How to run a successful party

August 7th, 2008 Posted in Day to Day

Over the past month or so I’ve been involved in the planning and execution of several events.  My dad turned 60 on July 5th and my siblings and I planned hugely successful surprise party for him (it really helped that he wasn’t in the country for two weeks so we could plan it), I volunteered at the 25th annual Hillside Festival (it was my fifth year volunteering), I had some friends over for an evening of debauchery, I planned a failed gathering of university classmates and this past weekend I helped my mom and aunt plan a family reunion with an entire branch of family that I didn’t really know existed.  They did most of the work and even managed to find members of the family that my grandmother hadn’t seen in 40 years. Some distant relatives in the UK also found out about the reunion and contacted us about some sort of inheritance.

Here’s a few thoughts that I had about the event planning process:

  • Do your research - Depending on what you’re planning, this may be as simple as calling your friends or or hours slaved over genealogy charts. The venue, food, rides and poisons all fit in here. The more you know beforehand, the less you’ll have to do later.
  • Share the responsibility - Get other people involved. Get them to come up with ideas and make decisions. The more people involved the wider skill-set you’ll have at your disposal. The roles could be as big as contacting the invitees and keeping track of RSVPs, or as little as picking up the snacks from the store. The more ownership other people share, the less weight on your shoulders.
  • Feed your guests - Eating is social.  Our society seems to have forgotten this somehow in the past 30 or 40 years. Sharing good food is one of the most enjoyable things I can think of doing with my friends.
  • Do almost everything beforehand - The more you do before the actual event the more you can enjoy yourself during the event. Plain and simple.
  • Go with the flow - If something goes wrong, take it in stride. It’s really not worth the stress. The research thing can also help with this. If you can foresee what might go wrong, you can have a plan B, C, D, etc.
  • Enjoy it - What’s the point of hanging out with friends and/or family event if you can’t have fun?  There isn’t one.

Anyone else have any thoughts?