The idea: A short talk and Q&A, over a free lunch, that people can attend during a break between their lectures.
The advantage of such an event during the day is that it usually requires a lower level of commitment for attenders than it does for them to attend an Evening Event — they are often already nearby… and they need to eat lunch!
The are a few key things to think through:
Venue
The most important thing is that you find a convenient venue. Is it easy to find, and can students get there from lectures in less than 10 minutes? (See Finding the Best Venues).
- Make sure that people can get food and sit down as quickly as possible — if big crowds are expected, have multiple serving points, and people helping to serve.
- Have some music playing as people arrive.
- Make sure you set up the room with feedback forms, pens, flyers (showing the whole week’s events), and gospels on every chair / table. Consider having a bookstall at the back.
Food
- Offering food is not simply a way of getting people to come. On a practical level — if people are giving up their lunch time to come, then they need to eat! On a deeper level — by inviting people to enjoy good food, free of charge, we embody the gospel! Therefore, food should be of good quality, and plentiful.
- It is cheaper to provide food yourselves, but due to regulations in the venue, you may have to pay for professional catering and will need to budget accordingly.
- Try to keep the food simple. People need to be able to walk up, grab food and take a seat quickly, as time is limited!
- Why not consider offering something sweet as people leave? A big pile of doughnuts at the door, possibly?
Timing
- You want to make good use of every minute, as people are under time constraints. See Hosting Events Well.
- Try to start 10 minutes after the end of the previous lecture, and finish, at the latest, 10 minutes before the start of the next.
- Make sure you stress to the speaker that timing is important — if they speak for too long then you will run out of time for the Q&A.
- Consider running the Lunch Event twice if there is not a set lunch hour; this way — more people will be able to come. You can either repeat the same talk twice or cover two different topics each day.
Inviting
- While it’s good to give out flyers throughout the day, the most effective time to give out flyers is in the 15 minutes before the event begins.
- You can create a ‘buzz’ around campus, with relatively few people, by being strategic about where you flyer, and by having people pointing the way to the venue, with signs.
Stewarding
- Give a friendly welcome on the door and direct people to the food. Encourage guests to fill the seats from the front. (Latecomers won’t want to walk past everyone once the talk has started).
- Mention that the talk will be starting shortly. If people are welcomed well, and informed about the talk, they are less likely to simply grab the food and run!
Not convinced a lunch event will work in your context? Check out some of the frequently asked questions here.
Here is a good example of a well-hosted lunch event with Q and A.