Simon Gault's party do's and don'ts

Simon Gault. Photo / Kieran Scott.

Simon Gault's creative genius will be on show at Outlandish, a gastronomic tour through the ages at Euro on Wednesday November 12. As we build up to the party of the year, the chef shares his top party tips. (Buy your ticket to Outlandish here.)

SIMON'S PARTY DO'S

1. Be generous and keep the drinks flowing. Offer a variety of options here. Also ensure you have taxi and dial-a-driver services easily available to everyone.

2. Get your planning done early and make sure your team are well briefed. The event should appear effortless to your guests and this generally means that it was well planned and easily executed.

3. Focus on great lighting. This will go a long way to helping create a great atmosphere.

4. Think about getting professional wait staff. Having quality service will make a huge difference to your guests' experience and will take your event to the next level.

5. Think outside the box, do things differently and add an extra five per cent magic. Having little surprises throughout the evening can be a great way for your event to stand out.

SIMON'S PARTY DONT'S

1. Try not to make it too full-on or feel like hard work. Events are meant to be fun and it's important to enjoy them. They should be creative and a chance for you to express yourself.

2. Don't overfill your space. You want the room to feel full, with a buzz to it, but not so full that your guests can't move around the space and catch up with everyone who is there.

3. Don't be rigid with your original event concept. Be prepared to listen to other people's ideas. Events are evolving processes and should have good collaboration.

4. Don't try to be perfect. No event ever goes to plan. Especially on the day, be prepared to think on your feet to deal with unexpected curve balls.

5. Don't get your guests to give their dietary requirements on the evening of the event. Get any dietary requirements well before the event so extra thought can be put into how to substitute or create new dishes for that guest. You never want your guests to feel like they miss out or can't eat anything on offer.

Read more about Outlandish here.

- VIVA