News

583 PARK AVENUE has had the privilege of kicking off 2016 with some truly memorable events. From milestone birthday celebrations to diversity awareness gatherings, 583 PARK AVENUE has started off the New Year with a bang. Below is a list of select highlights covering the first few months of 2016: (more…)

583 PARK AVENUE has had the privilege of kicking off 2016 with some truly memorable events. From milestone birthday celebrations to diversity awareness gatherings, 583 PARK AVENUE has started off the New Year with a bang. Below is a list of select highlights covering the first few months of 2016: Continue reading →

Herbert Rose Commentary: What can I do to make my NYC event special?

What can I do to make my NYC event special?

This is a question we hear all the time at 583 Park Avenue and Guastavino’s. I like to tell people that to make an event special you first must get basics right, but that’s not the kind of guidance most party hosts are looking for. Truthfully, there is not much you can do that is really going to make a memorable difference beyond the basics: music, décor, food and service. Getting all of that right is an accomplishment in itself; but there are two little extras that can pay off.

 

1) Seating Arrangements

 

Bear in mind that no one is coming to your wedding, bar/bat mitzvah or fundraiser to make new friends. People want to sit with people they know and LIKE. Don’t force guests to sit with strangers or enemies just because you think every table must have ten seats. One of the biggest mistakes that amateur event planners make is trying to force their guests into a fixed number of spots per table.

 

Taking that thought a step further, one way to enhance your guests’ evening is to have individual place cards at each seat, in addition to the place cards at the entrance. It shows that extra care and thought have gone into insuring that each guest enjoys him or herself. It’s a lot of work, but thoughtfully assigned seating will often result in a better party.

 

2) Take Home Gifts

 

Our clients often ask about what gift, if any, they should give as their partygoers’ head home for the evening. In my experience, take home gifts at private at events are a waste of money (as opposed to goody bags at charity parties, which are fun).

 

My professional opinion aside, I know that in some cultures take home gifts are a must. In this case I suggest a having a candy table by the doors as your friends and family leave. Guests adore sweets at the end of the night. Best of all, you can make your offerings as lavish or as simple as you wish. For one spectacular wedding we did an all-white chocolate table loaded with goodies. The very sophisticated guests stripped it clean!

 

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. 

 

Have a question for Herbert? CONTACT US today and he will be happy to address it in a future post.

What can I do to make my NYC event special?

This is a question we hear all the time at 583 Park Avenue and Guastavino’s. I like to tell people that to make an event special you first must get basics right, but that’s not the kind of guidance most party hosts are looking for. Truthfully, there is not much you can do that is really going to make a memorable difference beyond the basics: music, décor, food and service. Getting all of that right is an accomplishment in itself; but there are two little extras that can pay off.

 

1) Seating Arrangements

 

Bear in mind that no one is coming to your wedding, bar/bat mitzvah or fundraiser to make new friends. People want to sit with people they know and LIKE. Don’t force guests to sit with strangers or enemies just because you think every table must have ten seats. One of the biggest mistakes that amateur event planners make is trying to force their guests into a fixed number of spots per table.

 

Taking that thought a step further, one way to enhance your guests’ evening is to have individual place cards at each seat, in addition to the place cards at the entrance. It shows that extra care and thought have gone into insuring that each guest enjoys him or herself. It’s a lot of work, but thoughtfully assigned seating will often result in a better party.

 

2) Take Home Gifts

 

Our clients often ask about what gift, if any, they should give as their partygoers’ head home for the evening. In my experience, take home gifts at private at events are a waste of money (as opposed to goody bags at charity parties, which are fun).

 

My professional opinion aside, I know that in some cultures take home gifts are a must. In this case I suggest a having a candy table by the doors as your friends and family leave. Guests adore sweets at the end of the night. Best of all, you can make your offerings as lavish or as simple as you wish. For one spectacular wedding we did an all-white chocolate table loaded with goodies. The very sophisticated guests stripped it clean!

 

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. 

 

Have a question for Herbert? CONTACT US today and he will be happy to address it in a future post.

WHAT MAKES ONE NEW YORK EVENT BETTER THAN THE NEXT, PART 6: TEMPERATURE

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: Temperature

To paraphrase Ellsworth Statler’s famous dictum concerning what is most important in real estate, “Location, location, location.” The things that can really impair an event are: temperature, temperature, temperature. Nothing will ruin a party more effectively than a venue that is too hot or too cold.

