Been doing a lot of event work over the last couple of months. Basically, whatever I can earn during the Summer means I can live my meagre existence for the rest of the year.
I’ve done Take That and Oasis in Coventry, Pussycat Dolls and Simply Red at Newmarket and the British Grand Prix at Silverstone!
I thought you might appreciate some funny stories, so here goes…
–
Whilst at the British Grand Prix I was responsible for the table planning and seating the various guests in a huge marquee they erect every year next to the BRDC Clubhouse.
In it they hold the Grand Prix Ball as well breakfast and lunch over the four day weekend. There were two sittings for lunch on the Sunday of the Grand Prix with four hunded covers per sitting.
I can asure you it was no mean feat seating and feeding that lot!
Once the guests entered the marquee they were checked off on the bookings list and then came and saw me pouring over my table plan.
I stood there with my clip board and sheets of paper knowing full well the plan was likely to change. I’m sure you won’t be surprised to know there were plenty of people who were ‘sure they had called and changed there four to a five’ as well as the inevitable ‘I know I should have booked, but can you squeeze me in?’
There was one that made me laugh though.
A certain racing celebrity, who shall remain nameless to protect me from the laywers, lol, had a booking for four. When he appeared I was stood their pouring over my plan and as he said his name I didn’t look up as I was searching for it.
But then I had to look up as his name suddenly registered in my brain!
“Oh, good afternoon”, I squeaked. “I have you on, err…” -sound of hectic paper rustling- “Oh yes, table 27.”
It was then he decided to politely inform me his booking for five was now for seven and he was sure that wouldn’t be a problem.
Well, yes, actually it would be; since the party that were going to be on the table with him would now have to be moved somewhere else, and I was fast running out of tables to move them too!
Well, Mr X and his guests, duly took their seats, and it wasn’t long before the other party arrived.
I had to tell them I couldn’t seat them where I had planned and when asked why, I quietly explained Mr X had added to his party.
“Oh!” came the joyous reply. “Thank God for that!”
It turns out Mr X is, allegedly, a bit of an arrogant bore and noone likes sharing a table with him!
*
Later on, towards the end of the second sitting, a woman arrived asking if her and a friend could eat; they hadn’t booked but were just wondering if it was possible.
Well there was only so much food, and I had already gone over the limit the chefs had allocated me for walk-ins, keeping a tally of the extras, like Mr X’s, and the enivitable drop-outs.
I took a gamble, since the woman was pleasant and there were only two of them.
I seated them and they ate, and then a bit later, they asked if they could move to a vacated table and watch the Grand Prix on the nearby screen, to which I duly agreed.
She was very pleasant and when she popped up during the race and asked if it was okay for her husband and his friend to join them, I of course said yes.
“My husband always watches the Grand Prix in here”, she said, thanking me.
That’s fine, I thought: the table wasn’t being used anyway.
We’d nearly finished service when the woman appeared again.
“Excuse me,” she smiled, in all her finery. “My husband was wondering if he could eat?”
Well by now I knew I was well over my quota for food, and there were still a few people yet to eat mains, and still more who’d yet to arrive.
Naturally, I was very polite in my refusal.
The lady went back to the table, it was reasonably close and within earshot.
“Sorry Darling”, I heard her say as she sat down again. “He said no; we didn’t book.”
And yes, I did feel a little guilty.
Well, toward the end of the race, with a handful of diners still chatting away, one of the regular BRDC staff noticed the same ageing gentleman sat there on his own and asked if he’d eaten.
I explained that he hadn’t booked, and that he seemed quite content just to sit there watching the Grand Prix on the screen, whilst practically every one else had gone to watch from the stands.
“Oh”, she commented, nonchalantly. “Stirling does that every year.”
–
I’ve also had a number of days work at Newmarket Racecourse this year – The July Course.
During the Summer, they have what they call Newmarket Nights: a series of meetings on a Friday evening followed by a concert for the race-goers.
Last year I saw Madness and UB40. This year I’ve seen Simply Red and, wait for it, The Pussycat Dolls!
Admittedly the Dolls weren’t really my cup of tea, but that day I had a rather enviable job.
Basically I was managing the Band Room which, during Newmarket Nights is the room in which, not surprisingly, the band are based.
I was in charge of the catering requirements and was the envy of the racecourse since other than my staff, Polly and Dale, and me, no-one else was allowed in the room with them, and we had the security badges to prove it!
Having arrived at the racecourse at about 8.30am my first job was organising breakfast for the production crew and the various roadies and other techie people already there and setting things up.
I then spent the rest of the day, running about sorting stuff on the band rider.
Supplied by the artists management, the ‘rider’ is a document stating what is required, and indeed expected, in terms of things like dressing rooms, and more importantly from my perspective, the catering.
There was a lot of stuff, and I could list the all the items of food, but you’d read it and go: wtf? Just like I did!
Highlights included sugar free gummie bears, all the flavors (lol) of mountain dew, and a “gallon of non-fat milk”.
I can assure you, the list was extensive. Most of it had been sorted, or at least to the closest UK equivalent, and I was to check it was all there. I have to say though, it was a complete waste, since they didn’t touch most of it and I took some of it home!
The Dolls (four of them, since the fifth was recovering from injury) arrived at 7pm- just in time to eat dinner with the rest of the crew.
Oh, and the rider required they be fed after the show too.
No problem. I had a chef on hand. I gave their PA a menu from the exclusive restaurant below and most of them chose something to eat.
The PA kindly wrote everything down and during the show I passed the list on to the chef and he set to work preparing a number of meals.
And then, within ten minutes of them returning to their dressing rooms I served the Pussycats and their entourage with a late evening meal.
Er, one problem.
Some had chosen a chicken dish and unfortunately what they thought was a simple chicken breast was actually a chicken terrine.
I went back down stairs and explaining this to chef, politely asked if he could do chicken breast for the three pussycats who had ordered the terrine by mistake.
He said it would take about 20 mins, but other than that, no problem.
Busy running up and down the back stairs for various other things like desserts and coffee, it was soon time to collect the chicken and I watched as chef reached into the oven and pulled out a tray with a solitary and rather small chicken breast on it.
I looked around for the others – but there weren’t any!
Chef explained he thought he was only supposed to cook one. I explained there were supposed to be three, and we both realised something had obviously been lost in translation.
Time to think quickly.
“Right,” I said, having had a brainwave. “Chop it into thirds, dump em on a bit of green salad, swish round some dressing and I’ll whizz ‘em up.”
“What!?”, came the reply. “But it’s tiny!”
“No prob’s” I said. “So are they! Just make ‘em look pretty and they’ll never know any different.”
And, of course, they never did!
–
Well, that’s it for this ‘event work’ post, except to add a couple of minor things…
Firstly, I had the pleasure of serving lunch to Boyzone last Friday, and had a quick chat with them after their gig too. Great guys!
Oh, and I’ll be off to the United Arab Emirates for a week at the end of October, as I’ve been requested to help manage the corporate hospitality for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix!