Organising a corporate inauguration: schedule, catering budget and guests

A corporate inauguration fits into 2 hours: 30 minutes of welcome, 15 minutes of speeches, 45 minutes of tour, then 30 minutes of cocktail reception, with the buffet open from start to finish. With La Réception at €40.90 per guest excl. VAT, the catering budget is €1,983.30 excl. VAT for 40 guests, alcohol-free drinks and delivery included. Here is the hour-by-hour schedule, the formats, the budget for 40, 80 and 150 guests and the four-week countdown.

What schedule for a corporate inauguration, hour by hour?

Allow 2 hours, from 6 pm to 8 pm, or from 12 noon to 2 pm for a lunch version: welcome, speeches, tour, then cocktail reception. The buffets are set out before the first guest arrives, stay self-service during the speeches and the tour, and the sweet canapés are served during the last quarter of an hour.

Evening	Lunchtime	Moment	Catering side
5:15 pm	11:15 am	Delivery and setup	Buffets set out, drinks chilled, one point per area
6:00 pm	12:00 noon	Guests welcomed	Drinks, first savoury canapés
6:30 pm	12:30 pm	Speeches (15 minutes)	Self-service buffet
6:45 pm	12:45 pm	Tour of the premises in small groups	One buffet at the entrance, one at the back
7:30 pm	1:30 pm	Heart of the cocktail reception	Substantial savoury canapés, live station
7:45 pm	1:45 pm	Sweet canapés and hot drinks, until 8:00 pm (2:00 pm)	End of service

The layout of the buffets in an office is detailed in the guide to the office inauguration cocktail reception.

Which formats should you choose for a corporate inauguration?

Four formats cover almost every inauguration: the drinks reception at €29.90 per guest excl. VAT (8 canapés), the lunch reception at €40.90 excl. VAT (12 canapés), the dinner reception at €51.90 excl. VAT (16 canapés) and the open day, from €6 excl. VAT per visitor and per break.

Format	Duration	Canapés per person	Catalogue package	Price per guest excl. VAT
Drinks reception, end of the day	1 to 2 hours	6 to 8	L'Invitation	€29.90
Lunch reception	1.5 to 2 hours	12 to 14	La Réception (12 canapés)	€40.90
Dinner reception	2.5 to 3 hours	16 to 18	La Célébration (16 canapés)	€51.90
Open day	Visitors throughout the day	1.5 to 2 sweet pieces per break	Afternoon break	from €6

La Réception is the most chosen corporate cocktail reception package, and the one to go for when welcoming clients and partners. The selections are on the cocktail receptions page, the benchmarks by occasion on the corporate cocktail reception in Paris page.

What catering budget for an inauguration with 40, 80 or 150 guests?

With La Réception, allow €1,665 excl. VAT for 40 guests, €3,301 excl. VAT for 80 and €6,164 excl. VAT for 150, delivery included and drinks not included. The calculation is the price per guest multiplied by the headcount, plus €29 excl. VAT for a single delivery.

Package	40 guests	80 guests	150 guests
L'Invitation (8 canapés, €29.90)	1,196 + 29 = €1,225	2,392 + 29 = €2,421	4,485 + 29 = €4,514
La Réception (12 canapés, €40.90)	1,636 + 29 = €1,665	3,272 + 29 = €3,301	6,135 + 29 = €6,164
La Célébration (16 canapés, €51.90)	2,076 + 29 = €2,105	4,152 + 29 = €4,181	7,785 + 29 = €7,814

Drinks are extra. For a 2-hour cocktail reception, allow 4 drinks per guest: 1 flute of Chardonnay 0% at €16.90 excl. VAT for a 75 cl bottle (6 flutes), 2 glasses of juice at €9.50 excl. VAT per litre (5 glasses) and 1 glass of water at €4.80 excl. VAT for a 75 cl bottle (4 glasses).

