Author: Scott Morren

For an event organiser, hosting VIP or royal guests can be an exciting yet challenging experience. The attention to detail and level of preparation required to ensure a flawless event can be overwhelming. As a military charity, we are very much accustomed to hosting VIPs and high-profile guests, including members of the royal family. It takes some thought and preparation, but above all it takes understanding to handle such esteemed visitors with grace and efficiency.

Treat Everyone Like Royalty
Whist we believe that every guest, whether VIP or not, should be treated with utmost respect and attention, when it comes to royal guests, the primary difference lies in their security protocols. The involvement of security teams becomes crucial, and organisers need to liaise with the security teams and the royal household, before details of the event can be confirmed.

Prepare, Prepare, Prepare
Being prepared is the key to success when hosting high-profile guests. Communicate early with your venue and share details about potential royal or VIP visits, even if they are not confirmed. This proactive approach allows the venue to prepare and demonstrate its experience in handling such visits.

Managing the Schedule
Royal guests often have tight schedules, with multiple engagements to attend. It is crucial to respect their time and stick to the agreed-upon schedule. I suggest working closely with the royal protection team and the client to create a clear and efficient schedule, ensuring a smooth flow of events and interactions.

Create a Plan and Stick to It
I cannot stress enough the importance of having a well-thought-out plan for the visit. Establish a clear route for the royal guests, minimising backtracking, and ensuring a smooth walk-through. Having a plan also helps manage expectations and ensures that all key individuals and groups get an opportunity to meet the esteemed guests.

Maintain Professionalism and Etiquette
When hosting a royal visit, maintaining a high level of professionalism and etiquette is crucial. An organiser needs to ensure that staff members wear appropriate attire, such as black tie and name badges, for easy identification. Additionally, maintaining a respectful and dignified atmosphere helps create a positive impression on the guests.

Review Your Budget
If a royal visit is unexpectedly added to an event, it might be necessary to review the budget.
Consider necessary adjustments to accommodate the visit, ensuring that the guests have an enjoyable and memorable experience.

Conclusion
Hosting VIP or royal guests is an honour and a challenge that requires meticulous planning, attention to detail, and clear communication. The key to success lies in early preparation, effective coordination with security teams and the royal household, and maintaining a high level of professionalism throughout the event. By following these valuable insights, organisers can create a seamless and unforgettable experience for their esteemed guests, leaving a lasting impression and paving the way for future successful engagements.

Mark Field, Operations Director, The Victory Services Club

The Victory Services Club has become the first venue in the world to be awarded ‘World Class’ status by the Institute of Hospitality’s Hospitality Assured accreditation.

The programme assesses organisations in the hospitality sector against a framework for business and service excellence. Scoring is made in nine different categories including customer service, strategy and leadership, employe engagement, service recovery and operations. To achieve World Class status an organisation has to score over 80% in all ninesteps of the standard.

Mark Field FIH, Operations Director, Victory Services Club said: “We are extremely proud of our team for achieving this truly world class achievement. It’s testament to their dedication and their ongoing contribution to customer service. Every customer is important to us and this approach and responsibility flows through every staff member in every team. We are a charity with all profits going to fund respite breaks for the military and their families; I think this has helped us to attract a team that really cares about what we achieve and how we can serve and deliver world class service to our members and clients.”

Max Lawrence FIH, MTMI, Finance and Administration Director of the Institute of Hospitality and Hospitality Assured Assessor said: “What sets the Club apart is their attention to detail and the precision with which they operate. The staff feel really valued and there is a sense of empowerment that runs through the entire team; they feel responsible for their actions and are proud of what they do. This empowerment is crucial to world class service because it enables everyone to respond and feed back any issues and to create positive change. I’ve been assessing the Club for over a decade now and I am continually inspired by their approach and activity. They are constantly innovating and developing their team and this has quite rightly led to this World Class status.

The Victory Services Club is proud to announce it has achieved the prestigious gold accolade in the Greengage ECOsmart Hotel and Meeting Venues accreditation scheme. This recognition underscores the Club’s commitment to sustainability, environmental responsibility, and excellence in hospitality.

The Greengage ECOsmart Hotel and Venues accreditation scheme is a leading industry standard that evaluates and recognises hotels and venues for their commitment to environmentally friendly practices, energy efficiency, and overall sustainability. Achieving the Gold award is a testament to the Victory Services Club’s dedication to minimising its ecological footprint and providing a green and responsible venue for its members and clients.

