Event catering staff: heroes or villains?

I recently received an e-mail requesting information regarding the problems and pitfalls of staffing for events, with particular emphasis on the problems created by the occasional need for large numbers of staff.

I thought my response might strike a chord with many: "Aaaaargh!"

Catering staff . . . where does one start? Staffing can be the bane of our lives - we can book just the right number, and then they all decide that it's too sunny, too cold, too wet, too far to walk for the bus or that if they were to work, they might pay too much tax and so decide not to work after all.

Or you might overbook, only for them all to turn up and your staff bill goes out of the window. Budget? What budget?

Likewise, seasonal concerns cause us problems. In the run-up to Christmas everyone wants work . . . until they get to whatever figure they have in their heads for the kids' Christmas presents. Then, having earned, say, £300 by the second week in December they start getting picky about shifts.

The next problem at Christmas is the weekend before Christmas when all the students go home. You might study in Lancaster and home is in Brighton. At the end of term, you will head off for three meals a day, a washing machine that works and the delights of a family Christmas. There is a period over the weekend during which you are not available for work in Lancaster but have not signed on with the Brighton agencies.

On the other hand students who study in Brighton and live in Lancaster are also out of the equation and there is this scary weekend (normally the busiest for staff parties) when we know that staffing will be difficult.

If that doesn't all sound far too cynical, I can only suggest that the key to the staffing issue is meticulous planning to highlight requirements, solutions and possible problem areas and then to discuss this with the agencies.

Shift times affect the ease of filling a position - we have a requirement for bar staff on 26 May, when we need them to do a 16-hour shift - it's already full as this is a good long stint and they don't mind travelling for this sort of money.

This is all part of the planning process that goes into a function such as a charity ball for 1,800 guests at which we will have co-ordinated the furniture, supplied the kitchens, catering and bars.

Robert Alvarez is proprietor of Phoenix Hospitality event caterers in Towcester, Northamptonshire

Next diary from Robert Alvarez: 21 June