If it rains on the day of your corporate event, what saves it is having planned for it: an alternative covered space, a set-up that can be moved and a kitchen that does not depend on a single spot. At the launch of Hierros España's new brand image, at the Cocheras del Puerto in Huelva, the rain forced us to move the event from outdoors to the indoor hall. Because we had planned for it, the change happened without the event missing a beat.
We share this case because it sums up how El Perro Verde works at corporate events: think about plan B from day one, keep the set-up light and have the kitchen wherever it is needed.
The event: an outdoor brand launch
Hierros España was presenting its rebrand to its guests. The original idea was to hold it outside the Cocheras del Puerto, because the company's trucks, wrapped in the new livery, were parked there. It made perfect sense: the new brand could be seen on the vehicles themselves, and the cocktail would be served around them.
The chosen format was a standing cocktail, with high tables dressed in gingham cloths and waiters passing trays among the guests. At a brand launch the catering plays a supporting role and does not steal the show: people come to see the brand, greet each other and talk.
The rain plan, decided before the event
An outdoor event always carries a risk. So from the start, the plan was that if it rained the whole cocktail would move into the indoor hall of the Cocheras. That earlier decision shaped everything else:
- A lighter set-up than usual, designed so that every table could be carried inside.
- A menu of individual pieces, served the same way in one place or another.
- A mobile kitchen: instead of cooking in a fixed kitchen, we cooked inside a truck, so the kitchen could be moved from one place to another.
That was the only extra precaution. The rest was a matter of setting up with the idea that we might have to take it down and set it up again a few metres away.
It rained, and the event moved inside
The rain came and the event moved into the indoor hall, with its marble floor, arched windows and exhibition panels along the walls. The high tables went in, the service points were repositioned and the waiters changed their route. The menu did not change.
Much of the menu was designed to be served as individual pieces, ready to pick up by hand:
- Hand-carved Iberian ham served on plates.
- Individual glasses prepared in advance and placed in wooden boxes.
- Tartlets presented on wooden trays over a tiled background.
- Cheese cubes and glazed skewers on dark platters.
- Croquettes and, to finish, a selection of sweets.
This kind of piece has a clear advantage when you need to react: it travels already plated in its boxes and can be served from anywhere in the space. If the location changes, the waiters' route changes, not the menu.
The service, in the room
During the cocktail the waiters moved around the room with wooden trays, from group to group, while guests talked standing by the high tables. Food reaching every corner, with nobody having to look for it, is the least visible part of the job and the most noticeable when it fails.
Rain forced us to rethink the service on the spot without the event missing a beat.
What you can apply to your event
- If the event is outdoors, choose the covered alternative space from day one, ideally at the same venue.
- Ask for a set-up designed to move: high tables and service points that can be relocated quickly.
- Ask where the food will be cooked. A mobile kitchen, such as a truck, can follow the event if it changes place.
- Pick a format that allows for change: a standing cocktail with individual pieces is the most flexible.
- Make it clear who decides on the change and who informs the other suppliers. At Weimar a single coordinator handles catering, audiovisual production and equipment.
If you are planning a launch, an anniversary or a company event in Huelva, Seville or the Algarve, tell us the date, the venue and the number of guests. We will send you a complete proposal for catering, audiovisual production and equipment, with a rain plan included.
