Among the various functions and activities that take place during a Lone Star Region Convention, two that have become traditions are the Saturday night Banquet and the Sunday morning Breakfast and Annual Meeting. These seem to be rather simple activities, from the standpoint of planning and execution, but there are a few guidelines that should assist a Convention Chair in making the necessary decisions. This Guide does not concern the food or food service at either of the two meal functions. Those are the purview of the local Convention Chair.

All dining arrangements within the hotel are the responsibility of the hotel’s Catering Manager. That personage will be the prime contact for the Convention Chair in all matters relating to accommodation of the Convention’s inside activities, both dining and otherwise. .

It is pointed out that the following guidelines are based on the assumption that the Convention will be held in a hotel, with its catering abilities and restaurant-type arrangements. Should either, or both, of the meal services take place at other than a hotel dining room, the arrangements must be discussed with the LSR Convention Chair. This is not for the purpose of approving or disapproving the arrangements, but rather to assist the local Chair in making the necessary decisions.

It should be borne in mind that the Saturday Banquet is more than just for dining. It is also the place for certain programs, convention announcements, guest speakers, and other non-dining activities.

1. Facility: The dining room should be adequately sized to permit accommodation of the probable number of diners. That number cannot be foretold too early in the planning stages, but the hotels catering manager should be kept apprised of the requirements as they develop, and/or are revised. Depending on the anticipated number of diners, the tables should be rounds of eight or ten; the use of larger tables should be discouraged.
2. Cash Bar: It has been the custom to have a cash bar available in the foyer adjacent to the dining room. The cash bar should not open earlier than one hour before the dining room opens, and it should close when the dining room opens for the conventioneers.
3. Head Table: The usual arrangement for the dining room is to have the head table at one end, where it is visible to all in the dining room. In addition to the location, the head table should be elevated on a dais so that those seated thereat can see all the diners in the room. The number and selection of people to be seated at the head table can vary, and is usually agreed between the local Convention Chair and the LSR Convention Chair. The basic arrangement, which should be observed, is the following: facing the audience, and to the right of the podium, should be the following:

LSR President

LSR President’s spouse

Honored guest

Spouse of Honored Guest

LSR Vice-President

LSR Vice-President’s spouse.

To the left of the podium, the first position should be the local Convention Chair, with spouse in the next seat. The remaining seat assignments are the option of the local Chair. The main consideration is that the head table shouldn’t get so large as to be unwieldy.

4. Microphone: It should almost go without saying that a public address system, with a microphone at the podium, should be available. And functioning.

1. The Sunday Breakfast actually has two purposes - first, service of the morning meal; and second, conduct of the Annual and General Meeting of the Lone Star Region members. The meeting generally follows the dining portion, usually after the tables have been cleared, but sometimes before, depending on the time.
2. Head table: The seating arrangement at the head table for the breakfast is geared more for the following Annual Membership Meeting. To the right of the podium should be the President, Vice-President, and Secretary. To the left of the podium should be the local Convention Chair, plus others as selected by the Chair.

Food Service:

The foregoing has to do with the physical arrangements of the dining room, and is based on the assumption that the two meals will be served to seated diners in a hotel dining room. That is the most common procedure, but it isn’t the only procedure. It is conceivable that all of the physical arrangements will be as covered above, but, instead of waiter service, the food is actually served buffet-style, with the diners serving themselves from the serving line laid out by the catering manager. This method can take place either in the hotel, or in a separate facility, depending on the overall arrangements for the Convention. The buffet-style of service is completely acceptable provided the non-dining arrangements are maintained as described above.

It is customary to have an invocation at the Banquet and again at the Breakfast. In each case, the invocation is given after the welcoming remarks, and before the food is served. The composition of the invocation is the choice of the speaker; however, the speaker should be enjoined to consider that members of various faiths are present at the event, and so should compose the invocation to avoid offending anyone.