Foodielicious Event Planning Tips
Whether you’re planning something huge, like a wedding or a gala, a private dinner party in your own home, or something in between the two, like a progressively themed dinner for about 60 people a la our very own Elev8’d Eats Dinner, you have to put in some effort to pull out a success. We’ve decided to wrangle together a few of our tips that work whether you’re having a party of 2, 200, or 2,000!
Whatever you do, make sure you have enough food and booze so that everyone leaves full and giddy. That way, even if have a hiccup or two along the way, your guests will remember it all fondly.
Make a Plan. And Make Note of it.
Even if you’re keeping it casual with a few close friends, and you’re not actually worried about 500 A-listers, it’s super easy for the small things to fall through the cracks. So some kind of plan is key. And when you write it down — even if that just means texting someone you trust, you can easily reference those notes to make sure you don’t forget things like ice, or water, or garbage bags. Because those are the things that so frequently get forgotten about. The bigger the party is, the more detailed on timing you’re going to want to be — from prep time to decorating to good delivery, staffing arrival, etc. But regardless of size, timing is everything and at the very least you always want to make sure that it’s clearly communicated with your guests when THEIR arrival is expected. Think of it this way: the more that you plan in advance, the less you have to scramble together on the day of.
Build Your Team.
Anytime you’re responsible for an event that’s for 4 people or more, you need at least one person you can rely on to pick things up last minute, help you solve problems in the moment and keep you sane throughout. The bigger your event, the bigger your team becomes. Trust is key to good delegating. It’s easy to get wrapped up in your hosting responsibilities, and to feel that you must be responsible for everything that happens. But that’s the easiest way to guarantee you’ll become overwhelmed and your party will suffer. So you must surround yourself with people you can trust to be the next best thing to you. People who will make the right calls about the right things when you’re busy with something more important.
Communication is Key.
However great your team may be — they’ll be nothing without a good leader. The most important quality for a good leader is their ability to communicate effectively. If you find that you’ve built too big of a team, or too small, or there are things you forgot about in your initial planning, you can remedy all of it by speaking to your team clearly and calmly. You have to be prepared for a bump in the road, because you can never truly predict what may come up during the course of your event. But when problems arise, if you can keep your cool while you put your team into action, then you’ll end up victorious at the end of the day. Going all Ramsay on your people might get you a ton of reality shows, but it will alienate the people you have to deal with in real life.
Balance and Cohesion Must be on The Menu.
Even a potluck deserves some love. Some people like to have potlucks where they specifically ask each guest to bring something, others just leave it up to their guests. Either way, you must make sure that you have some control over what’s coming to the party because, unless you’re throwing a chef showdown, no one needs to have competing dishes at the same table — nor do you want someone to bring a dish that doesn’t fit within the rest of the dishes. Of course, if you’re planning the menu from start to finish, then you should definitely be considerate of the balance and cohesion of your dishes. If you’re planning on serving a very rich meal but want to serve some appetizers, then you want to be sure those are nice and light. If you’re planning a party for the summer, you don’t want to serve a hot apple cider. These may seem like very simple words of advice, but it’s easy to forget about the big picture if you get too wrapped up in the details.
Order More than You Need, and Plan for Your Leftovers.
Waste not want not, indeed. But the last thing you want to have happen at your party is that your guests leave hungry and thirsty. Regardless of anything else, people will always complain if they have to go get more food elsewhere. So, make sure that you consider how much food and you think your guests will consume and then order more. Of course, that doesn’t mean you should be OK with tossing extra food at the end of the night. If you can push leftovers on people to take with them when they leave, then that’s a great option — if you need, buy some extra to-go containers to make sure you can send the food out. If you’re going to be in a venue where leaving food for staff is not an option, or you worry that you may still have more food than even they can consume then do your diligence ahead of time. Lookup spots nearby that will accept perishable food. #Protip most churches and other houses of worship will take food in just about any condition, as they can re-serve or re-purpose for their soup kitchens. If you know of a shelter nearby, or a charity that doesn’t have strict requirements about the food they can take, then make sure to put their number in your phone for the end of the event. This way — your guests leave happy, and if you have more noms to share, you can feel good knowing that your goods don’t go to waste.
Finally — ENJOY!
Whether this is a professional gathering that you’re getting paid to put together, or it’s just an occasion to celebrate take a moment to celebrate your accomplishments and let yourself enjoy the moment. You done good kid! Kick off your shoes with a drink, if you like, and get ready for the next one!
Need some advice, guidance or support on putting together your upcoming event? Reach out to us at catering at komeeda dot com. We’d be happy to help!
