We’ve all been to a boring party that seems to drag on forever, and you are just glad that you took your own car and aren’t blocked in by the time the end comes. Bad events have been spoken about for years, and none of it is good.
A great event – the other end of the spectrum – is something that you only have every once in a while. Memories are made, and everyone who was there has a tale to tell about their time there.
Photo by Marvin Meyer on Unsplash
So what really makes a great party?
More Than You Need
One of the biggest things that can make a host start to sweat is not having enough of something. It might be kids’ goody bags; it could be wine or burgers. No matter what it is, it shouldn’t be happening. Imagine you have a great drinks table, but all of the most popular drinks are gone in minutes – and you have no backups. Nightmare. Make sure that you have more than you need – the worst thing that happens is you’ll need to store it for the next one.
Skip Dress Up
Unless you are in social circles that are into that type of thing, carefully consider if you should be having a theme or putting a request in for people to buy and wear things they aren’t usually comfortable in. Halloween is often an exception – but as for the rest, most of the time, unless that is regular in your circles – skip the theme. Unless it is not your party, and you’re throwing it for your little one or teen – and then it’s up to them!
Bar & Music
There is nothing worse than being stuck behind the bar for the entire evening of your party; you’re going to miss a lot of it. Hire a bartender for the night, even if it feels like a bit too much – it will make a huge difference to your whole evening.
Music is an essential part of many events, whereas, for others, they are just in the background as a form of ambience. Live bands and soloists can be incredible if you have a lot of outdoor space and are having an event in the summertime.
The volume of the music will set the tone, and it is important to pay attention the whole evening. If you’re using speaking and some playlists, try to make your own that lasts the entire evening – that way, you can take your attendees from arrival to exit in a smooth way.
Don’t Sweat It (Too Much)
The details, like the lights being too bright or too dark, matter. So take care of those things as you go. The type of music you play matters because even if 90% of the people aren’t listening, the 10% want to enjoy it.
However, most of the time, the people in attendance aren’t going to be tracking how much you spent, where your whiskey is from or anything else. So, follow the lead of the most relaxed person you know. – What would they be thinking about and doing?
When it comes to putting on great events, planning, prep and keeping cool are the ways to do it.