hey are the parties, events, and functions that can make or break a hotel’s bottom line. They require nearly every available employee to pull it off, and they stretch a hotel’s space and equipment to its limits. In other words … all hands on deck!

Depending on the size of the property and staff, “all hands on deck” could be a 2,500-person fundraiser for a famous politician or charity, a New Year’s Eve party for 3,500, an annual company conference dinner for 4,000, or a corporate Christmas party for 6,000 and up.

These events don’t happen every week, but when they do, they can leave behind a substantial financial footprint.

“Come event time, nearly a month’s worth of catering revenue is achieved in one night,” says Robert Neubert, director of catering sales, Hilton Chicago. “Needless to say, that type of revenue is difficult to replace.”

“It starts with the room setup,” says Michele Polci, director of catering, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. “We need to make the room a blank slate so the chefs can come in and start building buffets.

“I meet with the banquet captain and catering manager in advance to determine how many stations we have and how many chafing dishes are needed. Also, are there carving stations? Is it a sit-down meal? All of this must be decided ahead of time,” says Bernhard Götz, executive chef, Little America Hotel, Salt Lake City.

Plan the Work, Work the Plan
From a food and beverage standpoint, the risks involved in an “all hands” event can be minimized by breaking down the work into stages.

“Make sure you plan your work, and work your plan,” says Götz. “The pre-planning is crucial. Make sure everyone involved knows exactly what the end result looks like.”

Götz has spent more than 26 years as a hotel chef, organizing dozens of “all hands” events along the way. His largest was for 10,000 people, but most of them have been between 3,000 and 6,000 people, each presenting unique labor and inventory challenges to his operation.

“If you wing it, you’ll fall apart because you won’t be able to organize at the last minute,” says Götz. “It’s too massive. If you make a change, the ripple effect is devastating.”

The Checklist
Here are some essential F&B stages for planning an “all hands on deck” event, according to Götz:

• Sit down with the purchasing department and determine how much food is needed weeks ahead of the function. Then, have purchasing bid out to vendors as soon as possible. Do the same when ordering alcohol.

• Schedule vendors to deliver the food in stages, close to the event date, so labor can be staggered and waste minimized.

• Check the equipment and tools inventory. Is it enough?

• Set preparation days for the kitchen.

• Schedule the staff according to preparation days and real-time event needs.

• Keep detailed notes of every event, especially if it’s repeat business. It makes future functions easier.

Whose Job is it Anyway?
It wouldn’t be considered “all hands on deck” if these events fell into a comfort zone with labor. This is where a hotel’s readiness to use “all hands” can make or break the party.

“It becomes like a theatrical production,” says Meredith Quarnstrom, VP of food and beverage operations, Hilton Hotels. “You gather staff from all over your operation. Many of them are not used to working in the food and beverage arena, so you must train them quickly.” Salespeople, catering directors, and other employees who don’t normally cook or physically set up rooms are expected to pitch in.

“I can crawl around and pick up stuff on the floor. Some of us might be vacuuming, and some of us might be throwing tablecloths down and putting chairs around,” Polci says.

“I wouldn’t take somebody from housekeeping and say, ‘Okay, I need you to make 10 gallons of Béarnaise sauce.’ But they can plate up, put the quiche in the pans, or count the chickens on the tray,” Götz says. “And don’t bring them in the day of the function. Bring them in a couple days before and make sure they can practice.”

Mistakes happen, especially during an event that stretches the hotel’s resources. Many clients understand this, so why is there so much pressure to achieve “all hands on deck” perfection?

“Budgets are based on projections, and projections are based on commitments from customers who say they’ll be back next year,” says William Becker, VP of food and beverage, Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas. “That’s our objective. To bring them back.”

“Think about the difference between ticking off 10 people or 10,000 people. Out of those 10,000 people, there can be CEOs, there can be decision makers. If you disappoint them, you won’t see them again,” Götz says.