Organising a corporate seminar: a typical day's programme, hour by hour, with the catering

A one-day corporate seminar runs from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm: a welcome, four sessions, two 15-minute breaks, a lunch and a close. The catering for this typical day costs €49.90 per person excl. VAT, so €1,056 excl. VAT for 20 people with two deliveries. Here is the hour-by-hour programme, the rhythm of the breaks, the choice of lunch and the mistakes to avoid. The full budget table is in the budget for a corporate seminar per person.

What is the programme for a seminar day, hour by hour?

A seminar day runs from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm with four sessions of 1.5 to 1.75 hours, two 15-minute breaks and a 1 hour 15 minute lunch. The catering follows these markers: welcome at 8:30 am, break at 10:45 am, lunch at 12:30 pm, break at 3:30 pm and close at 5:15 pm.

Time	Moment	Duration	Catering	Price per person excl. VAT
8:30 am	Welcome coffee	45 min	Classique breakfast: pastries, juice, coffee, fruit	€8.00
9:15 am	Opening and session 1	90 min	None	€0
10:45 am	Morning break	15 min	Afternoon break selection	€6.00
11:00 am	Session 2	90 min	None	€0
12:30 pm	Lunch	75 min	Lunch tray	€29.90
1:45 pm	Session 3	105 min	None	€0
3:30 pm	Afternoon break	15 min	Afternoon break selection	€6.00
3:45 pm	Session 4	90 min	None	€0
5:15 pm	Conclusions and close	15 min	Option: L'Invitation cocktail reception, 8 canapés	€29.90 as an option
Day		9 h	Breakfast, 2 breaks, lunch	€49.90

For the general organisation of a seminar (welcome, residential formats, venues), see the guide to the corporate seminar caterer in Paris.

What rhythm of breaks keeps people going for a full day?

Plan a break every 1.5 to 2 hours, so two breaks of 15 to 20 minutes in the day, and allow 1.5 to 2 sweet pieces per person per break. The breaks appear at a fixed time in the programme, never "when the session ends".

For drinks, allow 1.5 cups per person over a 3-hour morning: a 1 L thermos serves 6 cups, so 5 thermoses at €19.50 excl. VAT for 20 people (€97.50 excl. VAT). Cutting a break by reflex saves €6 per person excl. VAT, so €120 excl. VAT for 20 people: keep that for a short programme.

Which seminar meal idea: lunch tray, sharing menu or cocktail reception?

The lunch tray, from €28.90 to €30.90 per person excl. VAT, is the choice that keeps the programme on track: it is eaten in the meeting room without service. The sharing menu and the lunch reception suit team-building days, with a budget difference worked out below.

Format	Price per person excl. VAT	Choose it if	Difference from the tray at €29.90, 50 people
Lunch tray	€28.90 to €30.90	The programme is packed, the 1:45 pm restart is firm	Benchmark
Sharing menu	€34.90 to €37.90	The day is about team-building, tables are shared	+ €250 to + €400
La Réception lunch reception	€40.90	Lunch is a standing time for conversation lasting 1.5 to 2 hours	+ €550
On-site live cooking station	On a quote, minimum €600 excl. VAT	The group has 20 people or more and the day has a highlight	At least €12 per person excl. VAT for 50

The menus are detailed on the lunch trays page. The tray is charged at €28.90 (vegetarian), €29.90 (chicken) or €30.90 (salmon).

What budget for a seminar of 30 people, a costed example?

For 30 people, the typical day costs €1,555 excl. VAT: 30 × €49.90 = €1,497, plus 2 deliveries at €29 excl. VAT. The three variants below start from the same day and use the prices from the guide to the budget per person.

Variant	Products per person	Deliveries	Calculation for 30 people	Total excl. VAT	Per person
Typical day	€49.90	2 (€58)	30 × 49.90 + 58	€1,555	€51.83
Sharing menu at €37.50	€57.50	2 (€58)	30 × 57.50 + 58	€1,783	€59.43
With closing cocktail reception	€79.80	3 (€87)	30 × 79.80 + 87	€2,481	€82.70

For 20, 50 and 100 people: €1,056, €2,553 and €5,048 excl. VAT for the typical day. Water at lunch, collecting equipment and live stations are to be added.

What logistics should you plan on the day of the seminar?

Plan two deliveries at €29 excl. VAT, so €58 excl. VAT: one at 8:00 am with the breakfast and the morning break, one at 12:00 noon with the lunch trays and the afternoon break. If you want the 3:30 pm break delivered just before, allow a third delivery.

• Venue: one table for the welcome, one table for the breaks, a water point or bottles, outside the session room.
• Contact: one person present at each delivery, with their mobile number.
• Equipment: delivery includes neither setting up nor collection. Collecting reusable tableware costs €19 excl. VAT on top of delivery.
• Lead times: order until 2 pm the day before, 48 hours' notice recommended from 50 people. The details are in the office manager's checklist.

A real example: a 3-day seminar in the Val-d'Oise

In June 2026, a seminar organiser entrusted us with three days in Ermont (95). Every morning at 7:00 am: 250 to 350 mini pastries, 5 coffee urns and 1 tea urn. Every lunchtime at 11:30 am: 59 to 71 lunch trays across five menus, one vegetarian, two meat and two fish. That makes 6 deliveries in 3 days and 193 lunch trays. The full story is in our client case studies.

How do you handle dietary requirements during a seminar?

The whole menu is halal and pork-free by default, alcohol-free and at no extra cost: nobody has to single themselves out. Vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options are specified when requesting the quote, with the number of guests per dietary need; the kitchen handles flour, so traces are possible. See the corporate halal caterer page.

Which common mistakes should you avoid at a corporate seminar?

• Leaving lunch without a set length: set 1 hour 15 minutes for the lunch tray and display the restart time.
• Delivering breakfast at the start time: ask for delivery at least 30 minutes before participants arrive.
• Cutting the afternoon break by reflex: it costs only €6 per person excl. VAT.
• Counting the sign-ups rather than those attending: order on the attendance confirmed 48 hours before.
• Forgetting water: it is not included in the price of the lunch tray.
• Finding out about dietary needs on the day: collect them a week before, with a number per dietary need.
• Leaving the second delivery out of the budget: €29 excl. VAT per delivery, two for one day.

Frequently asked questions about organising a corporate seminar

For catering matched to your programme, your headcount and your venue, request your quote with the time of each part of the day: reply within 24 hours, delivery from 6:30 am in Paris and Île-de-France. L'Écrin Traiteur prices, October 2026.