Fall corporate events cluster into the same handful of weeks — right after Labor Day, ahead of the holiday party season, and around quarterly all-hands meetings. As the person planning one of these events, locking in the basics early gives you more room to pick the date, the space, and the format you want, instead of settling for whatever's still open.
This post covers what to lock in now for any corporate event landing in September or October: the date, the headcount, and the space. It also walks through Metro's seasonal menu handoff, four different windows opening and closing between now and early October, and how that affects what your event can be built around. By the end, you'll know what to decide this week and what can wait until closer to the date.
September and October dates cluster around the same handful of weeks: right after Labor Day, ahead of the holiday party push, and around quarterly all-hands meetings. If your event needs a specific room, caterer, or day of the week, decide the date first. Get it to Metro as soon as you have it — a confirmed date reserves your spot with them for that week, and everything else follows from it: headcount, format, even which menu window applies.
Pick the date before you have a final headcount. Waiting on RSVPs to lock a date usually costs you the date instead.
You don't need a final number to lock the date, but you need a working one soon after. A rough headcount lets you confirm the room can hold the group and lets your caterer build a quote you can adjust as RSVPs come in.
Give a number you're confident won't shrink. It's easier to add ten more plates than to explain to a room why the food ran out.
Decide where the event happens before you lock in how the food gets served. An open office floor, a rented event space, and a rooftop each call for different equipment — chafing dishes, linens, and staffing needs shift depending on the room.
Format follows the space. A sit-down room supports a plated meal. An open floor with people moving around calls for food set out for people to serve themselves. Decide the space first, and the right format for it becomes obvious.
Four different menu windows open and close between now and early October, and which one is live on your event date affects part of what you can order.
An event in the first two weeks of September can still draw on Summer BBQ. Anything from mid-September on lines up with Summer Seasonal, and by early October, Fall/Winter takes over. If your date falls right on one of these transitions, confirm with Metro which menu will be live rather than assuming based on the season.
None of this needs to happen today, but the date does. Get it to Metro this week along with a rough headcount, and confirm which menu window your event falls into — the rest follows from there.
Author
Chris Zamfotis
Managing Partner, Metro Catering
Chris Zamfotis is the Managing Partner at Metro Catering, a New York City catering company serving corporate offices, private events, and businesses across Manhattan. With a focus on reliable service, thoughtful menu planning, and polished presentation, Chris helps lead Metro Catering’s approach to modern corporate catering, from daily office lunches to executive meetings, happy hours, and large-scale events.
Metro Catering has been NYC’s trusted corporate catering provider since 1981, offering fresh, high-quality meals for office lunches, corporate events, and workplace dining—delivered on time, every time.
