Three Things Your Event Staff Wishes You Knew
Organizing an event requires careful planning, coordination, and the hard work of dedicated event staff. These individuals work tirelessly to ensure a smooth and memorable experience for you and your guests. In this blog post, we’ll shed light on three of the most common, but often overlooked things our event staff wishes you knew prior to your event.
Pricing Structure
Many people assume that event costs are the same no matter the day, month, or time of year. However, pricing is typically on a per-person basis and is determined by the current demand for your specified month of the year, day of the week, and time of day. For example, Saturday evening is usually more expensive than a Friday or Sunday evening due to demand.
(Hint: Use our all-inclusive packages to help you stay within your budget.)
DIY Décor
We love working with clients to select the perfect décor to create your preferred atmosphere – whether that be classic and elegant, or fun and flirty. However, if you are contemplating doing the design and decorating work yourself, that works too! Just let us know how much time you will need in advance of the event to set up. Many people do not take this into consideration, and it can cause a late start or incomplete preparation for your event.
Final Headcount vs. Actual Attendees
One week prior to your event, you will “finalize” your number of guests to use for the purposes of food preparation and room setup. Your payment will be based on that final guest count. One misconception is that you will pay only for the guests who take part in your event. However, that is not always the case. Your deposit and/or payment is based on your estimated number of guests, not actual attendees. The reason for this is simple: entrees and seating for your guests is prepared in advance. While we don’t provide meal credit for guests who do not attend after responding “yes,” we will allow those meals to be taken home if requested.
To get the most accurate headcount be sure to request RSVPs, either by mail or electronically via email, web forms, or social media for your party. When in doubt, we can help you calculate a general guest estimate. For local guests, plan for 85% attendance. For out-of-towners, plan for 55% attendance. To simplify: (Number of out-of-town guests x 0.55) + (Number of local guests x 0.85) = Total estimate.
We want your event to go off without a hitch. Hopefully, knowing more about pricing, décor, and headcount will help us work together with our professional event staff to create extraordinary experiences that leave lasting memories.