#60 Mandi Naylor | Feeding Thousands at the NFL Draft, Super Bowl, & Bonnaroo

Mandi Naylor has spent over a decade running food and beverage at some of the biggest events in the country — the NFL Draft, the Super Bowl, Bonnaroo, ACL, Lollapalooza, CMA Fest, KAABOO, and the NASCAR Chicago Street Race. She's managed catering for commissioners, artists, and crews of thousands. Now she leads events for the Robertson County Chamber of Commerce in Tennessee.

This conversation gets into what catering actually looks like at scale: feeding thousands of people three to four meals a day for a month at the NFL Draft, donating thousands of pounds of leftover food, and running the ice and water operation that nourishes every department on site. Mandi — better known as Festy Mom (#festymom) to anyone who's worked with her — also gets honest about coming off the road after a health scare, raising two kids while traveling, and why catering is one of the best places in this industry to start a career.

What you'll learn:

• Why the NFL Draft is harder than the Super Bowl
• How to spot a catering hire who's actually going to make it
• What it really costs to feed thousands of people across a month-long build
• Why decor, A/C, and music in the catering tent aren't extras — they're the job
• The mental load of catering: small talk, performance, and being the only place crew can decompress
• How to advance F&B numbers when half the departments forget to send theirs in
• Mom guilt, the road, and knowing when it's time to come home

Sponsor:
MOC is looking for new volunteers to help share the joys of live music. Volunteer Guides are the friendly faces who host the programs as volunteer musicians perform hopeful songs to put a smile on the faces of hospital patients, families, and caregivers. To learn more about becoming a Musicians On Call volunteer, visit https://www.musiciansoncall.org.

Mandi Naylor bio:
Mandi Naylor is an experienced event professional with more than a decade of leadership in large-scale festivals, national sporting events, and community-driven productions. She currently serves as Event Manager for the Robertson County Chamber of Commerce, where she leads the planning and execution of events that support local business growth, community engagement, and regional visibility.

Mandi's background spans some of the country's most high-profile events, including the NFL Draft, Super Bowl, NASCAR Chicago Street Race, and major music festivals such as Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, CMA and Austin City Limits. Her expertise includes food and beverage management, credentialing, site operations, logistics coordination, and vendor management—often overseeing complex, multi-layered event environments with thousands of attendees.

Throughout her career, she has held key leadership roles including Catering Manager, Beverage Manager, Credential Manager, and Accreditation Inventory Manager. She is known for her ability to manage large teams, streamline operations, and deliver exceptional guest experiences under high-pressure conditions.

Mandi holds a degree in Organizational Communication from Middle Tennessee State University, where she focused on employee communication, special events, and fundraising. She combines her strong organizational skills with a passion for creating memorable, impactful events that bring people together.

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Host: Nikki Sanz