5 Tips to Party On With Home Parties

Recently, I was hired to conduct some test parties for a company that was thinking about adding another distribution channel to their mix: Home parties.

The question frequently arises, "Is the party over?"

Here are five discoveries:

1. The party is NOT over. Human beings are social animals. We are wired to connect. The more we are connected electronically, the more we crave live human interactions. Opponents of the home party plan concept always say, "I don't need a home party to get together with my friends." True, yet a home party prompts that gathering to happen in much the same way that inviting company over to our home gets the house cleaned. We have a goal.

2. Booking in close works best. Booking in close means scheduling events within a short time, usually within 3-10 days. By booking in close, people know their schedule and they either attend or don't. People usually attend home parties if they have nothing better to do; that means no work, school, or children commitments that have a higher priority. For many people, especially working women, the opportunity to get together with the girls is a luxury that gets wedged in between work, kids, and family.

To build attendance when booking home parties in close:

a. Be sure to get the cell phone number of your friends.

b. Send them a text with the invite information. Here's an example of a short and sweet invite sent on short notice:

• Party Thurs. nite at 123 State St., 43550

• 5:00 pm

• See if you can bring 2-3 new friends.

• Appetizers and fun. Shop for <insert product>

• Hostess: Susie Smith

• RSVP please, coming or not

c. Use multiple means to message your Hostess's friends.

We (the Hostess and I) also made personal phone calls, emailed a PDF invitation to guests, and posted the party on Facebook. Most of the phone calls went to voice mail, which is normal. The point here is that in today's busy world, multiple methods of inviting are key to getting a good turnout.

If you want to take one more step you can use Eventspot or Eventbrite.com to create an invite and track RSVP's.

3. Parties can be held in public places. Retail establishments are looking for creative ways to bring customers through the door. Just the other day, I went to a local grocery store, The Market. They had a cafe filled with people, a live band and a wine bar. The atmosphere was more like a festival than a supermarket. Who would have thought a supermarket could evolve into be a local hangout? The store had figured out what we in direct sales have known all along. The best way to bring people together and pleasantly shop was by throwing a party.

As I started to book my test parties, when I was met with resistance about having a party in one's home, we started brainstorming options. Several of the parties were held at locally owned, independent restaurants.

It was a winning combination. The 'home party concept' brought in guests who didn't normally patronize that restaurant. The Hostess was relieved of having to open up her home and the guests were more likely to bring friends that the Hostess did not know because of the less personal turf for the party.

Holding a 'home party' or direct sales party in a public establishment has a few unique twists to consider:

a. Set up the partnership with your venue in advance. Share the benefits of collaborating to bring in new potential customers for both of you.

b. Determine in advance who is buying the refreshments and communicate what is being served. It is a fair expectation to ask your Hostess to serve something. This communicates it is her party and builds her commitment.

b. Beyond the refreshments being covered by the Hostess, offer guests the opportunity to order whatever else they want, just mention it is Dutch Treat (meaning everyone pays their own way).

c. Explain to the server in advance how you would like the bill to be handled.

d. Discuss with your venue the need to set up a display.

In my case, the Hostess agreed to order appetizers or serve the guests pizza and a pitcher of soda.

Most of the guests ordered extra items and the restaurant seemed pleased with the additional business. The restaurants permitted me to have a separate table for a display. This was manageable because we picked a time before the rush hour to hold the event. The average attendance was between 6-11 attendees.

4. People gravitate to people who look and sound like they are having fun. Common to a traditional home party, I conducted a short, fun presentation and then offered to help the guests with their selections. We were obviously having a good a time and a few people stopped by to see what was going on. Several people joined us, ordered items and even booked another party for the following week. We held the booking at a different restaurant and met a whole new group of people. Some of the guests who attended the original party came back the next week to support our newly found friend and Hostess!

5. Wine works wonders. Depending on you and your Hostess's acceptance of the idea, this might or might not be for you. All of my recent Hostesses offered their guests a glass of wine to add to the party atmosphere. This seemed to make the experience relaxing, fun and festive.

So to all those who ask, "Is the home party over?" I say: No way. Use your imagination as to where and when to hold the home party. Maybe in the future we will refer to them as Home-like Parties?

In fact, with the unlimited opportunities to be creative and the need for an excuse to connect with others, the party has only just begun! Party on!

Where To Have Your Next Kids Birthday Party

The perfect kids birthday party location can vary widely depending on where you live and the type of party you are throwing. Here are our suggestions and ideas to help you throw the best kids party in the perfect location.

When picking a children's birthday party location take into account your theme, your child's favorite places and the predicted weather for the time of year you'll be throwing the party. In addition consider budget, accessibility for guests and any safety issues.

You can base your locale on a number of different criteria we've picked a few of our favorite kids birthday party locations.

