5 Keys to Catering for VIP Visit
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President Nathan's Visit
Alas! Some Mr Bigshot is planning a visit to your company, organisation or institution and you (of all people) have been commissioned to source for food. It has to be aesthetically impressive, the food must appeal to this VIP’s taste bud and NOTHING, absolutely nothing must go wrong – after all, it’s the President (or Member of Parliament or Mr Nobel-Peace-Prize-Winner) that you’re talking about here! The schedule of the entire visit is tight, planned down to the minute, and you have only $xx to work with. What do you do?
Here are a few keys to help you in the process of catering food for the function.
First and foremost, start planning as early as possible – if you are not experienced enough to know this, you’ll be surprised how much detail can go into planning a VIP’s visit that can be as brief as 30 minutes. Make sure you include the head count for Mr VIP’s entourage – security personnel, personal assistant, support staff and even medical personnel – in space, food and logistics planning. (For your information, President Obama’s entourage is made up of an estimated 500 people.) Typically, such events require at least 6-8 weeks’ planning, just to get the food on the table.
Afiko hosting President Nathan
Next, choose your caterer carefully. You do not want a newbie handling such a crucial event, especially if it’s your first time organising it! Referrals are the best and those caterers recommended should have had experience hosting very important guests. Of course, the type of food (Chinese, Western, Indian, etc.) and price range will help to narrow down the list of caterers you can choose from. Then, arrange for a food tasting session for the top 2-3 caterers you have short-listed. Always use the high profile nature of the event to help you get a good bargain – most vendors do not mind lowering their margins for the opportunity to serve national leaders or celebrities. Also, always put everything in writing from the caterer, either via fax or email.
Security and crowd control are areas that are often over-looked by event organisers. These areas may not be your direct responsibility but it certainly affects how the guests will enjoy the food presented. Ensure that you station a few of your own team members at the venue to guard the food and prevent congestion around the place where the food is displayed, especially if it is a public location. The last thing you want is for a bunch of shameless gate-crashers helping themselves to the food. Do not assume that uniformed security personnel engaged by the organisers will do that job for you!
Heeding Murphy’s Law will do you good at this juncture – whatever can go wrong, will go wrong! Since you cannot prevent things from going wrong, give as much buffer as you possibly can. You should have answers to the following what-ifs: what if the caterer’s van breaks down along the way? What if you (God forbid) get hospitalised at the eve of the event – is there someone else who can run the show in your absence? What if it rains? … just to name a few.
Lastly, try to relax and enjoy the function, or at least the food. Arrive at the site early so you can take your time to make sure everything is in place and you will not look edgy in front of your bosses (give the everything-is-in-control look). And make sure you get the credit for everything that goes well and have an explanation for everything that did not. If you have these keys firmly in your grip, you are likely to savour sweet success.
Go for it!
