Private parties can be scheduled for just about any reason that people would gather to celebrate. The most common reasons to schedule a party include milestone birthday, such as Sweet Sixteen, lodge and organized group awards ceremonies, such a Girls Scouts or community football teams, and anniversary parties.
Venues
Large spaces where tables and chairs can be setup, entertainment can be brought in, and food can be served are popular and easily accessible in most metropolitan areas. Private parties held at a venue offer the convenience of hosting large groups without the cleanup and space requirements that are needed in gatherings done in residences.
Private parties can vary in size. If you’re looking for a larger venue, make sure you check our preferred Calgary venues page. Many of these venues will simplify your private party planning experience.
You might also find our guide to wedding venues quite useful. Some of those venues are small and cozy, so make sure you check this wedding guide out too.
Themes
Theme and focus should be taken under consideration as well, so that the proper venue can be secured. Licenses, ordinances, food set up, and entertainment needs are also important to private party planning out before putting down a deposit on a place. Are you planning a private party for a child? Or want to create a themed event for you friends? Make sure you take at a few themed event options we have at Simply Elegant.
Activities
Games and activities can be planned for private parties as long as the proper amount of space is available. Everything from dance offs, sing-a-longs, karaoke, open-mic poetry, awards ceremonies, and fitness related events can be coordinated to fit a rented space. With a little creativity, much can be accomplished. Take a look at a few posts from our blog to give you more ideas on activities at private parties:
Resources
Event managers, planners and coordinators should contact the following businesses to make their event a well-rounded affair:
- Event designer, decorators and florist – to get your space decorated
- Caterer – to ensure there’s theme cuisine or just snacks present
- Entertainment (band, DJ, comedian, etc.) – to ensure the crowd is having fun
- Props staff (tables, chairs, podiums, etc.) – to get everyone properly situated in the room and comfortably moving in the event space
- Clean up staff – one of the things that are frequently overlooked by novice event planners. It’s better to plan your cleaning staff ahead. Otherwise, after everyone goes, you’re left is a huge pile of dirty dishes.
- Security – to ensure that all guests (children, adults and seniors) are equally safe at your private party. Make sure you take a look at our post on making your event secure.
Depending on the type of your private party, preparations may take anything from several weeks to several months. Based on our experience planning private parties, the sooner you begin the higher event quality you get.
Visualization
Many successful business professionals and entrepreneurs the world over utilize visualization techniques to improve the quality of their business and to increase the chances for successful outcomes. Private party planning professionals are no different. They are expert at seeing the “Big Picture”, and then helping to flesh out the smaller details to ensure a triumphant celebration.
Party planners get involved in every decision pertaining to the event, from the selection of the venue months ahead of time to the cleanup process immediately following the departure of the last guest. They can anticipate on-coming problems and head them off at the pass before you or your guests are even aware of the difficulties. Professional party management can make or break your celebration.
Procedures
This may seem like an obvious point, but a successful private party planning coordinator is going to be highly organized. So many things will be occurring simultaneously once the party begins, and these experts always stay calm and cool in the face of adversity. They’ve seen it all. Professional planner will already have the important phone numbers of the caterer and entertainment DJ on speed dial in case something unexpected happens.
Coordinating the arrival of key players to the event is also essential. Did you forget to tell the bakery where to deliver the wedding cake? Does your venue have adequate parking facilities? Professional party management companies know that it is much easier to STAY organized than to GET organized. This is why they are always five steps ahead.
Control
No one can control everything, but a professional coordinator of private party planning comes pretty close. Let the coordinator deal with the cold menu items, the delayed dinner service, or the loud music supplied by the DJ. You can sit back and enjoy your party. In most cases, the professionals take care of these details well before you even notice that anything is amiss. That is what they do best. They are expert at crisis and risk management and in ensuring that all of the guests have the best party experience possible.
Let us know if you have specific questions about your next private party. Our team at Simply Elegant will be happy to help! And as always, make sure you leave a question or two in the comments. We love reading and responding to them.