The Gold award acknowledges the VSC’s efforts in various sustainability aspects, including waste reduction, energy conservation, water efficiency, and eco-friendly practices throughout its operations.

Mark Field, Operations Director of the Victory Services Club, expressed his pride in the team’s accomplishment, stating, “Achieving the Gold award is a testament to the dedication and hard work of our team in ensuring that the Victory Services Club operates in an environmentally responsible manner. We are committed to sustainable practices and will continue to explore innovative ways to contribute positively to our environment, and to help our clients to create sustainable events.”

Andrew Perolls, CEO of Greengage Solutions said, “The ECOsmart Gold Award is reserved for only those venues who have implemented extensive measures to fully embrace environmental sustainability. We were particularly impressed with the steps taken by Victory Services Club to lower carbon emissions and maximise recycling of waste as well as offering a dining menu that provides inspiring sustainably sourced food and beverage options.”

In January, Mark Field Operations Director at the Club looked forward and made some predictions about the events landscape in 2024.

Cost-effectiveness remains a top priority for corporate organisers, and this is driving the return of the buffet. I know some people cringe at the very thought of a buffet, but they aren’t just beige anymore! And as well as being cost effective, serving food buffet style creates a more informal event, which is another trend for 2024.

We are seeing a rise in more informal reception style events rather than the traditional formal sitdown dinner and this trend will continue to increase in 2024. The rise of more informal business events is being led by several factors: Networking is far more important to employees because in a work from home culture, they seek peer to peer interaction at company events.

Post lockdown, employees are now far choosier about who they spent their time with, and this attitude is driving their decision to attend an event, and how long they will stay. A sit-down event does not give them any flexibility to leave when they like, and it also forces them to sit next to and network with two people not of their choosing.

And finally, a reception is a very cost-effective way to gather lots of people together, so we will see more events, higher volume of delegates/guests but less income from each event.

Mark Field, Operations Director at the Victory Services Club, explores the challenges around plate waste and suggests steps that event organisers can take to reduce it.

The original article is published in Meetings & the Incentive Travel magazine.

There’s a lot of talk in our industry about reducing food waste, but I haven’t read much about plate waste – and what event organisers and venues can do to help tackle it.

Plate waste refers to the uneaten food that is left on plates after a meal which can include both edible and inedible portions of food, such as bones, skin, and peels. According to a study by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), the average plate waste per person in the UK is 71g per meal, which equates to approximately 9.5 million tonnes of food waste annually in the UK.

While a lot of kitchen food waste can be re-purposed (bones and peelings into stock for example) plate waste cannot be re-used and is either wasted or put into compost.

I have seen first-hand the amount of food waste that can occur at events and much of it is plate waste.

Despite the best efforts of our chefs to reduce food waste when preparing dishes, one of the biggest reasons for plate waste is the failure to properly gather dietary requirements from delegates in advance. Our chefs are always able to cope with dietary requests on the day, but for every last minute dietary request they conjure up, there is a plate of uneaten food that potentially goes to waste – and this has a negative impact on the environment.

We all know that in recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of dietary requirements at conferences in the UK. This is due to a number of factors, including an increase in the number of people with food allergies and intolerances, as well as an increased awareness of different dietary requirements, such as veganism and vegetarianism.

However, there are a number of steps that event organisers can take to reduce plate waste at their events.

Consider and collaborate with your audience before selecting your menu
The demographic of your audience should influence what you choose; an older audience may appreciate smaller portions, or two course rather than the traditional three.

Sharing the menu in advance may flag up some issues too; if you are proposing lamb, but 50%  of your audience don’t like it, you can then look at choosing a more appropriate meal option.

Gathering dietary requirements in advance
Meals with one or more dietary requirement make up around 40% of the dishes we serve at the Club – that’s a lot of potential plate waste.

Event organisers have a responsibility to ensure that their delegates’ dietary requirements are met, but they also have an obligation to gather this information in advance and to feed this to their venue.

By knowing in advance what dietary requirements are needed, caterers and venue chefs can prepare just the appropriate amount of food, reducing the risk of excess food being thrown away.

Offering smaller portion sizes
Another way to reduce plate waste is to offer everyone the option of smaller portion sizes.