Guests	Chardonnay 0%	Juice	Water	Drinks	Total with La Réception and 1 delivery	Per guest
40	7 bottles: €118.30	16 L: €152.00	10 bottles: €48.00	€318.30	1,636 + 318.30 + 29 = €1,983.30	€49.58
80	14 bottles: €236.60	32 L: €304.00	20 bottles: €96.00	€636.60	3,272 + 636.60 + 29 = €3,937.60	€49.22
150	25 bottles: €422.50	60 L: €570.00	38 bottles: €182.40	€1,174.90	6,135 + 1,174.90 + 29 = €7,338.90	€48.93

The assumption is a single €29 excl. VAT delivery, drinks included. A second delivery or a second site adds €29 excl. VAT. Order on the confirmed attendees, with a 10% margin.

What countdown should you follow to organise an inauguration in 4 weeks?

A large reception is prepared 3 to 4 weeks in advance, even though the quote comes back within 24 hours. Here are eight steps, from D-28 to the day itself; the order itself, from D-7 to D+1, is in the office manager's checklist.

1. D-28: frame the inauguration and request the quote. Set the date (a weekday, as delivery is Monday to Friday), the format, the number of guests and the budget per guest, then request the quote: it comes back within 24 hours.
2. D-21: send the invitations. Give the start and end time, the address, the access and the reply deadline. A 2-hour cocktail reception fits from 6 pm to 8 pm or from 12 noon to 2 pm.
3. D-14: confirm the package and the options. Choose between L'Invitation, La Réception and La Célébration, then decide on the live cooking station and the alcohol-free drinks. Sign the quote.
4. D-10: set the buffet layout and the tour route. Place one buffet at the entrance and one at the back of the premises, avoid corridors and the areas around the lift, and tell the building's reception the delivery time.
5. D-7: collect replies and dietary needs. Count the confirmed attendees and the number of guests per dietary need (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free). The whole menu is halal and pork-free by default, at no extra cost.
6. D-2: confirm the final headcount. 48 hours' notice is recommended from 50 people or for several sites. Add a 10% margin to the confirmed headcount.
7. D-1 before 2 pm: make the last adjustment. Orders can be placed until 2 pm the day before: send the final headcount and dietary needs before that time.
8. On the day: receive and set up. Appoint someone to be present for the delivery, ask for delivery at least 30 minutes before guests arrive and set up the buffets: delivery includes neither setting up nor collecting equipment.

How do you organise a corporate open day?

For an open day from 10 am to 5 pm, plan one afternoon break per expected visitor, delivered in two batches: €418 excl. VAT for 60 visitors, so €6.97 per visitor excl. VAT. The calculation: 60 × €6 = €360, plus 2 deliveries at €29 excl. VAT.

Visitors arrive throughout the day: a cocktail reception at a fixed time does not work. Set up a welcome point replenished at 10 am and at 2:30 pm, and organise tours in 30-minute slots. For coffee throughout the day, a 1 L thermos serves 6 cups: 10 thermoses for 60 visitors, so €195 excl. VAT.

Which ideas make a corporate inauguration memorable?

Four ideas give guests a meeting point, each with a known cost.

• A live cooking station: minimum of €600 excl. VAT, so €15.00 per guest for 40, €7.50 for 80 and €4.00 for 150. Fresh salmon carving, mini burgers or a mocktail bar: see the live cooking stations.
• An alcohol-free bar: Chardonnay 0% at €16.90 excl. VAT a bottle for the toast.
• Two buffets rather than one: one at the entrance, one at the back of the premises.
• A gift box for key guests: 10 boxes of 10 madeleines at €24.90 excl. VAT cost €249 excl. VAT. See the gift boxes.

Which mistakes should you avoid for a corporate inauguration?

• Holding the inauguration at the weekend: delivery is Monday to Friday, from 6:30 am.
• Counting the invited guests rather than those attending: order on the confirmed attendees, plus 10%.
• Stopping service during the speeches: some guests are still arriving.
• Leaving drinks out of the budget: €318.30 excl. VAT for 40 guests.
• Booking a live station for under 20 guests: the €600 excl. VAT minimum goes over €30 per guest excl. VAT.

Frequently asked questions about organising a corporate inauguration

For a budget based on your date, your venue and your guest list, request your quote: reply within 24 hours, delivery from 6:30 am in Paris and Île-de-France. L'Écrin Traiteur prices, October 2026.