Press day breakfast: the format that really works

The breakfast at a press day is not a minor detail.

It is the first moment with the journalists. Before the press conference, before the speech, before the product demo, there is this half-hour around a tray of pastries where the rapport is built, or not, that decides whether your story gets covered or ignored.

We deliver breakfasts to press relations agencies, brands at launch, and SMEs trying to get a foot in the door of the major media. Here is what we have learned.

Why the press day breakfast is your real lever

Most journalists arrive at a press day without having read your press kit. They have five other events this month. Your pitch may reach them, your product may interest them. But the breakfast? That is where you show that you respect them.

Journalists remember three things:

• The timing of the breakfast. Did you start right on time, or keep them waiting?
• The quality of the pastries. Industrial or artisan?
• The atmosphere around it. Rushed, stressed, or welcoming?

A press day for a cosmetics brand with frozen pastries reads as: "You are not worth the price of real butter". A press day with homemade artisan madeleines and decent coffee reads as: "We took care of you". It sounds silly, but it is true. And experienced journalists know it.

The press day breakfast budget, in reality

For a press day of 30 to 50 people, allow:

• Classique formula: from €8 per person excl. VAT (artisan pastries, juice, coffee, fruit)
• Full breakfast: €12 to €16 per person excl. VAT (adding madeleines or loaf cakes, farmhouse yoghurts and a wider selection of juices)
• Delivery: €29 excl. VAT in Paris and the nearby towns, on top

For 40 journalists, the difference between the Classique formula (€320 excl. VAT) and the full breakfast (€480 to €640 excl. VAT) is €160 to €320 excl. VAT. That is the price of a first impression journalists do not forget.

What journalists notice (even if they do not say so)

The pastries. They must still be warm or very fresh. If they have been cold for two hours, it shows. And it says "we ordered yesterday for tomorrow".

The choice. Two croissants and four pains au chocolat are boring. Eight varieties get people talking. People wonder which bakery made them. They taste. It becomes a moment.

The juice. Orange juice from a carton says "we have a budget". A real pressed juice or an artisan nectar says "we are thinking of you".

The tableware. Paper cups vs porcelain plates. Paper napkins vs cloth. Journalists notice whether you treat this half-hour as a moment or as a formality.

Standard formula: the breakfast that works

For 40 people over 45 minutes, this is the line-up that really works:

Sweet items:

• 60 butter mini pastries (2 trays of 30: croissants, pains au chocolat, pains aux raisins)
• 40 madeleines (2 boxes of 20)
• 1 box of 24 macarons

Fresh items:

• 20 fresh fruit skewers

Drinks:

• 2 thermoses of coffee (6 to 8 cups each)
• 1 thermos of Mariage Frères tea
• 3 litres of Alain Milliat juice
• Evian and Badoit in 75 cl bottles, as an option

Service:

• Cups and napkins provided
• Ready-to-serve presentation
• Delivery at the agreed time, from 6:30 am

Budget: this line-up corresponds to the full breakfast, €12 to €16 per person excl. VAT, that is €480 to €640 excl. VAT for 40 people, plus €29 excl. VAT for delivery. Ready to serve.

Mistakes to avoid

Arriving late. If your caterer arrives 20 minutes before the start, the pastries go cold. That is the opposite of the effect you want.

Mixing sweet and savoury. Offering croissants AND ham sandwiches blurs the message. Choose. For a press day: sweet.

Forgetting the fruit. It is the detail that shows you thought about people's health, not just about filling them up.

Serving machine coffee. It is cheaper, but it is the first thing people forget. Good coffee is the first thing they remember.

Frequently asked questions about press days