Master of Ceremonies March 2008 Imagine… You arrive on a private island off of Key West for a dear friend’s birthday celebration. In the tented complex that awaits (you’d never know it, but that tent took 10,000 man hours to construct), you enjoy cocktails in a magnificent—and remarkably un-tent-like—atmosphere. The most beautiful flowers you could imagine seem almost ethereally lit by what seems like natural sunlight. Before you formally consider the need for a fresh drink, one magically appears in your hand. You enjoy the décor, the music, the food, and drink until you realize you’ve been directed to another part of this enormous compound where it appears that Patti LaBelle is singing live in concert. That round of roaring fun concludes and you move toward dinner amidst a paradise of flowering plants, a fountain, and a setting completely transformed from the one you enjoyed just an hour ago. Again, the ambiance is sublime, but you find yourself asking aloud, “Where are we now?” The puppeteer, the genius, the man who made it all happen, replies, “You’ve said the right thing!” Bruce Southworth has orchestrated events more lavish, more spectacular, and more memorable than even the most avid celebrity stargazer could imagine. While Bruce and his team at Bruce G. Southworth Productions sacrifice countless hours sweating over the minutest elements of every event, the resulting experience is so seamless, so smooth; it would appear that no one involved did more than blink their eyes to make it happen. “A party should progress seamlessly,” says Bruce. To execute “seamless” party planning requires immense concentration on the details. “We have a policy to keep our events within 10% of budget and within 10 minutes of our projected timeline.” Southworth tracks how closely their events align to these goals; last year, they averaged 4% over budget and met the 10-minute mark. “We know every minute of the event. But you don’t see that from the outside.” During the months that precede an event, Bruce meets with engineers, chefs, ship captains, lighting engineers, wait staff—anyone and everyone who will impact the event itself. The Southworth Productions warehouse in west Lake Bluff houses an elaborate maze of storage closets containing everything from antique Chinese vases to an antique Egyptian sarcophagus to a giant (but portable) authentic English hearth. All are props for Southworth events. As Bruce and his team prepare for an event, the warehouse takes on the dimensions of a Hollywood movie set—without the cameras. White storage walls pull away to accommodate the myriad required elements. Every invitation, place setting, mirror, vase, and often even every flower pass through the warehouse—and therefore under the discerning eye of Bruce himself—before it’s crated for shipment to the event’s destination. “You have to be prepared,” says Bruce. “If we’re throwing an outdoor wedding in Napa, we have a tent on reserve in case of rain. Even though our client insists it ‘never’ rains in Napa, we need a plan in case it does.” Despite painstaking preparation, Bruce knows mistakes happen. When they do, advises Bruce, “You have to roll with them. Act like things are happening exactly as you planned them to.” For instance, Southworth arrived at an Easter egg hunt and discovered that the Easter Bunny’s costume was missing its top. Bruce slapped a pair of bunny ears on the half-dressed rabbit and instructed him play it up. “He walked around the party saying ‘Hippity, hippity, hippity hop!’” recalls Bruce, imitating the bunny actor’s gruff voice. “It was a riot.” Other than “fabulous,” there’s no signature element to a Southworth event, as that would be the antithesis of what Bruce strives to create. “You should completely reinvent yourself for every party,” says Bruce. “We have to be forward thinking—consider what could be new and different.” Bruce disdainfully recalls a holiday season when he attended five parties catered by the same chef and ate five identical meals. “The caterer finally asked me how I knew these very different groups of people—he thought he could get away with serving the same menu at different parties.” Bruce reviews old guest lists to determine when he can recycle an element of a party. “I don’t want someone to come into an event and be able to say that I did it.” Events are often hosted at the same venues. “It’s the same thing over and over, so I try to look at them each differently.” Bruce has transformed Shore Acres Country Club into a Halloween fantasy complete with cobwebs, rats, and a mob of skeleton pirates ready to attack a parade of costumed guests. He converted the Onwentsia Club dining room into the cabin of a yacht, and the riding rink into an elegant ballroom and theater. Southworth realizes that it’s not the extravagance, but the personal touch that makes a party memorable. Every guest who attended a particular holiday party at the Casino Club—Bruce’s favorite downtown venue—recalls it fondly. After all, their holiday photos inspired the décor! The host couple had saved every Christmas card photo they had received for 25 years. Bruce transformed these photos into ornaments that were hung on dozens of trees throughout the party rooms. Though Southworth’s large parties steal the headlines, the company also adds flair to more intimate gatherings. In one twist, the Southworth offices threw a surprise party for Bruce himself. They constructed a long, narrow tent and built it out with hard walls to make it look like a room—complete with crown and baseboard molding. The walls were draped in black and dotted with photographs from Bruce’s life. The table was set entirely in black with the exception of antique silver centerpieces filled with fresh flowers. At the end of the evening, friends and family passed a microphone around the table to toast the guest of honor. “It was one of those things