Bar Solutions single handedly managed 11 bars with a team of 300+ people at the Zomato Feeding India Festival on December 10 at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse.
Bar solutions is a beverage catering and bar consultancy company. It was established in 2005 to ensure maximum industry exposure along with enhancing recruitment opportunity for the students and also to cater to the professional bartending requirement of the industry.
Here is what Pranav Thakkar, CEO, Bar Solutions has to say:
Q. How did bar solutions manage to curate a big event like Post Malone, feeding India concert?
So basically, we got on board with sharing not even five days before the event. Being one of the biggest fund management company in the country, we were the number one choice by Zomato. We work with liquor companies like JD greater than hurricane, in fact, we have a considerable launch as well. So obviously, the call came in to us. After understanding the magnitude of the events, we came on board and it all started with planning minut details like how many, what is the size of the manpower after understanding the size of the path, the number of the guests inside the team was on ground, for at least good to 70 hours. An event between 25 to 30,000 people, it was only two in the VIP zone in the gold zone, then one bar in the platinum zone plus about 50 to 60 tables, which had butler service, every table had a butler. What I believe as a CEO of a company that externally present planning and 10% execution. In between the artists change, people were rushing to the bar. And that’s what the entire thing was obviously, some great sales figures were achieved. But what matters is the guest experience and understand from 9 o’clock in the morning to 10:30 in the night. And solving brings itself in that heat index sun shining on your head, it becomes very difficult. But all it takes is dedication and perseverance to say that okay, let’s do it. This season, right from particular to DJ Snake to NH7, three days in Pune to Hardwell Casa Bacardi Junis, Juror club, India cocktail week, the team has been constantly, you know, trying to achieve the targets or goals given by the planner. But when it came to Post Malone, it just broke all the barriers, because at each of these Festival, which I just said, the crowd was not more than a 10,000 people when it came to Post Malone it just crossed numbers that 25,000. It was an entire new benchmark that we had to set ourselves, we were pushed to the limits were at a point I was like, I don’t know if my team will be able to pull up or not, but when you have a strong team and you have supervisors with a 10 plus years of experience standing by you it wasn’t a cakewalk for sure. It was definitely a learning lesson and we were pushed to our limits but we haven’t when you push someone to the limit that’s the whole experience comes out honestly thanks Zomato, thanks to a lot of people who have trusted us all the event companies that you’ve worked with. We didn’t run short of anything from glasses, to mixers, to ice, water, alcohol, everything. Also in the night, the lodging that was being so no one could say that alcohol had ammonia, obviously, one bar ricotta, we had to shift it to the other bar. So that is what the 90% that comes into the 90% of the planning. And then 10% is execution, where bartenders are told what to do how to do. And that’s how it all takes up. The whole gist of Post Malone.
Q. How challenging is it to provide services for large format events and concerts?
Post covid has become a little difficult because the client’s expectation is huge. People who work in the bar at six o’clock, we do understand that the button is standing there from nine in the morning. It becomes very difficult. In a span of six hours, the mobile battery dies, imagine a human being standing from nine in the morning till 12 in the night, it’s difficult because the client expectation is huge. They don’t understand the ops. They don’t understand the back end, they don’t understand what goes in what goes out. But having said that, you know, it is it is definitely difficult. But we try to ensure that it is done.
Q. Any upcoming projects, or events that are in the pipeline for the new year?
New Year’s I mean, before that we have the CW India cocktail is happening in Bangalore, we have the Gin, we have the racing show happening this weekend in Hyderabad. The biggest lineup of the year, Sunburn Goa 28, 29 and 30 in December, we are expecting about 30 40,000. And we’ve been doing some work since 10 years now. So that’s the biggest thing that we’re looking forward to. And again, Jan is Lolla. So back to back festivals are happening. And being one of the preferred vendors, it’s definitely challenging for us, because end of the day, you’re working with humans. So that is something which takes the body on a toll. But it’s nice, it’s fun.
Q. If you could tell us about like how do you manage the legal formalities since alcohol is considered.
There is obviously a legal drinking age band that is given to, to the people who come in there. The bartenders check in that format as well whether the person behind the bar has a band or not. So that’s how we check. But I mean, obviously, some things tend to happen when we try to ensure that everything is done as for what the client’s requirements are.
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