Jump to content

Staffing Parties and Events


DaveO

Recommended Posts

Not to overly belabor this point but the Professional Bartending School is a great source for staffing parties, events, corporate events, weddings, etc etc.  Check out the testimonial cited below!!! 

There are two prodigious party and event seasons in the Washington, DC area.   The annual second season is just ending this week:   Autumn to Christmas with New Years thrown in.  Typically the largest caterers in the region could have staff out at events every day of the season from about the 2nd week in September through the week before Christmas (this weekend just ended) and then again for New Years. (excepting Thanksgiving Week, which is slow for caterers)   If they don't have staff out every day of the week, it might be 4-6 days of the week.  On top of that hotels will host events that require banquet staff, and many many restaurants will book their party rooms for endless events. 

Spring...from roughly March through June is the other tremendously busy season for caterers...and at its peak staffing requirements are about as busy as in the Autumn to Christmas season.  Weddings and graduation parties of course occur all the time during this season.

In any case our staffing office might have direct staffed a total of about 40 bartenders and assistants this past weekend, with some reservations having been made at the beginning of the season and some last minute, and some requiring restaffing after initial staffing fell through.   On top of that anywhere from dozens to well over 100 could have been working for caterers or through their own efforts, as they have been doing this for years.  They are accomplished.  We do lose track of them over time, although we spoke with two old graduates from over 15 years ago who continue to augment their regular incomes with experienced bartending services every year.

We were following up on some events and besides reviewing a little bit of this activity we cited the exact words from one testimonial from a last minute scheduler:  So when Spring event season pops up...think of the Professional Bartending School for staffing needs:Staffing Parties.jpg

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to add to this topic we've been reviewing hires over the last 2 years.  Haven't completely totaled it up but it appears our grads worked about 1500 events in the last 2 years.  That includes being hired by caterers wherein they might have worked 5-200 events per year.  Its quite extensive from bartending at a home party to bartending major events with thousands of guests and dozens if not over 100 staff.  We added a second school location using the same placement service;  the Maryland Bartending School located in College Park, Maryland.  Frankly our placement services have already been staffing bars and restaurants in that area for over 3 decades.  Actually the 1500 or so that we recorded doesn't begin to approximate the total who are actually staffing events.  We recently spoke with some grads who are military chefs only to learn they've each worked about 40 events in the last year, none of which we recorded.

Of those who continue to work parties and events some of them have been doing this for over 16 years, and some of the employers who hire grads for these purposes have been doing so for about 15 straight years.  

And on the more sophisticated end, some of our grads were employed to develop specialty cocktails for events hosted by those who fancy themselves and their guests as cocktail enthusiasts.

Cheers, everyone for a happy new year.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

We recently arranged to staff an event having been recommended by Susan Gage Caterers

...and then some gossip from a staffing person at a different name caterer than Susan Gage:   Overall it seems fewer events during this inauguration than the last 2 and far less than 2009.  Fewer overall events and a greater percentage of the major ones at hotels, doing the catering in house.  As is typical a large number of small events at the offices of firms that oversee the parade route  (i.e. law firms inviting their clients to watch the parade), and since the timing is right large sponsored catered events that might be more for presentation and less political.  (but that is gossip from only one person at one firm). 

I read that the National Press Club is hosting the somewhat infamous DePloraBall that gained some notoriety for being turned away by The Clarendon Ball Room.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

For the Halloween weekend, 2017, it appears the bartending school has been tasked with providing around 100 additional bartenders and some other staffers for various parties, events, weddings, etc.

And we have appeared to have accomplished this.  That is on top of some number of grads working for caterers this busy weekend.  It could be 50, 100, hundreds or more.  Its one of the busiest weekends for staffing events during the calendar year.  One quite reliable service had many of its staff scheduled for events for the weekend.  They needed 5 ASAP grads.  We got them the necessary people within 1.5 hours.

The bartending school remains a great source for staffing events, parties, catering, weddings, and of course bars, restaurants, etc.

 

To add.  Since we sent out blasts on Monday and Tuesday for some of these Saturday events as of Thursday we have confirmation on caterers booking events with at least 53 grads.  But we aren't sure right now of the others.

Its a great service for the entire F& B community and for hosts and hostessses.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...