where I wish I’d had a video camera,” recalls Bruce. Southworth relies on his professional resources to come up with fresh takes on every party. Caterer, florist, or lighting professional, Bruce depends on his colleagues to bring his parties to the next level. “I can come up with a concept,” says Bruce, “but they use their creativity to come up with an idea that’s better than the one that I gave them.” Bruce will be the first to admit that this magic couldn’t happen without an amazing amount of talented assistance. He relies upon Steve Valenti, his Chief of Operations, to oversee all of the details of an event once it has started. While Bruce used to negotiate every second of the party and its execution himself, he has now handed those reins over to Steve, with hopes that he’s grooming a successor. “He’s the best in the business” says Bruce. “Once a party rolls, he’s in control.” Bruce’s professional career path didn’t always point to becoming an event planner. Bruce spent his first 15 years after college working for Sears Roebuck & Co. and nurturing a dream to own a retail store of his own. Twenty-five years ago, Bruce and his wife, Mary, opened Lake Forest’s esteemed antiques and decorating showroom, Samlesbury Hall. “I had a vision of myself as a prince of retail with all my Sears experience,” says Bruce, chuckling. Samlesbury Hall eventually fell to Mary’s capable hands. “The store is so much better since my wife started running it!” compliments Bruce. Around this time, Bruce’s role as an event planner evolved from pastime to profession. “Mary and I have always loved to entertain,” explains Bruce. “My mother recalls me planning parties as far back as seventh grade and [as an adult] I always excelled at planning fund-raising parties.” Bruce’s parties left an impression on his guests. “Friends started asking me to plan their parties,” says Bruce. “Eventually I got tired of doing it for free, so I began to charge a fee.” Today, Bruce G. Southworth Productions throws some of the most lavish parties on the North Shore and beyond, and business thrives without any formal advertising. “As a policy, we don’t publicize,” says Bruce. Although he has done work for some extremely high-profile individuals (we’re not naming any names!), Bruce insists that the reasons for keeping such a low profile are not the ones most assume. “We do have to consider security issues, but it’s not entirely about security, nor is it a matter of snobbishness. It’s because no one can include every single one of their acquaintances in every party, and we don’t want people to have their feelings hurt. You can lose more friends than you make by throwing a great party,” says Bruce. “So we just don’t discuss it.” Bruce and his team often spend months with their clients to ensure that they’re planning a party that fulfills their dream. “People hire us to throw the best party ever,” says Bruce. “Not every guest notices every detail, but they absorb the feel of the party, and that gives them something to talk about with the person next to them. It’s a shared experience that they remember.” Planning a Party of Your Own? Bruce Southworth enjoys entertaining at home with his wife Mary. Here he answers some etiquette questions that keep partygoers on both sides of the invitation up at night—with some surprising answers! Hosting With Style 1. Be prepared! “Mary [my wife] is dressed and walks through our house an hour before the guests arrive to be sure everything is how she wants it.” Food is prepared, dishes are labeled, and lighting is adjusted. 2. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. “If Mary realizes that the silver hasn’t been polished the day of the party, she doesn’t rush in there and do it at the last minute. It puts too much pressure on the host(ess). No one enjoys a party when the host seems tired or overworked.” 3. Keep it simple. “There’s no bigger compliment than someone preparing a meal for you in their home. Mary prepares fantastic meals—simply, with the best ingredients available. People enjoy simpler meals.” 4. Smile through disaster. “If you burn the meat, don’t panic. Have the presence of mind to say you’re going to eat peanut butter and jelly and have a good time!” 5. Perfect the guest list. “You have to spend a lot of time creating the perfect guest list. Make sure all of your guests [or everyone seated at the same table] have something in common.” He also recommends avoiding hurt feelings. “If you can’t include everyone in a particular group of friends, it’s better to exclude the group altogether than to just invite one person.” Gracious Guest 1. Respond promptly. “The most important thing you can do as a guest is to let your host know as soon as possible whether you’ll be able to attend.” The host should have a chance to invite someone in your place and, Bruce says, “There’s nothing worse than empty seats at a table.” 2. Hostess gifts not required. “No one is hosting a party so they can end up with a table of stuff at the end of the night. If you want to bring a gift, bring a gift. But a gift should never be expected. It’s more important to just acknowledge the host after the fact.” 3. Thank-you notes not required. Contrary to conventional wisdom on this subject, Bruce doesn’t feel that a handwritten thank-you note is the required acknowledgment for a party well done. “If you write really great, memorable thank-you notes…then go ahead; it will be appreciated. But thank-you notes are often impersonal and take a long to time to arrive. Pick up the phone or send an e-mail to say what a great time you had.” On the other hand, Bruce notes that etiquette has generational relevance. “Etiquette changes over time. If I’m entertaining people older than I am, I’ll use an etiquette book from the late 1950s or early ’60s for direction.” In other words, send a thank-you note to someone you know will expect it.