It sounds so basic but be forewarned, it’s not. Most older venues in New York, particularly hotels, have antiquated HVAC systems, often employing only a one pipe system. That means a venue can have heat or it can have AC, but not both. This is true of the hotel I spent much of my career with. When the season changed we would go through hell until it was freezing cold enough for heat or swelteringly hot enough for air conditioning. At 583 Park Avenue and Guastavino’s, we employ state of the art two pipe systems that allow us to provide both heat and cold air on any given day. We carefully monitor the temperature of the venues leading up to an event and, of course, throughout the event itself.

Some years ago, when I was at the aforementioned hotel, a popular New York couple booked their daughter’s wedding for the following June. Exactly six months before the event, they cancelled as they had instead decided to have the wedding in an outdoor tent at their Southampton home. It was extremely hot and humid the night of the wedding, but the hosts chose not to air condition the tent in an effort to economize. The night was so uncomfortable that the elaborate Sylvia Weinstock wedding cake collapsed from the humidity. The party was a disaster because of the temperature.

If you are planning a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, wedding or any elaborate event during the potentially high temperature months, be sure that your venue has first rate air conditioning and that it will be fully operative. Just as important, make sure that someone competent will be there the day of and during the event to continuously monitor the temperature. You never know when a warm day could turn hot-and-sticky due to a faulty HVAC system.

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. 

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: Temperature

To paraphrase Ellsworth Statler’s famous dictum concerning what is most important in real estate, “Location, location, location.” The things that can really impair an event are: temperature, temperature, temperature. Nothing will ruin a party more effectively than a venue that is too hot or too cold.

It sounds so basic but be forewarned, it’s not. Most older venues in New York, particularly hotels, have antiquated HVAC systems, often employing only a one pipe system. That means a venue can have heat or it can have AC, but not both. This is true of the hotel I spent much of my career with. When the season changed we would go through hell until it was freezing cold enough for heat or swelteringly hot enough for air conditioning. At 583 Park Avenue and Guastavino’s, we employ state of the art two pipe systems that allow us to provide both heat and cold air on any given day. We carefully monitor the temperature of the venues leading up to an event and, of course, throughout the event itself.

Some years ago, when I was at the aforementioned hotel, a popular New York couple booked their daughter’s wedding for the following June. Exactly six months before the event, they cancelled as they had instead decided to have the wedding in an outdoor tent at their Southampton home. It was extremely hot and humid the night of the wedding, but the hosts chose not to air condition the tent in an effort to economize. The night was so uncomfortable that the elaborate Sylvia Weinstock wedding cake collapsed from the humidity. The party was a disaster because of the temperature.

If you are planning a Bar/Bat Mitzvah, wedding or any elaborate event during the potentially high temperature months, be sure that your venue has first rate air conditioning and that it will be fully operative. Just as important, make sure that someone competent will be there the day of and during the event to continuously monitor the temperature. You never know when a warm day could turn hot-and-sticky due to a faulty HVAC system.

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. 

Have a question for Herbert? CONTACT US today and he will be happy to address it in a future post.

WHAT MAKES ONE NEW YORK EVENT BETTER THAN THE NEXT, PART 5: Music

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: Music

The key to success when booking a band or DJ is to go for the best music that you can afford. I’ve always advised clients that if you are going to stretch the event budget in any area, music should be it. Music is the single aspect of your event that, when done perfectly, can lift your event from ordinary to exceptional.

Before spending a lot of money there is one very important question to ask yourself. What kind of music will my guests enjoy dancing to? What will get them up and on the dance floor even if they aren’t typically much of a dancer? Consider your guest list, their ages, ethnic backgrounds and their point of reference in the social world.

One of the most perfect weddings I ever arranged was flawed by the wrong choice of orchestra. The décor, the food, the ambiance, everything was superb. For the music, however, they chose Bob Hardwich, an outstanding “high society” orchestra, very much in the Peter Duchin, Mike Carney idiom. To enjoy Hardwich’s orchestra to the fullest you must know how to Fox Trot. The Fox Trot, once learned at the dance classes in major cities and country clubs in particularly genteel suburbs, has passed most of my children and grandchildren’s generation by. Very few young people are inducted into that social milieu today and, consequently, are not at home with that style of dancing. At this particular wedding the bride and groom’s friends, although from very well to do backgrounds, felt bored and out of place with that style of music. Parents and grandparents were thrilled, but without the full participation of the younger guests the party screeched to a halt.

There is a band I absolutely love a called “The Night Hawks”. They are New York’s, and in my opinion North America’s, foremost practitioners of 1920’s music. They are so good, in fact, they were chosen to provided the music for HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”. I use them for background music at social and corporate events whenever possible, but in 2014 their genre is simply not appropriate for dancing.

