team together, thanking clients or presenting a product.
• Group size decides: a close-up showcooking works for up to a few dozen people; for hundreds, food stations or a dinner served in courses are better.
• Someone should explain the food: the chef, sommelier or bartender turns food into an experience.
• Ask about allergies and diets in advance, and make sure the alternatives are just as good.
• Look after sound and visibility: if people cannot hear the chef or see the dish, the show is lost.

Food and drink event formats for companies

• Live showcooking: a chef cooks in front of the guests and explains the produce. It works as the highlight of a cocktail or as an event in its own right.
• Pairing dinner: a menu of several courses where each dish comes with a wine, beer or cocktail, with someone explaining the pairing.
• Guided tasting: wine, olive oil, cheese, vermouth or spirits, with small bites. Short, educational and easy to combine with a presentation.
• Cocktail masterclass: a bartender makes cocktails live and teaches guests to make one.
• Cocktail with food stations: rice dishes, Iberian ham, cheese, seafood or desserts at different points. The most flexible format for large groups.
• Cooking workshop or competition: guests cook in teams, for example a paella. Very useful as team building.
• Gala dinner with a tasting menu: for big company celebrations, with a menu designed for the occasion.

How to choose for your group and goal

• Bringing the team together: a cooking workshop or competition, a cocktail masterclass or an interactive showcooking.
• Thanking clients: a pairing dinner or guided tasting, with few guests and a personal touch.
• Presenting a product or brand: a showcooking or tasting featuring the product, followed by a cocktail.
• Groups of 15 to 50: showcooking, tasting or pairing dinner.
• Groups of 50 to 200: a cocktail with food stations and a showcooking as the central moment.
• More than 200: a gala dinner with well-coordinated courses or a cocktail with several stations.

If you are looking for team ideas beyond cooking, here are more team building ideas in Valencia.

What the venue needs

• An in-house or nearby kitchen: so dishes arrive hot and on time, without depending on transport.
• A showcooking point with extraction, power sockets and room for the audience to gather round the chef.
• Sound and a microphone so the chef or sommelier can be heard.
• Screens or a camera to see the plating up close when the group is large.
• High tables for the cocktail and tables to sit at for the dinner or tasting.
• Careful lighting: people eat with their eyes too, and the food ends up in the photos.

Menu, drinks and timings

• Design the menu around the format: bites to eat standing at a cocktail, short courses at a pairing dinner.
• Seasonal, local produce: rice dishes, Iberian ham, fish from the market or wines from the Valencia region tell a story guests understand.
• Gluten-free, vegetarian and vegan options designed as dishes in their own right, not as exceptions.
• Matching drinks: wines for pairing, a welcome cocktail and alcohol-free options that are just as good.
• Realistic timings: a tasting lasts about an hour; a showcooking, 30 to 45 minutes; a pairing dinner, two to three hours.

To work out the cost per guest, see our guide to event budget and timeline.

Common mistakes

• A showcooking nobody can see: the audience too far away and no screens.
• Explanations that run too long between dishes.
• Tasting portions for an event that should be a dinner: nobody should leave hungry.
• Forgetting allergies or dealing with them at the last minute.
• Squeezing food in as filler in a programme already full of speeches.

Food and drink events at Palau Alameda

At Palau Alameda, on Paseo de la Alameda, food and cocktails are part of the event:

• Àtic: a panoramic restaurant with a terrace and its own kitchen, for showcookings, tastings, cocktail masterclasses and dinners with views.
• La Gran Sala: stage, sound and screens for gala dinners and food presentations, for up to 800 people.

Events held here include Disscarlux's Carnival Fest, a showcooking for 40 diners with four types of meat cooked live, Powerco's Christmas dinner for 280 diners from several countries in La Gran Sala, the World Class presentation with a masterclass for 30 bartenders, the Brugal Dinner & Cocktails Show, a dinner paired with rum, and the presentation of the Utiel-Requena wine guide at Àtic.

You will find all the details on our private events page. And if you would like to get a feel for the house style first, Àtic also runs food experiences open to the public.

Frequently asked questions

What is a corporate food and drink event?

An event where food and drink are at the centre of the experience: a showcooking, a tasting, a pairing dinner or a cocktail masterclass, organised for a team, clients or a brand.

What is a showcooking for companies?

A live cooking demonstration in which a chef prepares and explains one or more dishes in front of the guests, who then taste them. It can be the central moment of a cocktail or the whole event.

Which food event works best for team building?

Interactive ones: a team cooking workshop or competition, a cocktail masterclass where everyone makes their own drink or a showcooking with challenges for the guests.

How long does a food and drink event last?

A tasting, about an hour; a showcooking, 30 to 45 minutes within a two-to-three-hour cocktail; a pairing dinner, two to three hours.

What does a venue need for a showcooking?

A nearby kitchen, a cooking point with extraction and power, sound so the chef can be heard, screens if the group is large and room for the audience to gather round.

How are allergies handled at a food event?

By asking about them when guests confirm, passing them to the kitchen in good time and preparing alternatives as carefully as the rest of the menu.