Birthday Party Locations for a Summer Party

The Park - This is a great outdoor party location. Choose a park that will allow you to rent space. A park is a perfect place to have a rented ball pit or rented carnival games. Remember for a park party be sure the park provides park benches and tables for seating and food otherwise you will need to provide your own. Also, if you choose to barbeque as opposed to bringing ready made food then be sure the park has barbeque pits. And if they don't have bbq pits then you'll need to confirm barbqueing is allowed before bringing your own.

Amusement Park - The amusement park is a great party location, because there is so little for you to do. Most amusement parks will provide a party area with tables and benches. Often, they will provide the party food as well. And of course the rides and games are all the entertainment you need.

Zoo - Just like an amusement park the zoo will usually provide the party area and food. Often the zoo will also provide a tour for the kids.

Dude Ranch - If you have a Dude Ranch near you take advantage of it for your child's next party. This is lots of fun for the kids because they get to interact with the animals. For many kids this may be their first time on a horse or even petting a horse so this party is a special treat for them. And as an added bonus Dude ranches are set in a western theme and all kids love cowboys!

Kids Birthday Party Locations for a Winter Party

Roller Skating Rink, Ice Skating Rink or Bowling Alley - These are all great party locations anytime of the year but particularly in the winter when the kids can't be outdoors. Having a party at any of these locations makes the planning process simple for you, most rinks and bowling alleys are equipped for kids parties. They'll provide party areas and food or permit you to bring your own food. They'll also have special packages for kids parties so the kids can have a great time skating or bowling.

Gymnastics Center - Kids like nothing more than tumbling and flipping. Check out some local gymnastics centers and find out if they allow parties. Some may not provide food or decorations but they will provide all of the activities in the way of balance beams, uneven bars and mats for tumbling. They'll also provide a trainer to help the kids on the equipment. This type of party will keep the kids active the entire time and they'll go home pooped!

Karate Center - If your little one is into martial arts then throw a karate party. Many karate centers allow parties and provide a trainer to teach the kids some moves and do a few demonstrations.

Indoor Playground - Indoor playgrounds are extremely popular. These playgrounds seem to be popping up everywhere so there is certain to be several near you. Some popular playgrounds are Gymboree, Chucky Cheese and Jeepers.

Some Other Fun Kids Birthday Party Locations

Children's Museum - The popularity of these museums for kids has sky rocketed and they typically cater to kids parties. They'll provide party space but may or may not provide food. Either way you can't beat this location as the activities are all right there providing hours of fun for the kids.

Your Club House - We often forget about that club house our condo association fees pays for. If your house isn't large enough and if you have a Club House in your community take advantage of it. Yes, you'll have to bring in all the decorations and food but typically the space will be bigger and more open than at home. So don't forget to check it out next time you are throwing a party.

Bead Store - Search your area for a bead store that allows kids to design their own jewelry. Typically if they provide in-store activities for kids they will allow for parties. You'll be surprised how many beads stores have kid parties. Often you will have to provide the food and decorations, but they provide the space and activities!

Miniature Golf - Sometimes your local miniature golf course will provide party space for kids. I've even seen some that provide the food! If your little one likes golf check out your local miniature golf courses and let the kids putt around!

How To Organize The Perfect College Party

College parties are the most important part of college life. As you know that, college is certainly an opportunity to party and have fun. So, college bash is must add to your monthly to-do list. It helps you to count your college years as some of the very best times of your life. Every college student have their best memories from college parties. If you are planning to throw a college party and want some ideas for organizing a perfect bash, then this article will help you a lot. Following are the important points that you should consider while throwing a party.

1) First, select the theme of the party whenever you are organizing one. Whether it is a college birthday, Halloween, beach, pool or any other party, it is important that you should choose theme for it.

2) Prepare your guest list, this will provide you an idea of how many guests you can expect. So that you can make arrangements (like invitations, food and beverages, decorations, etc) according to that.

3) After preparing a guest list, you should ask them about their availability. With this you can easily decide the date of the college bash and will make sure that everyone is free on that date. Also select the venue according to the theme and budget.

4) Decide the venue and then send invitations to your guests. Make sure that your invitations should be sent out at least two weeks before the party.

5) Select the decorations and food for the party. Decoration should be based on the theme chosen. If you wish to prepare the food or you want it to be prepared by caterer, it should be tasty and light. Also there should be enough drinks of different variety.

6) You need to ensure the safety of your guests like no one misbehaves, people should drink to the limit.

7) College party games are very good way of giving your party a great start, it helps the guests to meet new friends and blend with the people not familiar with before the party. So if you want to include some fun in your party then games are the best source for that.

8) Music is soul of the party. Play something your guests will love, songs that are easy to dance to. This part too has to go with the selected theme; for instance if toga party theme is chosen, your choice of song should be similar or close to the ancient Rome or Greece songs. Create a play list of songs that are perfect for the party.

College party provides an atmosphere for fun, laughter, games and meeting new friends. So, organize your party with my college party ideas and throw the perfect party. Party is a great source to keep in touch with your old or new friends. So be prepared to have an amazing time.