Office service, meetings and catering
How to support a working day in facility services
Introduction
In the corporate service specialisation your working day is broader than cleaning alone. The training regulations from 1 August 2026 specifically state that you must be able to plan and carry out service tasks for meetings and conferences, set up AV equipment for physical and online meetings, receive guests and book meetings as part of good hosting, carry out simple food presentation and serving, and assist with general maintenance and minor repairs.
It says so in the objectives
The subject «Good hosting» takes up 15 school days in company service. Among the sub-objectives, it says the student can:
- 01plan, prepare and carry out service tasks in connection with meetings and small conferences, including being responsible for table setting, decoration and catering
- 02purchase and order catering and meeting materials and know about meeting budgets and bookkeeping
- 03book and coordinate meeting facilities using the relevant systems and procedures
- 04prepare and operate AV equipment, including projectors, sound systems and video conferencing equipment
- 05know reception functions and handle documents with due regard to GDPR
Preparation of meetings and conferences
A meeting that runs smoothly is often the result of preparation nobody notices: the room is set up the equipment works and catering is organised. You check AV equipment make sure tables and chairs are arranged correctly and manage the timing so coffee water and any refreshments are ready when the meeting starts.
- 01Check rooms and equipment well before meeting start
- 02Arrange with the host what should be served and when
- 03Clean up and prepare for next use when the meeting is over
Guests, booking and hosting
When you receive guests and book meetings, you are often the first face a guest meets — and the link between departments, meeting hosts and external suppliers. It requires overview and good communication. The specialisation also covers minor maintenance in cooperation with other trades, a good indoor climate and being able to contribute to the company's ESG reporting. Students who started before 1 August 2026 follow the previous regulations, where office support such as answering the phone and office machines was among the objectives.
Catering and food hygiene
If you serve food — eg by plating from a buffet or bringing ready-made dishes to table — the rules about food hygiene also apply to you. It is not a legal requirement to take a specific hygiene course but it is the company's responsibility to ensure that employees who handle food are instructed in food hygiene from the first day of work and to an extent that suits the task. The more you handle the food — eg when plating it — the more thorough the instruction must be.
Four temperatures and one time
| Rule for the food | Numbers |
|---|---|
| Chilled food out of the fridge in total (incl. preparation and serving) | No more than 3 hours |
| Cooling of hot food | From 56°C to 10°C in maximum 4 hours |
| Heating without a documentation requirement | At least 75 °C |
| Heat maintenance | Constantly at least 56 °C |
Wash your hands for approx. 15 seconds before you touch the food. Remember that hand sanitiser does not work against e.g. norovirus — then it has to be soap and water.
Service
Simple serving forms are about making it calm clean and in the right order — serve from the left or according to workplace practice clear away without unnecessarily disturbing the conversation and keep an eye on whether guests are missing something. Good service is like good cleaning: it is most noticed when it does not work.