This not only helps to reduce the amount of food wasted, but it can also be beneficial for attendees who prefer smaller portions.

Encouraging attendees to only take what they need
Organisers can also encourage attendees to only take what they need, by providing information on the amount of food that is available and what will be available to eat later in the afternoon break or at dinner.

They can also encourage attendees to take smaller portions if they are unsure of how much they will eat.

Work with your venue
All venues take dietary requirements very seriously and work closely with their clients to ensure that their delegates’ needs are met.

We understand that it can be challenging to cater for a wide range of dietary requirements, but our chefs have developed a range of menu options that cater to the most common dietary requirements including gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, and halal options.

Turn your menu on its head
If you have a high percentage of dietary requirements, consider how you can adapt the whole menu to suit your biggest dietary group. Our chefs have created entire menus that are naturally (and not obviously) gluten-free, dairy-free or vegan. They then have a universal platform to add different options too – instead of the usual approach which focuses on taking things away and replacing.

Plate waste is a significant issue at events, and it is important for event organisers to take proactive action to reduce it.

By gathering dietary requirements in advance and taking other measures to reduce excess food, event organisers can help to reduce the negative impact of plate waste on the environment and ensure that their events are as sustainable as possible.

Mark Field is Operations Director at the Victory Services Club, Marble Arch, London. He also sits on the Venues of Excellence Advisory Board.

Photo by Ella Olsson on Unsplash

The UK’s leading sales and marketing consortium, Venues of Excellence (VOE) is expanding its Advisory Group of member venues, welcoming Mark Field FIH, Operations Director, Victory Services Club.

The Advisory Group comprises of senior leaders from a selection of member venues throughout the UK. They bring vast industry expertise across a range of disciplines and experience to lead and guide the organisation.

Victory Services Club, a private military members club in Marble Arch, London with seven event spaces catering for 10-300 delegates, joined VOE in January 2017 and have enjoyed a proactive membership throughout the past 6 years.

Mark Field has over 20 years of hospitality and events experience and will be bringing his strategic and pragmatic business acumen to the Venues of Excellence advisory group. Mark comments: “Venues of Excellence play an important role in representing and bringing together independent event venues and I’m proud to have been asked to join their advisory group. London venues have their own unique set of challenges, so I’ll be bringing my experience and insight to the advisory group in order to help all venues share best practice and flourish.”

Inviting Mark to become an Advisory Group Member, Mandy Jennings, CEO said: “I am delighted that Mark has agreed to join our advisory group, as he will be integral in representing our London venues. With his knowledge and business network, along with his culinary experience and business acumen he will undoubtably be a great asset to VOE as we continue to expand as a consortium. Victory Services Club is truly a unique venue within our portfolio and we are very honoured to have their venue and their team as members. We look forward to working with Mark  and to continuing our mission to support independent venues in their quest for excellence in their conference and events sales and marketing.”

Venues of Excellence has gone from strength to strength in the last 12 months and has seen the best sales result in its 30-year history as a consortium.  Member Retention has been extremely strong and 10 new venues have joined the consortium in the membership year. The VOE referral scheme helps venues keep business in the family of member venues and ensures our customers can rely on an excellent range of quality venues.  Mark will join an advisory board who are instrumental in supporting Mandy Jennings and the team at VOE to ensure they are on point with the latest trends, always maximising opportunities, including the new initiative for 2023 which is to ensure all our venues are being reviewed for excellence with a rigorous quality assessment and feedback report as part of the membership benefits.   This will allow our customers to see first-hand the drive and passion of our members to be the very best in class at conference and events in the UK.

Venues of Excellence is the UK’s leading sales and marketing consortium representing 45 independent venues in the UK. As a membership organisation we bring together the leading collection of spaces for training, conference, events, and meetings. Each venue is hand-picked based on a number of quality and service criteria that means they truly represent Excellence.

Web: venuesofexcellence.co.uk

The Victory Services Club (VSC) is a private military members club, located in central London near Marble Arch. Established in 1907, the Club has seven event rooms which have a capacity of 10-300 and can host conferences, meetings, exhibitions, receptions, and award ceremonies.

The VSC upholds three key values, which embody its ethos – value, service, and courtesy. These values are adopted throughout the organisation and are at the heart of service delivery.