Eleanor Arneil explores the work that goes into running our college formals
Formals are a massive part of college life, providing an opportunity to socialise with friends, network with guests and enjoy a tasty meal. However, the considerable behind-the-scenes effort to organise formals is often underappreciated. After learning more about how St John’s formals are run, a major takeaway for me is the amount of teamwork necessary for formals to run smoothly.
Preparing for formals
The organisation of formals begins well in advance of the day. ‘Once a Johnian’ formal guests are chosen by Kathrine Walker, the Alumni and Communications Officer. She shares the formal theme with alumni, aiming to include guests at different stages in their career, in order to showcase different career paths within the theme.
Food and Formals Officer Max Shepherd allocates formal places by using a spreadsheet that tracks every person who has signed up for a formal and how many they have attended. He uses this data to prioritise people who have attended the least number of formals. He tells me 441 people have signed up for at least one formal this year, and of these 92% have attended a formal. Formal places are allocated slightly differently for ‘Once a Johnian’ formals, as Max prioritises those who would most value the networking aspect of these events. This includes students who express clearly their reasons for wanting to attend and those with degrees related to the themes.
While regular formals have no seating plans, seating plans for ‘Once a Johnian’ formals are decided in advance. For these formals everyone is given an assigned table, but only guests are given assigned seats. Information in the sign-up form is used to match students with guests from relevant fields. This allows for networking with both external guests and students from other years with shared interests.
Ultimately, this organisation ensures each formal is primed to be as useful as possible for students.
Running the formal on the night
The on-the-day preparation for formals begins at 7:15am, as the chef works through the formal menu requirements to ensure everything needed for the evening is in place. This involves the chef identifying any special diets or allergens to ensure they are properly catered for.
After running the regular breakfast and lunch services, the kitchen staff coordinate between serving the students at early tea and the students on the formal. A team of five is dedicated to serving students at early tea. At the same time, three members of the catering team prepare for the formal by laying out drinks and assisting the chef with plating starters.
The kitchen staff aim to have the starter ready by 6.45pm, and the main course served by 7:15pm. Dessert is served around 8.00pm, ready for the principal to begin his speech at 8:30pm. The food and formals officer is in charge of packing up after each formal, and the waiting team also clears down the table.
Concluding thoughts
Overall, a huge amount of work goes into ensuring our college formals are a success. Coordination between chefs, kitchen staff and the food and formals committee, amongst others, is necessary for the night to run smoothly. Ultimately, each formal requires weeks of planning and dedication, and it is important to recognise the work of staff which make formals possible.
