Hackathon Organizer Guide
  • Introduction
  • overview
    • What is a Hackathon?
    • What is MLH?
    • MLH Hackcon
    • MLH Community Values
    • Event Types
      • Digital Events
        • Digital Mini Events
          • Marble Races
          • Pokemon Showdown
          • Wiki Races
          • Hacker Hangouts
        • Streamyard
  • General Information
    • Hackathon Timeline
    • Finding the Date and Purpose
    • Build Your Leadership Team
    • Locking Down a Venue
    • Hackathon Budgeting
      • Legal Considerations
    • Getting Sponsorship
      • Introduction to Fundraising
      • Understanding Your Sponsors
        • Evaluating In-kind Sponsorships
      • Potential Sponsor Perks
      • Sponsorship Prospectus
      • The 5-Step MLH Sponsorship Process
      • Cheat Sheet: Emailing Your Sponsors
    • Hackathon Website
      • Making an Accessible Design
      • Placeholder Website
      • Main Website
    • Marketing Your Event
      • Promoting Your Event
        • Marketing Email Template
      • Marketing Goals & Timelines
    • Managing Registrations
      • Registrations
      • Free Registration Tool - OrganizerHQ (OHQ)
      • Sending Reminders
        • Email Templates
      • Check-in Process
    • Event Logistics
      • Hackathon Communication Platform
      • Project Challenges
      • Ordering Swag and Prizes
      • Set Up Your Event
      • Working with Food Vendors
      • Hosting Hackers with Dietary Restrictions
      • Distributing Meals
      • Transportation/Travel Plans
      • Hardware
      • Prepare Your Emergency Plan
    • Judging and Submissions
      • Rules for Your Hackathon
      • Judging Plan
      • Cheating Check
      • Judges Communication and Recruiting
      • Hackathon Submission Portal
        • Using Devpost
        • Using Devfolio
        • Using DoraHacks
    • Hackathon Scheduling
      • Detailed Run of Show
      • Run-Through with the Team
      • MLH Tips and Templates
    • Mentorship
    • Day of Logistics and Hacker Experience
      • Help Desk Recommendations
      • Fun Mini Events
      • Workshops
      • Opening Ceremony
      • Closing Ceremony
    • After the Event
  • Organizer Resources
    • Template Links
    • Getting Support from Others
    • Leadership Resources
    • Marketing Resources
    • Registrations Resources
      • GDPR in Europe
    • Host Exciting Mini-Events
      • Cup Stacking
      • MLH Mini Events
        • WereWolf
        • Slideshow Karaoke
        • !Light
        • MS Paint Bob Ross
    • Keeping Records
    • Software for Hackathons
  • Contributors
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On this page
  • Setting up the Venue
  • Distributing Meal Credits
  • Supporting Hackers with Dietary Restrictions
  • Managing your Food Supply
  • Meal Announcements

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  1. General Information
  2. Event Logistics

Distributing Meals

PreviousHosting Hackers with Dietary RestrictionsNextTransportation/Travel Plans

Last updated 1 year ago

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Depending on what type of food you are providing your attendees, there are several ways you can distribute meals efficiently and timely.

Setting up the Venue

You are going to need several tables and volunteers to set up, distribute, and clean up for each meal you provide. Try to avoid having all of your meals at one table, even at small events this will cause long wait times and may overwhelm the team serving meals.

We recommend one of the following two table set-ups for prepared and family-style meals, so you can maximize the number of people being served at one time. This will speed up the line, and make the space less crowded.

Distributing Meal Credits

If you are providing your hackers with meal credits to access your school’s dining hall, we recommend that you provide the credits upon check-in. If the credits are accessible via a physical card, you can put them in your event swag bags.

Supporting Hackers with Dietary Restrictions

We recommend that you store any meals that are specifically for folks with dietary restrictions at another table to avoid them being accidentally taken by the wrong person. We recommend printing out a list of hackers with dietary restrictions and checking off names as you hand them out, so you can ensure that the meals are being distributed to the right people.

Managing your Food Supply

If your event can only accommodate one meal per person, station a volunteer at the beginning of the food line checking off each individual as they are served. If someone gets back in line, you’ll be able to see that they’ve already been served!

This method can also be helpful for quickly identifying hackers with dietary restrictions, and redirecting them to a separate line.

Meal Announcements

If you make one big announcement that dinner is being served, it is likely that all the hackers will rush to grab food all at once and then end up in a big line. As a hacker, waiting in a 20-minute line to receive food may be frustrating.

To avoid long food lines, your team can release 1-3 tables/rooms to go get food at a time. Make a series of small announcements, and then a final call to everyone.

Recommended table setups for food distribution