Your favorite holiday is coming up, and to celebrate you’d like to throw a get-together for your closest friends and family, but you just aren’t sure where to start. Hold the streamers and balloons for now, because we reached out to HHS Vice President of Learning, Talent Development, and Operations German Marroquin for his insider party planning tips. With almost two decades in the resorts and hospitality industry, German is well versed in being a gracious host and creating experiences that surprise and delight. Follow German’s straightforward guidelines to hosting a party and you’ll be able to throw a celebration that everyone will be talking about.
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Party Planning Guide
Start with the end result in mind.
The most important factor in throwing a successful party is to keep the end result in mind from the beginning. Determine how the party is going to look. What is the theme? Who will attend? How will you accommodate everyone? Where will the party be held? Keeping these key questions in mind will help you better plan and host your celebration.
Review your calendar and schedule a date and time.
Scan your social calendar to see if there are any conflicting events, then reach out to friends to see if certain dates or times would work for their schedules. Using a Doodle Poll, you can easily email out dates and times and determine which date will work best with everyone’s schedule. This scheduling smart tool adds simplicity to the process.
Secure a location that will accommodate your guests and theme.
Once a date is secured, decide where you’d like to host the event. Your home is always a great option for a cozy, comfortable environment, but if you want to skip the cleanup, or if your home just doesn’t accommodate that many guests, consider hosting the event at a local park or beach. Then, choose a theme for the party that fits with the month and season. For spring or summer, try hosting a luau, backyard picnic, or Kentucky Derby party. In fall or winter months, center themes around holidays such as Halloween, Thanksgiving, or Christmas, or around festivals, like Oktoberfest.
Use technology to send invitations and interact with guests.
Using event planning technology through Facebook events, Evite, or other online resources, you can easily send invitations and interact with guests. Be sure to include the date, time, location, and theme on the invitation. These platforms also allow for open conversations, so guests can ask questions and communicate with the host and fellow party-goers.
Create a list of items that guests can contribute to the party.
Depending on the type of party, consider developing a list of items guests can contribute. Whether that will be appetizers, desserts, sides, or drinks, you will know what will be provided to ensure everything is covered. Plus, this is a great way to get guests to share their favorite recipes with one another. To ensure everyone is aware of what other guests are bringing, consider using a potluck organizing site such as Punchbowl.
Determine flow and layout of the party.
Once everything is settled, you’ll want to determine the flow and layout of the party. If you are hosting the event at your home, open up your spaces. Remove furniture items that might block the flow of the room. Add extra chairs or tables as needed, and place activities, such as puzzles, cards, and board games, strategically throughout the room so guests can decide where they’d like to go. Additionally, when it comes to food, create a buffet where guests can dine at their leisure without feeling that they are being restricted. If you are serving alcoholic beverages, set up a drink station with your favorite wines or mixed punch so party-goers can help themselves, and you can socialize instead of preparing drinks all night.
Offer a small memento for guests to remember the party.
As a kind gesture, create a small token of appreciation for guests to have as they leave. A small memento such as an ornament, chocolate, or candle will help guest remember the event and will have them raving about it for weeks to come.
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