Whether it’s a Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah, Cocktail Reception, Gala Dinner or Wedding in New York, there are certain elements that ensure that your event will stand out from the rest. Herbert Rose has over 40 years of experience as Director of Catering at New York’s finest venues, and is now Director Emeritus at GUASTAVINO’S and 583 Park Avenue. Over the next few weeks the patriarch of The Rose Family will share his commentary on the factors that make an event stand out from the crowd. This week: Timing
When timing out your event in Manhattan, the first thing to bear in mind is that the amount of time you have for your event is finite. You will have a short number of hours and that’s it. This period of time is often LESS than the number of hours you have contracted for. Few of your guests will be able or willing to stay for the entire length of your event. Be cognizant of time restraints and plan accordingly.
Before we discuss the event itself, let’s address set up time. Most organizers believe they need more time than is actually essential, and most venues want to provide less set up time than a client should be allowed. Ideally, a party planner would like to have a venue all to themself on event day. Unfortunately that is not always economically feasible. You may encounter a scenario where there is a lunch scheduled before your dinner, a breakfast before your lunch or, worst of all, a meeting that goes until 5pm when your reception starts at 6. These sorts of time restraints are primarily found in hotels that are obligated to maximize revenue at any cost. I worked under these conditions for 40 years and be assured it CAN be done. The best event venues are able to perform seamless resets in moments; just be sure to bring a Valium with you. At 583 Park Avenue and Guastavino’s we allow a full day for set ups to provide all party planners with peace of mind.
In general, the amount of set up time necessary for a New York event will look something like this:
· Two hours for a standard breakfast or luncheon
· Three hours for a reception and dinner, with or without dancing
· All day, essential, for a Wedding, Bar or Bat Mitzvah or an extremely elaborate ball
Naturally, the time line for an actual event will vary based on dozens of factors I’m not going to attempt to dissect every possibility for you, but instead share some general advice:
1. Do not prolong the pre-dinner reception for more than one hour, beyond that it can be torture. Not everyone can or should be seated and over an hour is too long to stand. By hosting an extended cocktail hour you are encouraging your guests to drink too much and, if food is served, stuff themselves before the meal is served.
2. Allow 15 minutes for your guests to find their seats after the cocktail hour before starting a program. Avoid preset 1st courses, as they are rarely served properly and usually disgusting.
3. Keep programs as short as possible while still including everything that you want your audience to hear. If you choose to split your program, make sure the second part is after dessert and coffee have been served or you might as well not serve them at all.
4. Keep the time between courses as short as possible and don’t wait until the last guest has taken his last bite before starting to clear. Time is of the essence. Many guests do not want to stay longer than is absolutely necessary.
5. If you have dancing between the courses, keep the sets short. There will be plenty of time for unlimited dancing after dessert and coffee are served.
6. For midweek dinners, plan on ending your program, with dessert and coffee served, by 9pm. After that, people will start to leave regardless of what is happening.
7. In the case of gala dinner dances, have service completed by 11pm and conclude the dancing no later than midnight. For weddings, midnight is the witching hour. Guests will start leaving at 12 whether dessert has been served or not. There are exceptions, of course. Twenty-somethings will often go past midnight and South Americans of all ages will stay until dawn. No matter what your event may be, consider planning an after party should the mood strike.
The next area that I will address is music. If service and food are the body of the dog, décor the tail, and timing is the head, then music is the heart. More on that next time.
Herbert Rose is Director Emeritus at GUASTAVINO’S and 583 Park Avenue. He has over 40 years of experience as Director of Catering at New York’s finest venues. Future commentaries will include temperature, music, and party planning.
Have a question for Herbert? CONTACT US today and he will be happy to address it in a future post.
Whether it’s a Bar Mitzvah, Bat Mitzvah, Cocktail Reception, Gala Dinner or Wedding in New York, there are certain elements that ensure that your event will stand out from the rest. Herbert Rose has over 40 years of experience as Director of Catering at New York’s finest venues, and is now Director Emeritus at GUASTAVINO’S and 583 Park Avenue. Over the next few weeks the patriarch of The Rose Family will share his commentary on the factors that make an event stand out from the crowd. This week: Timing
When timing out your event in Manhattan, the first thing to bear in mind is that the amount of time you have for your event is finite. You will have a short number of hours and that’s it. This period of time is often LESS than the number of hours you have contracted for. Few of your guests will be able or willing to stay for the entire length of your event. Be cognizant of time restraints and plan accordingly.
Before we discuss the event itself, let’s address set up time. Most organizers believe they need more time than is actually essential, and most venues want to provide less set up time than a client should be allowed. Ideally, a party planner would like to have a venue all to themself on event day. Unfortunately that is not always economically feasible. You may encounter a scenario where there is a lunch scheduled before your dinner, a breakfast before your lunch or, worst of all, a meeting that goes until 5pm when your reception starts at 6. These sorts of time restraints are primarily found in hotels that are obligated to maximize revenue at any cost. I worked under these conditions for 40 years and be assured it CAN be done. The best event venues are able to perform seamless resets in moments; just be sure to bring a Valium with you. At 583 Park Avenue and Guastavino’s we allow a full day for set ups to provide all party planners with peace of mind.
In general, the amount of set up time necessary for a New York event will look something like this:
· Two hours for a standard breakfast or luncheon
· Three hours for a reception and dinner, with or without dancing
· All day, essential, for a Wedding, Bar or Bat Mitzvah or an extremely elaborate ball
Naturally, the time line for an actual event will vary based on dozens of factors I’m not going to attempt to dissect every possibility for you, but instead share some general advice:
1. Do not prolong the pre-dinner reception for more than one hour, beyond that it can be torture. Not everyone can or should be seated and over an hour is too long to stand. By hosting an extended cocktail hour you are encouraging your guests to drink too much and, if food is served, stuff themselves before the meal is served.
2. Allow 15 minutes for your guests to find their seats after the cocktail hour before starting a program. Avoid preset 1st courses, as they are rarely served properly and usually disgusting.
3. Keep programs as short as possible while still including everything that you want your audience to hear. If you choose to split your program, make sure the second part is after dessert and coffee have been served or you might as well not serve them at all.
4. Keep the time between courses as short as possible and don’t wait until the last guest has taken his last bite before starting to clear. Time is of the essence. Many guests do not want to stay longer than is absolutely necessary.
5. If you have dancing between the courses, keep the sets short. There will be plenty of time for unlimited dancing after dessert and coffee are served.
6. For midweek dinners, plan on ending your program, with dessert and coffee served, by 9pm. After that, people will start to leave regardless of what is happening.
7. In the case of gala dinner dances, have service completed by 11pm and conclude the dancing no later than midnight. For weddings, midnight is the witching hour. Guests will start leaving at 12 whether dessert has been served or not. There are exceptions, of course. Twenty-somethings will often go past midnight and South Americans of all ages will stay until dawn. No matter what your event may be, consider planning an after party should the mood strike.
The next area that I will address is music. If service and food are the body of the dog, décor the tail, and timing is the head, then music is the heart. More on that next time.
Herbert Rose is Director Emeritus at GUASTAVINO’S and 583 Park Avenue. He has over 40 years of experience as Director of Catering at New York’s finest venues. Future commentaries will include temperature, music, and party planning.
Have a question for Herbert? CONTACT US today and he will be happy to address it in a future post.