Anyone have any experience at event planning? My D and another girl from her ensemble have decided to have a joint senior recital with a total attendance of 40-45 people. I found what I thought would be the perfect place but their event co-coordinator is not helpful at all! It’s a brew pub/restaurant with a private dinning room that opens on to a patio which is also accessible from the bar area. The room itself holds 50 seated at tables “shoulder to shoulder” and the patio has additional seating for 50+ but we can only reserve 15 seats on the patio (according to the event director) but when I went to look at the layout I was told by the manager that for an event they had the night before they lined up 3 long picnic tables on the patio which would have been seating for 24 plus. When I mention this to the event director she told me that was a special case and she charged them more for that, well I know that party was paying by the plate per person so yeah, more people, more plates, more money… I was told we are welcome to use the entire patio but they can only reserve part of it. The event will be on a Thursday night in May and I don’t think there will be anyone else (or at least not many outside) according to waitstaff the only time the patio is used is during football season. It’s TX and most people will wait for an inside table for dinner and the bar isn’t bursting at the seams on a Thursday night.
The way this place works is you must spend $800 on food/drinks for the private room (plus required 20% gratuity) and to reserve 15 seats on the patio you need to spend an additional $200 (plus 20% gratuity). The establishment usually lets guests order of the full menu and severs restaurant style.
We’ll have a total of 45 people but want room for the full ensemble to play and people to mingle afterward. I asked the manager if they could remove the tables and just set the chairs up more like for a recital and he said no problem! Since we are moving most of the tables out (just leaving some against the back wall for ice tea/water) I asked about doing a buffet, he said no problem, they just started doing buffets recently and did one last week and went on to say since there wasn’t really enough room inside the the room with the number of people they had they set up the buffet just outside the room. Ok fine… works for us!
I decided that we really needed the outdoor patio space and would be willing to pay the extra $200 plus gratuity for more space for people to sit and mingle so called the event co-coordinator to put down a deposit and discuss the food details. After speaking with the other family we decided on one veggie entree, one fish entree, and one chicken entree (these are all $20 or below on the menu) There will be formal invites and we will ask guests their preferences so we have an idea on numbers. I feel that the $22+ per person fee should cover this easily.
The event person then came back and said that if we do it as a buffet some one might change their mind or take too much and then what would we do? She also said that it would be too difficult for people to eat entrees while mingling and really needed to be seated at a table. Then she said that they really only do buffets for appetizers and that she is sure we can make the $1K food/drink minimum up on the bar tab! Ah, NO! more than half of the 45 people are below drinking age and several adults don’t drink for either religious or health reasons. Bottom line is that she wants me to pay $1K for appetizers for 45 people (many of which are still kids!) Then she said she want’s me to sign the contract now but doesn’t want to get into the food until after the holidays because their menu is changing - like they still won’t have a chicken, fish and veggie option??
The manager has been great but says I have to go through their event co-coordinator who is awful! When I called her out on some inconsistencies (including language in the contract) she told me I’d have to take that up with the manager This venue has two location one north of the city and the other south. It’s the newer south location I want to book and this woman works out of the north location but is some how still in charge of event at both locations.
Is this normal? Does anyone have any advice as to how to handle this? Is it unreasonable to have a buffet with entrees? I am so out of my comfort zone here!
I’d keep looking for a venue that has more experience. This one doesn’t sound like a winner. If one brew pub has such a space, probably others do, too.
It is not unreasonable to have a buffet with entrees, but if you have an entree, you do want people to be able to sit down.
Also, your cost is not $1000, it’s $1200. They can call it a gratuity but it’s not, it’s a service charge if it’s not optional. $1200/45 people is $26 (and change) per person. That’s a lot of money for what you’re describing.
If not everyone drinks, when you do find a place, consider NOT providing drinks and just allowing the bar to be open. Here in Portland (Oregon), a space such as you describe (meeting space for 50 people for two hours) can cost as little as $200 (http://luckylab.com/quimby-beer-hall/).
Hotels often have meeting rooms that are about the right size, and many of those are unused on week nights.
If you were here you could rent our church for this purpose: hold the recital in the meeting house and the reception in the parish hall. Many churches do this, and I am quite sure it would be cheaper than the venue you describe! You could purchase some buffet dishes/platters from a restaurant, and since it is a young person’s event not serve alcohol at all.
Have you checked with local parks and rec departments? Most around here have spaces that you can rent that are usually really reasonable and then you could bring in an outside caterer, who can supply everything you need for eating (food, plates, chairs, tables) though lots of the places may have tables and chairs.
Try posting this in the music forum also. There are probably people who have recent experience with recital planning. I agree with looking into church spaces - I have attended numerous small, private recitals in numerous different churches. Do check the piano if you go that route, some are not what one might expect… Our local library has a space used for recitals and chamber concerts that can be rented. A restaurant with other patrons may not be the best venue for a private recital, even if in a private room. Acoustics aren’t always adequate. Best to D and her friend - a major event!
I was an event planner. Having a sit down dinner and a dinner buffet is quite different. In a buffet, there is no “what if someone changes their mind” - there is supposed to be enough food provided so that guests take what they want! For example for your buffet you might have two salads, some kind of chicken, a pasta dish, a vegetable, rolls & butter. You can add another entree such as fish, but that would increase your per person price. And yes, for a buffet dinner you’d need seating for everyone. If you do heavy hors doeuvres on a buffet, ample seating isn’t as necessary, but it is certainly nice to have a table to set your plate and drink on. If you have questions, feel free to pm me. I’d say that the coordinator at the venue sounds inexperienced and that you’d do better to find someone who is easier to work with.
I’d look elsewhere. The event planner is either inexperienced or hoping some more lucrative event will book with her. I agree that community center, churches, schools and YW/MCAs are THRILLED to have bookings and many have very nice venues. They don’t charge much and generally let you bring in food from wherever. Many caterers will deliver the food, set up and serve, if you pay their fee. Museums and even aquariums are other venues I’ve attended events at–guests can also view the exhibits while they are present. Some places have caterers they will recommend while others are happy for your to choose whatever works best for you.
Can you really trust this event coordinator? I helped with a friend’s Ds senior recital and learned how big a deal this really is in a musician’s life. You can think that you have all the arrangement details ironed out in the contract, but the execution might falter and your special night could be marred with frustration.
You want the night to be successful, but it would also be great if you could enjoy yourself and keep your attention on the musical performance. Sounds like you would not be able to give full attention to your D with this venue.
It sounds to me that this event coordinator is up to her ears with holiday event planning, and she is basically pushing your event on the back burner until the holiday craze dies down. Not a good way to acquire a customer. I would keep looking. $1200 is a lot of money - you can do better than a shared patio space.
Good advice on checking on the piano, if you need one. (I’m assuming not, given the brew pub?) Our piano is a Yamaha grand that we bought from a recording studio, and it is frequently tuned and frequently used by professional musicians giving concerts.