We report the first experimental study of the adsorption of cinnamaldehyde on surfaces under ultra high vacuum (UHV) conditions. Cinnamaldehyde is an alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehyde with important applications in the fine chemicals sector. High-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) is employed to investigate the vibrational modes of cinnamaldehyde condensed on graphite at 100 K and absorbed an the surface of a Pd islands film (supported on graphite), also at 100 K. In the case of the Pd film, we find strong evidence for a parallel orientation of the phenyl ring consistent with theoretical calculations.