Overbooked? This Group Found a Solution
Getting strong attendance for the event looked to be a challenge — until a flood of RSVPs created a whole new one
by Susan Nocross | Published in January 2009 plan b | production | Departments
“How am I going to fill a room of this size with bodies?” That was my initial thought when my company was hired to create a non-traditional launch for the local opening of a Brazilian steak house with sister locations throughout the country.
Located on the outskirts of Philadelphia’s major restaurant hub, the restaurant had a large space to fill. Still, it had a sleek, trendy interior, exotic cocktails and a fun, communal dining concept. In addition, the restaurant client had an existing relationship with a celebrity wine brand. A personal appearance by the famous face could elevate the opening to a truly star-studded event.
We sent out a glossy invitation with a sexy image of the celebrity inviting guests to enjoy a complimentary dining experience and a tasting of the celebrity’s signature wine. We also began outreach to local press. Less than a week after the invitations were sent, the phone began ringing with RSVPs.
Several days before the event, however, we had a new challenge: The response had been so overwhelming that the guest count could now potentially hurt the event’s success.
We had three options: Close the guest list (this risked disappointing customers and leaving a negative first impression); continue to accept RSVPs and rely on a large drop-off rate (extremely risky, because if we did get a high turnout, we could end up with an overcrowded event, poor guest service, and a run on food and beverage); or initiate a realistic and functional backup plan to accommodate the growing guest list.
As with the opening of any restaurant entering a new market, the first impression must be top-notch. Guests must have a positive, memorable experience that will keep them coming back for more and ensure the eatery’s success.
We decided to launch plan B. Our original event time had been scheduled for 6 p.m. So that we would more realistically be able to accommodate all guests while providing an enjoyable, high-quality experience, we decided to add a second seating at 8 p.m.
Next came the challenge of communicating the change.
Luckily, we were familiar with many guests planning to attend, so we divided the guest list and contacted those we believed would prefer the later seating. All guests designated to the 6 p.m. seating received personal phone calls to confirm their reservation and inform them to arrive promptly at 6 p.m. We also convinced the client to open the private dining room as a press seating area and reserve centrally visible tables in the dining rooms for celebrities and their guests.
Seating schedule in place, we now needed to create a functional flow for the evening. To simplify the food and beverage service, we issued some limitations. The restaurant’s “hook” is its rodizio service provided by authentic gauchos, so we limited the dining options to include only the Brazilian churrasco (barbeque) consisting of 16 rotisserie meats and a salad bar of Brazilian and American favorites. We worked with the gauchos to ensure that they paced the dinner service with the second dinner seating in mind. Beverages were limited to the celebrity’s wine selections or non-alcoholic beverages with the option to enjoy other cocktails in the bar area. We also added a dessert station with pre-plated treats to help move guests along in anticipation of the second seating.
What initially started as a challenge to fill the space eventually became an issue of how to accommodate a guest list exceeding the restaurant’s capacity. In the end, creating two seating times allowed the client to accommodate over 400 guests, increasing exposure while providing a comfortable evening for all.
About the author: Susan Nocross
Guest columnist Susan Norcross is the director of special events for Cashman & Associates Public Relations & Special Events. She is also a 2009 Spotlight Award Finalist for Event Producer of the Year (East).
Contact: susan@cashmanandassociates.com