HOW TO
How to stop your event from melting, freezing or being bird-bombed
In South Africa, comfort should always be overestimated.
Why? Because “room temperature” can mean anything from Arctic to oven. Throw in a sideways wind, a chorus of hadedas and one guest loudly demanding more ice in their rosé and suddenly your chic soirée is chaos with canapés.
If your guests are over-heating, shivering or wiping bird droppings off their chair with a 220gsm linen serviette, you can forget about your celebrity MC and artisanal bread rolls. Nothing kills the mood faster than a sweat moustache at a black-tie event or goosebumps before mains are served.
Here’s how to design comfort into the event experience:
Control your climate
Split your space into temperature zones. No one wants their VIPs melting in suede. If you’re outdoors, go for open-sided tents, roof vents and evaporative coolers. Misters, shade, shawls and heaters can sometimes be more important than guests not feeling their toes in high fashion.
Serve sensibly
Cold food should stay at 4ºC. Hot food should hold at 60ºC. Anything in between and you’re playing food poisoning roulette. Keep seafood iced, replace trays often, separate raw from cooked and sanitise as if your reputation depends on it. (Because it does.)
Buffet or banquet?
Buffets mean movement, so keep food shaded, protected and fresh. Banquets are easier to control if seating isn’t squashed. Want the best of both? Use scattered food stations to minimise queuing, improve airflow and prevent buffet brawls.
Plan for the picky
Some people want ice in everything. Others think it belongs only in a plastic cup at a varsity res party. Either way, keep the drinks cold and the options clear. And yes, even if only two people touch the vegan menu, you still need one.
Expect the unexpected
Have backup infrastructure like tents, tarps and windbreaks. Also prep for birds and storms. Keep umbrellas, throws and fans on standby, and make sure staff know where they are. Anchor the décor and board muddy paths to protect shoes.
And remember: you can’t control the weather, but you can design, prep and obsessively test comfort.
#BallsOfSteel
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EYES ON
Candlelight and all the strings attached
Candlelight Concerts are proof that classical music still knows no bounds. These events take familiar songs, local musicians and dreamy venues, and light the whole thing with thousands of candles.
The result is like velvet for your senses: intimate, elegant and just left of expected. If you’re craving calm, warm and familiar, this is it.
The best part? They’re all over the world. Visit https://candlelightexperience.com, select your city and see what’s happening near you.
BY THE WAY
This month’s riddle:
They pack hot things to stay hot, they prep cold things to stay cold, and somehow they fit it all into one container, van and timeline.
Caterers make an event unforgettable. They know how long a canapé survives in heat, have perfected the gap between main and dessert, and have prepped the vegetarians, the gluten-frees and the guy who forgot to RSVP but needs a plate.
Their schedules may be tight and their storage space tighter, but when they’re good, it feels like the food should have its own TED Talk.