In every facet of planning a wedding, Bar or Bat Mitzvah and nonprofit event I strongly advise clients not to “high class their guests to death”. When it comes to live music, at 583 Park Avenue and Guastavino’s we recommend the Hank Lane Orchestras. They are without question the best in the business, with high quality musicians in every genre, with an emphasis on youth. I cannot overstate the importance youthful performers have in meeting the “sex appeal” entertainment quotient.

That brings us to the question of hiring live musicians vs. a DJ. With a D.J. you hear the music by the original artists. A good DJ with a state of the art sound system will bring your event recorded music at the highest possible quality. So why bother with hiring musicians who are not as talented to play other people’s music under less than perfect conditions? Why take a chance on unknown live musicians who may have an off night, or not be that great to begin with?

The answer is complex but the bottom line is that when it comes to social events and dancing, live music will always trump recorded performances. Only with living breathing musicians can your guests make that connection, have that chemistry, which raises their enjoyment and appreciation of the music to make their experience really special. A record, no matter how wonderful, can’t hold a candle to seeing performers at their best performing for your pleasure. In addition, a good band leader will sense what will get your guests up on the floor and know just how long to keep the dancing going before letting them up for air.

Note: If you will be booking an event in New York City in the near future, please consider the following performers. In my opinion they are the top five social bands in New York today:

Harris Lane

Bobby Attiko

Eric Marshall

Steve De Lisi

Michael Hart

Contact the Hank Lane office for more information.

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 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: Music

The key to success when booking a band or DJ is to go for the best music that you can afford. I’ve always advised clients that if you are going to stretch the event budget in any area, music should be it. Music is the single aspect of your event that, when done perfectly, can lift your event from ordinary to exceptional.

Before spending a lot of money there is one very important question to ask yourself. What kind of music will my guests enjoy dancing to? What will get them up and on the dance floor even if they aren’t typically much of a dancer? Consider your guest list, their ages, ethnic backgrounds and their point of reference in the social world.

One of the most perfect weddings I ever arranged was flawed by the wrong choice of orchestra. The décor, the food, the ambiance, everything was superb. For the music, however, they chose Bob Hardwich, an outstanding “high society” orchestra, very much in the Peter Duchin, Mike Carney idiom. To enjoy Hardwich’s orchestra to the fullest you must know how to Fox Trot. The Fox Trot, once learned at the dance classes in major cities and country clubs in particularly genteel suburbs, has passed most of my children and grandchildren’s generation by. Very few young people are inducted into that social milieu today and, consequently, are not at home with that style of dancing. At this particular wedding the bride and groom’s friends, although from very well to do backgrounds, felt bored and out of place with that style of music. Parents and grandparents were thrilled, but without the full participation of the younger guests the party screeched to a halt.

There is a band I absolutely love a called “The Night Hawks”. They are New York’s, and in my opinion North America’s, foremost practitioners of 1920’s music. They are so good, in fact, they were chosen to provided the music for HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire”. I use them for background music at social and corporate events whenever possible, but in 2014 their genre is simply not appropriate for dancing.

In every facet of planning a wedding, Bar or Bat Mitzvah and nonprofit event I strongly advise clients not to “high class their guests to death”. When it comes to live music, at 583 Park Avenue and Guastavino’s we recommend the Hank Lane Orchestras. They are without question the best in the business, with high quality musicians in every genre, with an emphasis on youth. I cannot overstate the importance youthful performers have in meeting the “sex appeal” entertainment quotient.

That brings us to the question of hiring live musicians vs. a DJ. With a D.J. you hear the music by the original artists. A good DJ with a state of the art sound system will bring your event recorded music at the highest possible quality. So why bother with hiring musicians who are not as talented to play other people’s music under less than perfect conditions? Why take a chance on unknown live musicians who may have an off night, or not be that great to begin with?

The answer is complex but the bottom line is that when it comes to social events and dancing, live music will always trump recorded performances. Only with living breathing musicians can your guests make that connection, have that chemistry, which raises their enjoyment and appreciation of the music to make their experience really special. A record, no matter how wonderful, can’t hold a candle to seeing performers at their best performing for your pleasure. In addition, a good band leader will sense what will get your guests up on the floor and know just how long to keep the dancing going before letting them up for air.

Note: If you will be booking an event in New York City in the near future, please consider the following performers. In my opinion they are the top five social bands in New York today:

Harris Lane

Bobby Attiko

Eric Marshall

Steve De Lisi

Michael Hart

Contact the Hank Lane office for more information.

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 and party planning.

Have a question for Herbert? CONTACT US today and he will be happy to address it in a future post.

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