Latin flavour

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The logistics of supplying the bars, storing items and timing the F&B distribution determines the success of the operation according to Gräf.

Caterer Middle East finds out how JW Marriott's catering division fed the 15,000 at Santana's Live Your Light concert held in Dubai Festival City last month.

Latin American rock legend Santana brought his Live Your Light tour to Dubai Festival City on February 15, bringing more than 15,000 visitors to the venue.

The mammoth task of serving the hungry hoardes was taken on by event planning veteran Events by JW, which was responsible for the complete F&B offering at the concert.

The F&B portfolio was overseen by JW Marriott's director of operations Gerit Gräf and included supplying the back-stage crew, the band, police and security staff in addition to the patrons.

"It was a big challenge as we were also providing for 350 associates on the night," explains Gräf.

It was the first time the venue has been used for an event of this size, with 15,000 confirmed ticket sales and additional capacity for up to 3000 more, according to a spokesperson for concert event organiser Mirage Promotions.

Events by JW, headed by Gräf and executive chef Luc Bonnaz, has a successful history in concert catering, having managed previous concerts in Dubai for international artists Shakira, Aerosmith and Pink.

"We have improved since our first concert immensely. We have a comprehensive review and factual statistics after each event that indicate what people demand and what is more important to them in terms of service and efficiency.

"We are really adjusting and evolving all the time, conducting critical analysis to establish what went well and what we could do better next time," explains Gräf.

Needs analysis

The first step in catering an event this size was establishing the needs of the guests says Gräf.

"The most important thing to consider is convenience - how fast the customer can receive their food and beverage items - as they obviously don't want to spend very long in line."

To increase efficiency of delivery, Gräf explains that a limited range of F&B items were available on the night and service stations were lengthened to increase points of customer access.

"We chose the items because they could be quickly prepared so that the customers wouldn't have to wait," adds Gräf.

When establishing food needs Bonnaz states that considering the concert's target audience went a long way in determining the food offers created.

"When we were doing the Pink concert we were expecting a much younger audience, while with Aerosmith and Santana we were expecting a more mature audience, and you have to match the concert demographic to the F&B offers.

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