Meeting Planners Cheat Sheet: Beverages (2024)

Here’s the first in a series of four quick tip sheets for meeting and event professionals regarding food and beverage, and meeting room setups. It’s also a great referral sheet for those appointed to handle meeting logistics for their company’s meetings and need some insight.

Morning Beverages

Amount to serve:

• 1 gallon regular coffee per 30 attendees
• 1 gallon decaf coffee per 75 attendees
• 1 gallon hot water (for tea) per 100 attendees
• Provide soft drinks and bottled water for 25% of the group

Tips:

• 1 gallon fills 21 6-oz cups
• 1 gallon fills 16 8-oz cups
• 1 gallon fills 10 12-oz cups
• Some hotels will let you order half-gallons
• Order bottled water and soft drinks on consumption instead. If you do, be sure toconduct an opening and closing inventory.

Beverages For Breaks

Amount to serve:

• 1 gallon regular coffee per 50 attendees
• 1 gallon decaf coffee per 50 attendees
• 1 gallon hot water (for tea) per 100 attendees
• Provide soft drinks and bottled water for 70% of the group

Tips:

• Order bottled water and soft drinks by consumption

Evening Banquet Beverages

Amount to serve:

• 1 gallon regular coffee per 30 attendees
• 1 gallon decaf coffee per 30 attendees
• 1-2.5 alcoholic drinks per person, per hour at an open bar

Tips:

• 25 1-oz drinks in a 750 mL bottle
• 33 1-oz drinks in a 1 L bottle
• 4-5 glasses of wine per 750 mL bottle
• Size of drinks can vary greatly among bartenders
• Ask bartenders to use a pouring-control system to contain costs
• Conduct an opening and closing inventory to confirm proper amount charged.

Staffing

Service ratios:

• 1 bartender per 75-100 attendees
• 1 co*cktail server per 50 attendees

Your mileage for beverages may vary based on length of breaks, outside temperature and male-female mix.

Are you using any other formulas or best practices to hydrate your attendees? How are you stretching that expensive gallon of coffee?