I’VE organized parties, get-togethers, reunions with friends and family over the years. Modesty aside, I seem to have a particular talent for it. It’s difficult, but someone has to do it. When you want events to go your way and almost perfectly, you must take up the task instead of expecting others to do it.
Before anything else, I first need to compute how much the entire party or event will cost. The largest share of event costs will likely be the food and beverages. (Unless you are hiring some entertainers, the likes of Bruno Mars!)
So, we should first determine what kind of food to be served. Will it be cocktail or finger food? Is it a sit-down dinner? Will the event be held at noon? Should we have a buffet spread? Or go pot luck instead and “force” Inday Baby to bring her famous pancit molo? Should I make my lasagna? Do I have time? Who else can be counted on to bring food?
As for the drinks and refreshments, the questions are similar. Do we/should we serve liquor? If yes, what kind/s? Which tito or kuya can be counted on to bring some bottles of single malt? How many cases of beer and soft drinks should we buy? Who can go on ice patrol?
Are we going to do a theme party? What kind of decor should adorn the venue? Do we need balloons? Will there be some entertainment numbers? If so, what equipment do we need? How many mics? Will there be dancing after?
Where do we hold the party? Which relative or friend can we cajole into hosting it at his or her home? Maybe do it at the club house? Or close a restaurant for the private party?
With all these details to attend to, I can’t imagine anybody organizing this alone. Once the guest headcount goes over 30 pax, it simply isn’t tenable to manage an event by one’s lonesome. I will likely pull in help from friends and other people who I know can be relied on to deliver the goods, so to speak.
At this point, there will be a lot of delegating involved. One person is assigned to handle the food, another the drinks, someone to coordinate the guests, another to collect the funds or resources needed to mount the event, and so forth and so on.
And because in this country, people rarely follow the RSVP request on invitations, someone should also be assigned to follow-up on who and how many are coming to the party. This will help finalize the amount of food and drinks to be served.
Despite our seeming inability to RSVP, a trait that most of us Filipinos seem to share that helps us become better party hosts or organizers, is that we will pull out all the stops to ensure our guests are comfortable, entertained and are having fun. “Hospitality” or “hospitable” is our collective middle name.
So when I got wind of complaints in the Philippines’s hosting of the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) starting last weekend—such as snafus in collecting foreign athletes from the airport, messy hotel bookings, and the poor quality of food for some athletes—it really got my goat. The frustration was shared by others on social media.
I admit that organizing a party for 30-100 people may be somewhat different from handling a sports event with more than 8,000 athletes. But the procedures and systems should be basically similar: Determine how many pax are coming (athletes, coaches, sports officials, performers, etc.); food and accommodations needed; venue/s of the separate events; what is the expected welcome program and other ceremonies; transportation and logistics; and from there, how much funds are needed to mount the affair.
Decor and clothing should rate a far second to the more important aspects of organizing an event. Which is why many netizens are irate that some P56 million was spent for a cauldron that would be used only for the duration of the Games and close to P9,000 was spent for sports officials’ uniforms, when vehicles for use of the athletes were cramped or were inadequate, and food was wanting in some hotels where the different delegations were billeted. (We have yet to find out how much was spent for the Phisgoc officials’ wardrobe for the Games, which include two barong Tagalogs—one for daytime, and another for a gala event.)
The SEA Games is a gigantic and expensive event. So huge that even a rich country like Brunei Darussalam decided to waive its right to host it. While the Philippines is certainly known for rolling out the red carpet for foreigners and going all out in hosting events of this nature, of which we had been successful (e.g, Apec Leaders Summit, World Economic Forum, Asean economic ministers meetings, ADB annual meeting, etc.), our hosting of this year’s SEA Games left so much to be desired. It quickly unraveled, looking like a poorly organized high school intramurals.
Which is why, mercifully, the Department of Tourism had to force itself on Phisgoc, and push them to accept the help the agency was offering. (I imagine DOT Secretary Berna Romulo Puyat pulling her hair out over reports of disorganized hotel check-ins, and inadequate food for the athletes. This just after her successful hosting of the Fil-Am chefs food tour.)
From the hot mess we’ve come to know as #SEAGames2019fail, we learn the most important lessons: whether you are organizing a small dinner party or a huge sports event, assess your capability as a host, and know your limits. After determining these, don’t be afraid to ask for help. And when it is offered, accept.
We hope these difficult issues are ironed out, for the sake of the country’s reputation as a fun destination. And that our athletes get the gold and ascend the podium to make us forget the bitterness over the Games. Well, until the Commission on Audit publishes its report on Phisgoc next year.
Image credits: Nonoy Lacza