Catering at the Opening of the Exhibition

A celebration of art, inspiration and communication of creative personalities - this is what, ideally, should be the grand opening (or closing) of the exhibition. Although this form of event has existed for a very long time and has its own canons, it is important to make it a beautiful spectacular event, and not a “hasty booze” somewhere in the back room of the gallery room. The catering service is needed precisely for this - so that none of the guests is left without refreshments, and the treat itself and the service of visitors to the event do not create dissonance with the contemplation of works of art.

Exhibitions are held in rooms that are not specifically designed for gastronomic pleasures. People don't come there for the sake of food and drink - therefore, high-quality catering should not turn a cultural event into a trivial feast. Depending on the characteristics of the premises, the characteristics of the exhibition itself and the number of visitors expected for the opening, they think over what kind of catering to order.

It makes sense to order a catering banquet in Kharkiv only for celebrations outside the museum or gallery halls, since sitting at tables surrounded by art objects is still not comme il faut. But a banquet may be appropriate in a separate hall reserved for it, for special guests of the event - artists, gallery owners, curators and other people involved in the creation of the exposition.

But the buffet can take place already in the exhibition room itself - as it does not require guests to sit at the tables. Catering at the exhibition in this case consists in setting tables with light cold snacks, immediately divided into small portions, and serving drinks in glasses.

Also, off-site catering (Kharkiv) at the exhibition center may imply a cocktail format - treating guests with alcoholic beverages (usually wine, champagne) and a minimal snack (fruits, sweets). This is done if a lot of visitors are expected, and it is problematic to predict their exact number for calculating servings.

And if the exhibition is combined with some kind of cultural and educational event - for example, a lecture, performance, artist talk, then the treat should not be organized at all during the event and in the same hall. It is better to order a coffee break or other catering services, and organize a light non-alcoholic snack for guests after the event or during a break. By the way, this format is great for opening exhibitions of children's art, where a buffet or a cocktail is definitely not appropriate.

But if the event takes place in the warm season in the open air, for example, if it is the opening of an art festival or a land art exposition, what is catering in this case? It can be "street food", and a table where guests can take a glass of tea or lemonade, or a light buffet with fruit salads - after all, an unusual event requires a creative approach to treat!

At exhibitions, turnkey catering is usually very necessary - after all, the curator (organizer) and gallery owners must deal with meeting visitors, conducting tours of the exposition, organizing the official part of the opening, giving interviews to the press and other similar tasks. And waiters are engaged in serving guests, providing catering services for serving and serving drinks and light snacks.

Catering and catering restaurants are guided by the fact that there is nowhere to cook food in the exhibition space, and it’s not worth it - all snacks are brought ready-made, they are only served on the spot, and drinks are poured into glasses.

If the opening of the exhibition takes place in the evening, after 18.00, if this is a solemn event for a limited list of guests, then a buffet or a cocktail is appropriate. Then you need VIP catering (Kharkiv) - for exquisite serving and competent serving of various noble drinks and snacks of “haute cuisine”.

But if the event takes place during the day, and the entrance to it is free, then the cost of catering may be lower. The services of waiters may not be required - just a few employees will be enough to prepare juices, tea or coffee, serve confectionery and fruits in a buffet format and make sure that visitors have enough of everything.

Catering in Kharkov at exhibitions is becoming more and more popular. In our city, there are quite a few spaces designed to host expositions, and every year new ones are opened - non-standard, more spacious, suitable for organizing large-scale events in the field of art. For each of them, you can choose a special catering from Pro100 Event.