Nobody wants their event to be the one people remember for all the wrong reasons. How many times have you heard about a party: ‘There was no atmosphere whatsoever’, or ‘the food was dull’ or ‘the music was terrible’?
If you are organising a particularly important event and you don’t want it consigned to the grim dustbin of parties that went bad, here are some tips to help you get started:
Budgeting: What can you afford? Most party planners, especially if they need to feed their guests, have to weigh up how many people they can realistically afford to invite and feed whilst still having enough guests to create a vibrant atmosphere. If food is important, it may be that you can spend less on decorations, for example, to keep you in budget. Start by working out exactly how much you have to spend and then making a list of your priorities in order
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Plan ahead: If you are hosting a large event and are going to hire caterers, event planners or food consultants, you need to contact them several months in advance in order to get the best use of their services. Food consultants can be particularly invaluable if you have a lot of other elements, such as decor or entertainment, to organise as they can take this important but often stressful task off your hands. Also, encourage your guests to confirm well in advance to avoid being let down by too many no-shows.
The right place: Once you have worked out how many people you intend to invite, you need to hunt out a suitable venue. You may love the idea of a large, imposing space, but if you guest list is not huge you will end up with a party severely devoid of atmosphere. Imagine small groups of guests eyeing each other from opposite ends of the room: this is something you want to avoid. On the other hand, you don’t want the placed crammed to a level where discomfort or indeed panic takes over, so choose wisely.
Know your guests: Some parties are supposed to be sober affairs, some more raucous but most of them lie somewhere in-between. Your job as the party organiser is to consider the people you are inviting and try to ensure they have fun. If it’s a wedding party you may get a mix of old and young people so you have to choose decor, entertainment and food that will appeal to everyone. And remember, what you would enjoy is not necessarily what everybody else would enjoy.
Contingencies: Lastly, have you identified the areas in which your party might go wrong? For example, if you’re planning to hold it outside do you have an alternative in place in case it rains? If you’ve hired a band or a DJ, what will you do if they cancel? Look again at the list of key priorities you made at the start of the planning stage and make sure you have a Plan B for each one. This is the way to help minimise last-minute panics. You want to enjoy the party as well, not arrive on the day a tightly-wound ball of stress, wishing you had never embarked upon such a scheme.
If you are organising a particularly important event and you don’t want it consigned to the grim dustbin of parties that went bad, here are some tips to help you get started:
Budgeting: What can you afford? Most party planners, especially if they need to feed their guests, have to weigh up how many people they can realistically afford to invite and feed whilst still having enough guests to create a vibrant atmosphere. If food is important, it may be that you can spend less on decorations, for example, to keep you in budget. Start by working out exactly how much you have to spend and then making a list of your priorities in order
.
Plan ahead: If you are hosting a large event and are going to hire caterers, event planners or food consultants, you need to contact them several months in advance in order to get the best use of their services. Food consultants can be particularly invaluable if you have a lot of other elements, such as decor or entertainment, to organise as they can take this important but often stressful task off your hands. Also, encourage your guests to confirm well in advance to avoid being let down by too many no-shows.
The right place: Once you have worked out how many people you intend to invite, you need to hunt out a suitable venue. You may love the idea of a large, imposing space, but if you guest list is not huge you will end up with a party severely devoid of atmosphere. Imagine small groups of guests eyeing each other from opposite ends of the room: this is something you want to avoid. On the other hand, you don’t want the placed crammed to a level where discomfort or indeed panic takes over, so choose wisely.
Know your guests: Some parties are supposed to be sober affairs, some more raucous but most of them lie somewhere in-between. Your job as the party organiser is to consider the people you are inviting and try to ensure they have fun. If it’s a wedding party you may get a mix of old and young people so you have to choose decor, entertainment and food that will appeal to everyone. And remember, what you would enjoy is not necessarily what everybody else would enjoy.
Contingencies: Lastly, have you identified the areas in which your party might go wrong? For example, if you’re planning to hold it outside do you have an alternative in place in case it rains? If you’ve hired a band or a DJ, what will you do if they cancel? Look again at the list of key priorities you made at the start of the planning stage and make sure you have a Plan B for each one. This is the way to help minimise last-minute panics. You want to enjoy the party as well, not arrive on the day a tightly-wound ball of stress, wishing you had never embarked upon such a scheme.
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