Etiquette knowledge prepared before the banquet 1. Determine the object, scope and specifications of the banquet.
The purpose of banquets is generally very clear, such as getting together on holidays, visiting VIPs, working exchanges, wedding birthdays and so on. Decide the object and scope of the banquet according to different purposes, that is, who to invite, how many people to invite, and list the guests. The relationship between guests should be taken into account when determining the invitation object to avoid unpleasant and embarrassing situations. The determination of banquet specifications generally takes into account the highest status, number, purpose and guests of the attendees. If the specification is too low, it will appear rude; Too high a specification will cause waste.
2. Determine the time and place of the banquet.
The time and place of the banquet should be determined according to the purpose of the banquet and the situation of the guests. Generally speaking, the time of the banquet should be suitable for both guests and guests. It's best to ask the guests' opinions in advance to make it as convenient as possible and avoid conflicts with work and life arrangements. It is usually arranged at 6 ~ 8 pm. In the choice of time, it is not appropriate to arrange it on the occasion of the other party's major festivals and important activities or on taboo days and times, such as taboo for Europeans and Americans? 13? , Japanese taboo? 4? 、? 9? The banquet time should try to avoid the above figures. The location of the banquet also depends on the traffic, banquet specifications and the situation of the guests. If it is an official grand banquet, it is usually arranged in the government parliament building or the hotel where the guests stay. Banquets of enterprises and institutions can be held in the hotel or nearby hotels of the unit if conditions permit.
invite
There are two forms of invitation, one is oral and the other is written. Oral invitation is to inform the other party of the purpose, name, scope, time and place of the invitation in person or by telephone, and then wait for the other party's reply, and then arrange the activities after the other party agrees. There are two ways of written invitation, one is the more common one? Invitation? ; There's another way to write it? Memo? This method is seldom used at present. Written invitation should pay attention to the following etiquette:
(1) Grasp the sending time. Domestic invitations are generally 3 to 7 days in advance according to the distance of the invited person. If it is too early, guests may forget it because of the long date; It was too late, which caught the guests off guard and made it difficult to be invited as scheduled.
(2) The method of sending invitations. The invitation should specify the purpose, name, time and place of the banquet, and then send it to the guests. After the invitation letter is issued, the attendance should be implemented in time and recorded in order to arrange and adjust the seats. Even for activities without seats, the attendance rate should be estimated.
The following points should be noted in the writing of the invitation letter:
The first is to write clearly the purpose. The clear purpose is to explain? Why a party? Generally speaking, it is written like this: I want to hold an activity somewhere on a certain day of a certain year, and then invite the other party to come.
Second, there are no punctuation marks. General Chinese invitations are without punctuation. If a banquet is held for state guests, the national emblem should be printed on the invitation. Punctuation marks can also be used in more complex words.
The third is the writing format. The writing format is shown in Figure 5? 1. Of course, there are also some small banquets or gatherings of close friends, which do not have to be strictly in this format. You can simply write down the banquet (reception or family dinner) held on a certain day of a certain year.
The fourth is the wording. The words on the invitation must be concise, clear and accurate, and the time, place and names of people should be checked repeatedly to be correct and foolproof. The wording should be elegant, kind and appropriate. For example, you can't put it? A toast to tea? Written? Is there a refreshment service? , can't you put it? Natural death? Written? Death? , can't you put it? Would you please come here? Written? Attend on time? , can't you put it? May I inform you? Written? I hereby inform you? Wait a minute. Besides, don't write about unmarried people? Couple? , or somebody else is widowed, still write? Couple? It is impolite to cause the other person to feel sad when he touches the word.
The above four aspects should not be disrespected, otherwise it will bring serious losses to the image of individuals or organizations. In short, no matter what kind of invitation, we should be sincere, enthusiastic and sincere. After the invitation is sent out, we should get in touch with the invitees in time so as to prepare for the guests' dinner.
4. Arrangement of recipes
The banquet menu should be determined according to the specifications of the banquet. Watching the guests order? . The general principle should consider the identity of the guests and the purpose of the banquet, and be frugal and decent. The whole table menu should be hot and cold, with different emphasis on meat and vegetables. It not only highlights abalone, shark's fin and other main dishes to show the grade of Lai cuisine, but also matches general dishes to adjust the taste of guests, such as special stir-fried dishes and traditional local flavor Lai, to show the richness of dishes. The specific dishes should be determined according to the tastes of most guests, especially to take care of their eating habits. For example, many foreign guests don't like our food, especially sea cucumbers; Muslim halal seats do not use alcohol, even any alcoholic drinks and pork; Hinduism doesn't eat beef, Manchu doesn't eat dog meat, and so on. All these taboos should be taken into account when choosing dishes.
5. Seating etiquette
Chinese banquets are generally arranged in a round table, with a table for 8 ~ 12 people. If there are two or more tables to arrange a banquet, which table should be arranged? Face to face is the top, proximity is the biggest, middle is respect, right is respect? In principle, all other tables are far away from the main table? Near is the main thing, far is the second, right is the main thing, and left is the second? The principle of arrangement.
6. Banquet procedure
When welcoming guests, the host usually greets them at the door. In addition to the host, there are a few other main officials who accompany the host to queue up to welcome guests, which is usually called the welcome line, and its position is generally before the guests enter the lounge to store their clothes after entering the door. After shaking hands with the guests, the staff will lead the guests into the lounge or directly into the banquet hall. When the guests arrive, the host will accompany them into the banquet hall. All the guests will be seated and the party will begin. If the banquet is large, guests outside the main table can be invited to sit down first, and the distinguished guests will sit down later. If there is a formal speech, both the guest and the host can speak as soon as they are seated, or they can arrange for the host to speak after the hot dishes and before the dessert, and then the guest and the host will speak. The speaking time of buffets and receptions is more flexible. After eating the fruit, the host and guests stood up and the party was over.
Precautions before the banquet. Determine the purpose, name, object, scope and form of the banquet.
1. The purpose of a banquet is usually different, which can be for an event, for a guest, for the opening or closing ceremony of an exhibition, or for the start or completion of a project.
2. The banquet should be decided in whose name and who to invite. The main basis for determining the inviter and the invitee is that the identity of the host and the guest should be equal. Low status will make the other person feel cold and rude. In China, large-scale formal activities are generally invited in the name of one person, and small banquets for daily communication can be invited in the name of individuals or couples according to specific circumstances.
The scope of invitation refers to who should be invited to the banquet, what level, how many people should be invited, and how many people should be invited by the host. These need to be considered in advance from the nature of the banquet, the identity of the guest and the host, international practices, the relationship between the two sides, the current political climate and economic situation.
After the invitation scope is determined, the next step is to draw up the invitation list. Pay attention to the name, gender and position of the invitee on the list, and send an invitation notice to the other party in advance according to the proposed list in due course.
5. Determine the form of banquet According to the usual practice, formal, advanced and small-scale banquets are appropriate, and cold meals or tea parties can be used when there are many people.
Second, the time and place of the banquet.
1. The time of the banquet should be arranged when both the host and the guests are suitable. Note that when determining the time, you should avoid the other party's major holidays, important activities or taboo days, such as Friday 13 in the west, which is not suitable for arranging banquets.
2. The banquet place shall be determined according to the invited object, nature, scale and form of the activity. For example, official formal and grand banquets are usually arranged in government parliament buildings or hotels where guests collapse.