Green Room
The Green Room is a space that is created and set aside for program participants.
Panelists are invited to meet in the Green Room before panels in order to gather and plan the discussion they are about to have in front of an audience. (The name comes from Theatre and historically refers to the room that actors in the theatre use to prepare in before a performance, and to retire to when they are not on stage, during a show.)
Some conventions give their concom and staff access to the green room as well, or offer a separate staff lounge. But you needn't do either. There are also Regional and Genre convention variations, for example Filk cons never have a Green Room.
Space
Green Room is usually a quiet though social space, often housed in one or more of the hotel guest or conference rooms. Often a guest room is used so that food and drink can be served there without having to deal with corkage fees. Larger conventions with many guests will of course require a larger space, so a conference room will be used, in which case negotiations may be necessary with the hotel if food or drink is to be available.
A few extra tables (and extra tablecloths) from the hotel can be very handy. If the hotel is willing to remove some of the extraneous furniture from the room that's useful too. Arrange with housekeeping for extra towels for the bathroom, they are very useful for clean up.
Time
Green Room Hours typically run from at least 1/2 hour before programming begins each day until the beginning of the dinner hour (or until it's time to pack up on the last day of the convention), though hours may be extended if there is late-night programming. Late Friday hours may be necessary if program participant check-in is hosted in the green room. Even if there are late hours, however, the green room is often closed during dinner on Saturday when the banquet is usually held (approx. 6 pm to 8 pm, depending on the program schedule).
For a longer con especially, make a staffing schedule so your volunteers can get out and see some of the con. Don't forget to leave time for emergency shopping runs or for shuffling supplies to and from other food functions to solve overage/underage issues.
Since panelists by definition have constrained schedules, food demand will be less centered around mealtimes than in other areas.
Levels of service
There are different philosophies on what kind and amount of food and drink to serve in a green room. It varies from coffee and tea on up to deli trays, hot foods, and cocktail shrimp. While it is nice to make your program participants feel refreshed and maybe a little bit pampered, you should keep in mind that all members (ideally) contribute to the convention, and make sure you feel justified in whatever differences there are between the offerings in the green room and the Consuite. That said, given their program schedule many panelists do not have time to leave the convention site for lunch, and it is not necessarily that expensive to offer food of some substance. It is also nice to be able to cater to the particular dietary needs of your Guests of Honor - send them a questionnaire to find out what these are.
Soup and hard-boiled eggs are two very popular items to cook in advance and offer in a green room. Homemade baked goods, sandwiches, cold cuts, vegetable and fruit platters, cheese plates, and a wide variety of other items are popular. Do make sure that all foods, especially the home-made ones, are well labeled regarding ingredients that could be allergens. It's also good to make it clear which prepared foods are vegetarian, and which are not.
And if you want to really impress your guests, do as Penguicon does and keep a massage chair in the green room along with someone who is qualified to administer a therapeutic massage.
Equipment
Like the Consuite, the green room has to follow the Hotel's rules and regulations. Hot plates, toasters, portable stoves, etc may be verboten. Crock pots, microwaves, percolators and electric teapots are generally allowed. A small refrigerator is very handy, though I have seen people make do with a cooler or two. And of course there's always the bath tub full of ice!
For a larger operation, get a free full-size fridge from Craigslist. You don't care that it's a power hog since you're only running it for the weekend. You may need to buy a high-capacity coffee maker (check your local rental store), but other equipment can often be borrowed.
