400 years of Shakespeare’s legacy

The premium three-course lunch for 663 guests was held on the banks of the River Avon, close to Holy Trinity Church where Shakespeare was baptised, worshipped and was buried, giving the event a special significance. 

Operations Director of Amadeus, Tony Baldock, explains the privilege of working on the prestigious event, “It is an honour to cater for the Shakespeare’s birthday luncheon and with this being our fifth consecutive year we worked hard to make the afternoon very special. From an operational point of view it is fairly easy to manage, but our events team still really went the extra-mile to make sure all the guests had a wonderful experience.”

“Each the luncheon has grown and we have grown with it. This year over 1,000 enquiries were made but due to the layout of the grounds and various trees the marquee was unable to accommodate any further additional guests. We made the decision not to accept the additional request so the quality of the event and the service we deliver would not be jeopardised.”

When guests arrived they were greeted with a champagne reception and the afternoon consisted of a poem read by Dame Carol Ann Duffy, Grace by the Reverend Patrick Taylor and an array of heartfelt speeches including HE Mr Navtej Sarna, India High Commissioner.

Organiser of the event, Mike Warrillow, was delighted with the service from Amadeus saying, “Amadeus were exceptional in the service they provided throughout the 2016 Shakespeare Birthday Luncheon. They were supportive during the planning, flexible and accommodating through many changes in the run-up to the event and delivered to the highest standard on the day.”

“I think the organisation from the Amadeus event team went wonderfully from the support in the run up to the event and handling last minute changes calmly and with a smile. The meal itself was wonderful - at one point they were singled out by the toastmaster for the quality of the meal and size of the portions - and I have had many comments on the high quality of the service and the attentiveness of the staff waiting on table for which they should feel very proud.

“I’ve personally worked with Amadeus for three years on this event and for me it was the best one so I’d like to give a very appreciative thank you to the team.”

The event this year was managed by Amadeus Senior Events Manager Laura Holden who said, “This was the first time I’ve led on the Shakespeare’s legacy and birthday luncheon and I really enjoyed it. I’m so proud of the team who rallied together to get the event delivered on time, we are thrilled the event was so well received.”