Brown Bag Presentation: Types, Topics, & Tips

There’s no shortage of buzzwords in workplace culture — but 'brown bag presentation' might be one of the weirdest. This unconventional term is coming back into the limelight as a low-pressure, low-cost, and surprisingly effective way of sharing useful information with your team (with snacks, ideally).

The question is, what even are brown bag presentations? And would they make sense as a part of your company culture?

This guide explains everything you should know about the humble brown bag meeting, including how to encourage knowledge sharing, team building, and deeper relationships in your workplace. It also explores several tips to schedule successful presentations, like how to jazz up your presentations with digital signage.

Okay, so what on earth is a brown bag presentation?

A brown bag presentation is an informal meeting that happens at a workplace during lunch hour. These can be used for all sorts of purposes, from human resources training and discussing industry trends to work-related topics (and sometimes just rubbing elbows with people in the cubicle farthest from you).

The term 'brown bag' refers to the classic method of taking home-prepared food to work, usually in brown paper bags for easy transportation (ya know, like these brown bag lunches). As you've probably noticed, brown bagged lunches are a lot less common these days. But even so, the term 'brown bag' has stuck around.

Today, brown bag meetings are a surefire way to encourage participation and open up discussions among team members. You can share knowledge, focus on team building, and facilitate discussions without the stress or effort of more formal meetings.

But that's not to say all brown bag sessions are alike...

The 4 common types of brown bag meetings (and what they're good for)

So now that you know what brown bag presentations are, let's take a closer look at the most common types.

Here's a quick breakdown of the four to keep in mind, plus what they're best for and the topics they cover:

Now, let's take a look in greater detail:

Seminar meeting: Best for speaker presenting

Brown bag seminar meetings typically feature a guest speaker presenting on a specific topic. They're often a little more formal than your average brown bag session and focus on sharing expertise, insights, or updates with a larger audience. There's usually a little time at the end (think 10 to 15 minutes) for the audience to ask questions about the topic at hand.

Some of the best topics for brown bag seminar meetings include:

• Industry trends ('what’s next in green tech?')
• Corporate change ('how we're migrating to Stripe')
• Leadership development ('Q3 2025 goals for supervisors')
• Guest speaker spotlights ('From intern to VP: my career journey')

Small group meeting: Best for problem solving

Small group meetings are exactly what they sound like: groups of three to nine people focused on discussion, problem-solving, and open Q&A. They're not sit-and-listen sessions like seminar meetings — think more hands-on and collaborative, where everyone answers a set of questions round-robin style.

Key topics for small group meetings include:

• Brainstorming sessions ('how can we improve the onboarding process?')
• Project post-mortems ('what went right and wrong in Q2')
• Internal process feedback ('what would make day-to-day ops easier?')
• Cross-team collaboration ('aligning the marketing and sales departments')

Combination meeting (aka hybrid meeting): Best for new ideas

Combination meetings — sometimes call hybrid meetings — combine elements of both seminar and small group meetings. A speaker kicks things off with a short talk before opening the floor for feedback, questions, or group activities.

All the topics you might expect for combination meetings include:

• Innovation workshops ('pitch your wildest product ideas')
• Customer feedback reviews ('what we learned from 1,000 support tickets')
• DEI conversations ('how to build a more inclusive team')
• Tech demos with discussion ('AI tools walkthrough plus team Q&A')

Social meeting: Best for information sharing

Social meetings are a type of brown bag meeting focused on team building and relationship building. You might run these on a monthly basis as a way to build camaraderie with a group, like birthdays, holidays, and retirement parties. But you can also turn them into educational events — because who said learning can't be social?

Here are some key takeaways and topics you might get from social meetings:

• Healthy living ('how to get more steps in at work')
• Investing ('everything you should know about your retirement options at the company')
• Technology and upskilling ('using AI at work')
• General informal meeting (i.e., a potluck to meet new hires)

The real-life benefits of brown bag presentations

Yes! Quite a few — even if you'd rather spend your lunch break alone. 😉

The truth is that brown bag presentations are more valuable than they seem.

