Checking Back with the Venue Manager
Chances are you have established a strong working relationship with the venue manager or facility planner. At some point in the days following the event, you should make a point to check back with her to follow up. This conversation should happen before your client phone call. You have likely spent quite a few hours planning the event with the venue manager. A phone call is appropriate, followed by a note of thanks.
Retrieving Lost Items
Many staff members, guests, and vendors spent time at the venue the day of the event. The likelihood of a few items being left behind is high. Check your lost-and-found log and ask the venue manager if those specific items were recovered. Pass along the name and number of the guest in case the lost item surfaces. Also inquire if any items were left behind, especially in the kitchen area, coat-check room, and employee changing area.
Ensuring Proper Cleanup
Part of your responsibility to the venue is ensuring a proper cleanup. Unless previous arrangements have been made, the staff should break down the venue and organize the rentals. In some cases, the venue may charge a cleaning fee to have the event broken down. In other cases, the venue may penalize your company if the event was not broken down properly. Check with the venue ahead of time for its cleanup policy.
Fact
Organizing the rentals from the event may not be something you leave to a cleaning crew. Have your staff rack all of the glassware, stack plates, and deposit silverware in proper bins. Most rental companies allow dishes and plates to be returned dirty as long as they have been cleared of food.
Ask the venue manager if the venue was left in pristine shape. There will be some occasions where you might leave the event early and entrust the breakdown to the staff. You want to be sure your staff left the venue in great shape.
Ask for Details on Incidents
With large events, it is impossible for you to be everywhere at the same time. You will need to rely on your staff and others to relay details to you. The facility planner or venue manager will also be a good source of event information. Request that the manager divulge any details from the event you might not have heard about. Let the planner know he can be candid.
ssential
An event log is a tool to chronicle events. An event log is a way for your staff, assistant, or venue planner to make an accounting of the event. The chef may chronicle the amount of food left over. A bartender may write about a guest who had been overserved. Request that staff members note key proceedings after the event.
Finally, ask the planner for any feedback he may have regarding the event. The facility planner, though he worked the same event, will have a different perspective. His recollection of guest interaction and interaction with your staff might be entirely different from your experience.
Gratitude and Appreciation
As with all of your vendors and clients, express thanks to the facility planner for a job well done. Even if the event had a few mishaps, the planner also worked very hard to plan this event. The facility planner will appreciate a thank-you note with a gift. Have your photographer make a compact disc that has the photos from the event or create a scrapbook as a gift.
