Hosting A Great event
By Features Desk
Thursday, May 23, 2019.
By Not all get-togethers are of the same caliber. There is a massive difference between a bowl of hot Cheetos and warm beer vs. something that is packed out with people, with the best digital DJ and some tasty treats. You might be a classic dinner party person, or you might be the type of person who wants to have a rave. Maybe you land somewhere in the middle and will be doing both. The sweet spot where you can finish your last mouthful of food and without missing a beat, get ready to go all out.
There are some elements that you will always see in an article like this. Why is that? Well, basically, there are a few key items for every event or party. As with everything, you should start your planning early.
Photo by Jason Leung on Unsplash
Housekeeping
When it comes to friends and family politics - there is no escaping (and who would want to!) it. In some cases, you might be really happy to have you ‘Tigger’ friends. You know the life and the soul of the party, loud and fun. Or if you are having a sit-down meal. And, you might have a different set of friends that could make your dinner table a delight to be at.
Skip people who are rude or mean. It’s not worth bringing along someone you either won’t appreciate it or may ruin it.
Preparation
The host with the most will nail the party preparation with finesse. People always forget a few basic things when they head to a party. If you know, it’s going to be a late one, and possibly a late into the next day one - then think FOR people. Here are a couple of things that you should have reasonably close by, so that should someone need them - hey presto, easy.
If there is even the slightest chance that people will wake up with a hangover, then anything that helps in those first few hours of pain is going to be essential.
Location
You can always host a party at your home. It is comfortable and cheaper. But, if you know that your party is going to see the sunrise the next day, then booking a party house is probably going to be right up your street. Most party houses have a lot more space than we are typically used to. Outdoor areas, swimming pools, and usually not to close to anyone else. You can really crank up the music and relax.
It is better to pick somewhere that is around 2-3 hours away by car. So if you have non-driving friends, you aren’t making it impossible for them to attend. Make sure that there is a taxi rank and maybe even a bus/train service.
One of the best things you can do when there is alcohol and people is that you make sure all the car keys are hanging on the wall. If anyone has had a little too much, then don’t be afraid to ask for their car keys, lock the car and put the key away.
Food
Just don’t bother cooking. Unless you have prepared food for 10+ people, successfully and more than once this just isn’t going to work out. If you aren’t used to cooking for that many people, then is it really worth a ‘blue soup’ moment? You’ll end up sweaty, stressed, and overwhelmed. Hire caterers and have the food prepped and take delivery of your food about 15 minutes after people should have arrived. Aside from the main meal, you’re going to want to make sure that you have plenty of snack options too.
Cheese selections
Meats
Crackers
Olivers
Dips
Breadsticks
Nuts
But don’t be shy to tell people to bring along whatever it is that they love to eat too. And the same goes for drinks also.
If you’re having a house party, then you should think about breakfast too. Make sure that you have plenty of fresh fruit, juices, pastries, and perhaps even bacon, sausage, and egg. Whatever is pretty easy to grab and works well for a lot of people.
Music
In the run-up to your event, you can start putting together playlists. Remember that louder music is great a little bit later on. Stick to acoustic or instrumental for the first hour of your playlist. This will allow people to have conversations and unwind. After an hour, ramp it up slightly using a mix of current pop tracks and your mid-tempo favorites. Some tracks are just renowned for getting people out of their seats and on to the dancefloor. Once you have used music to guide people from casual conversation to dancing around and having fun, the remaining part of your playlist will be different again.
The final tracks (perhaps up to 3 hours long) will all be slightly more ambient music, easy listening, acoustic versions of pop tracks. You will be using music to guide a group of people.
Here are a few programs that you can use to build an excellent playlist.
Deezer
Amazon Music
Spotify
iTunes
They’re all great options, and if you pay for the upgrade, you’ll never have to listen to an advert or either.
Comfort
Think about the comfort of your guests. There is nothing worse than arriving at a gathering and having to use the small, hard plastic seat. Or there not be enough pillows or blankets when you take the party outside. So when you have worked out how many people will roughly be attending your event, think about where people might sit. The kitchen can be an accidental people trap if you have left snacks on the side, so try and space them out around the place.
Blankets and pillows are great as the evening winds down, people tend to want some fresh air later in the evening. So a spot of stargazing with a fleece blanket might just be ideal.