Here’s a quick peek at the benefits of brown bag presentations:

• Build better team relationships, minus the awkward icebreakers. Brown bags create space for organic conversations between different departments that may not usually interact — all without forcing anyone to organize groups by height or share a short story about their childhood memories.
• Make knowledge sharing part of the routine. Whether someone’s presenting on retirement planning or a passion project, brown bag meetings are a casual way to share ideas and encourage learning in a casual environment.
• Create a stronger company culture with very little overhead. Every employer wants to create a workplace where people share, care, and grow together. Brown bag meetings help reinforce those values and make interacting in groups both normal and fun.
• Teach soft skills, hard skills, new skills, blue skills. You can use brown bag sessions to foster continuous learning in your team, whether that's testing new software, discussing market trends, or unpacking topics like burnout, time management, or mentorship.
• Solve real problems in real time. Sure, brown bag meetings do a lot with learning, but that's not the only thing they're for. More informal meetings are great for brainstorming, project feedback, or untangling blockers. And the best part? You still get to eat your own lunch while doing it.

TL;DR: brown bag meetings are a low-lift, high-reward method of creating open communication with employees. Whether you’re the one hosting (or the one showing up with a sandwich), there's a non-zero chance you’ll walk away with something valuable.

And speaking of hosting...

How to run a brown bag session

So you've volunteered (or voluntold) to run a brown bag session. Trouble is, you have no idea where to get started.

Lucky for you, it's actually pretty easy.

Below are seven easy steps for running a knockout brown bag meeting that doesn't feel awkward for you or your team.

1. Pick a solid topic

Step one might be a little self explanatory, but in truth, every successful brown bag session starts with a successful idea.

First, think about what your team actually cares about: what challenges they’re facing, what skills they want to learn, or what questions keep coming up. Then, consider the type of brown bag meeting you want. Is this a small group meeting, or more of a social learning session?

Now that you have a list of potential topics, sift through the list with a critical eye.

• Look at feedback from past lunch meetings. What did people say they wanted?
• Is the topic relevant, useful, and discussion-friendly? If not, go back to the drawing board.
• Know any experts? Consider inviting a guest speaker to present on a specific topic.

2. Think about buying (or supplementing) food

Sure, you can have attendees bring their own food to the meeting, but if you really want attention, try bringing some snacks of your own. We're not saying this because we're hungry, either — studies show that providing food at events can positively increase attention and attendance.

Case in point:

• One study found that providing free food can increase event attendance by 38.4%.
• Three in five people (62%) say they would go to an event just for the food.
• Quality of food served is the #1 factor that affects attendee satisfaction and reattendance rates.

TL;DR: if you're willing to serve food at a brown bag meeting, you're much more likely to max out attendance, interest, and devoted future fans.

Now, we're not saying you need to prepare a medieval feast here — some drinks, crackers and cheese, and veggie trays should do the trick. You could even democratize the process by turning the talk into a potluck. That way, everyone still ends up bringing their own food, but sharing it with others (another shot at Sandy's famous dessert casserole, anyone?).

3. Make attendance genuinely fun

If your brown bag feels like just another meeting, people will treat it like one (i.e., zone out or skip it).

You can make your meeting more engaging by:

• Kicking things off with a question, quiz, or even a silly poll
• Using interactive elements such as quizzes, games, and group discussions
• Tapping into visual aids like presentations and videos

Which leads to our next point:

4. Use digital signage for extra pizzazz

So here's where the rubber meets the road (er, where the spatula meets the skillet) — because digital signage is one of the easiest ways to turn an average brown bag meeting into a show-stopping learning session. With a cloud-based digital signage platform like Fugo, you can put dynamic, branded content on display in minutes.

Here’s how digital signage can level up your brown bag meetings:

Promote upcoming sessions like a pro

Fugo’s pre-built digital signage templates can help you advertise brown bag sessions in advance.

First, pick a format you like from our roundup. Then, add your own branding, speaker photos, and topic highlights. Finally, schedule your content to appear across screens in break rooms, lobbies, or warehouses so no one misses out.

Boost engagement during the session

With Fugo, you can display key points, speaker bios, live agendas, or audience Q&A prompts right on your TV screen — which is especially useful for hybrid sessions or larger teams.

You can even show results from live polls to encourage more interaction, since Fugo makes it easy to upload static content, video clips, or even stream a live feed with our digital signage integrations.

Gamify the learning experience

It's easy to turn training into a team sport with digital signage for employee gamification. This could be quizzes, leaderboard updates, or even quotes depending on the format and informal training in question.

Fugo also lets you build custom visuals in our online signage design studio. You can even tap into our digital poster maker to make content that reinforces key points long after lunch ends. Just pick a format you like, update colors, add text, and hit publish: you can even print off some copies so attendees can keep them at their desks.

💡 Related: 51 Digital Signage Ideas for Your Screens

Keep remote employees in the loop

Running hybrid or distributed sessions? Fugo’s remote-friendly setup lets you push the same content to screens across locations. That way, all your small group attendees — whether they’re in HQ or working from a branch — can get the same brown bag content from anywhere they happen to be.

With Fugo, you can set up signage content from anywhere: a URL in a browser, an embedded screen in company intranets (like Notion), or even a physical conference room TV. It's just one of the many reasons why we're so highly rated on Capterra.

5. Manage your time

No one likes a meeting that runs 20 minutes over — so respect your attendees’ lunch break by starting on time, hitting the key points early, and saving room for Q&A.

Some suggestions:

• Make sure you present with a running timer. You can also use an outline to stay on track.
• Less is usually more. Aim for a 50/50 split between the activity and 'dead space' for eating, talking, and bathroom breaks.
• Have a backup plan for tech issues. Nothing eats up a meeting like someone fiddling with cables for 10 minutes while everyone just stares at their food.

6. Create a comfortable environment

The more relaxed your environment is, the better your participation will be. Thankfully, one of the easiest ways to encourage participation is to create a relaxed setting and avoid a formal agenda.

For example, you might set up chairs in a circle or informal layout to encourage conversation. Skip the conference room if you can — break rooms, lounges, or even outdoor spots feel more casual and less like work.

Don't want to over-script the session? You can always toss in a few icebreakers while they eat their own lunch. Otherwise, just leave a few minutes for casual chat. This will encourage attendees to connect, learn, and unwind (and maybe steal a cookie or two from the snack table).

7. Ask for honest feedback

Even the best brown bag sessions can get even better, and the first step in the process is gathering feedback. Keep it simple: a quick Google Form, a one-minute poll, or even a QR code on a digital signage screen. Ask what people liked, what they didn’t, and what they want next time.

Just keep in mind you don’t need a 12-question survey — just enough questions to spot patterns and prioritize key points. The more feedback you take, the stronger your sessions will become, and the better your turnout will be in the future.

Mistakes to avoid when running a brown bag meeting

A brown bag session shouldn’t feel like a hostage situation. But as we both know, they can sometimes head in that direction.

Here are a few common mistakes to dodge:

• Trying to cram in too much. Pick one goal and stick to it. Tempting, we know, but don’t try to teach everything in a 45-minute combination meeting.
• Drowning people in jargon. Keep it simple. If you see people falling asleep, it's probably not just the food. Aim for a comprehension level of 8th grade or below.
• Skipping visuals. Who wants to read a wall of text? With tools like Fugo, you can add slides, images, or even short videos to pique your audience's interest.
• Forgetting Q&A. Please, please save time for discussion. The best takeaways often come from the room, not necessarily just the presenter.
• Running long. Yes, it's an informal training. But also yes: time matters just as much as in a formal meeting. Do your best to be respectful of people's time, and if you have a guest speaker, make it clear how long you have.

Make your next brown bag session a success with Fugo

A brown bag meeting could make a world of difference for your business. And contrary to popular belief, it's not all that hard to run. All you need to do is get the right ideas in front of the right people — which for most growing businesses, starts with digital signage.

Fugo makes it easy to promote upcoming brown bag sessions, show live meeting agendas, display slides during the talk, and even share feedback results afterward. You can display beautiful content on conference room TV screens, via embeddable links, and even remote company TV channels.

It's time to make that next brown bag meeting really stick.

Sign up today for a 14-day free trial and crush your next presentation with Fugo’s cloud-based digital signage platform.

Frequently asked questions about brown bag presentations

Q: What is a brown bag presentation?

A brown bag presentation is an informal meeting that happens at work, typically during lunch hour. Your coworkers might bring their own lunch, or you might supply them with a catered lunch. Key topics discussed as a brown bag presentation may include informal training, policy changes, quarterly reviews, or professional development opportunities.

Q: What is another name for a brown bag session?

Brown bag sessions go by all sorts of names:

• Brown bag presentations or brown bag meetings
• Lunch and Learn session
• Learning Lunches
• PD Power Hour
• Snack and Share
• Power Breakfast (if it's before lunch hour)
• Working groups

Q: What is a brown bag speech?

A brown bag speech is the actual presentation given during brown bag lunch meetings. This could be a written script, a presentation on digital signage, or even an impromptu roundtable where multiple individuals contribute.

Q: How to do a brown bag presentation?

You can run a successful brown bag meeting by preparing well in advance, picking a good topic, bringing or buying food, managing time well, creating a comfortable environment, and asking for honest feedback. You should also avoid some of the most common pitfalls of brown bag meetings, like overloading the meeting, running long, and not leaving time for questions or comments.