BY ELIZABETH LAURENCE,
EVENT COORDINATOR AND FORMER IBM EVENT PLANNER
Successful events focus on creating lasting memories and building relationships. They don’t need to be complex, fussy, or boring. Look for ways to enhance the atmosphere and use your best resources of time, creativity, and community.
1 Theme Extreme. Highlight the theme of your party. For a cookie exchange use mixing bowls for centerpieces and baking sheets for serving trays. Create a party quiz about baking tidbits and recipe abbreviations. Give teaspoon sets, gourmet spices, or cookie scoops for prizes and party favors.
2 Two Are Better Than One. If hosting an event seems like a daunting task, invite a friend or family member to help you shop, cook, and decorate. By asking someone to join you, this cuts the time in half, doubles the creativity, and triples the fun.
3 Dual Purpose Equals Simplicity. Be creative and multifunctional to simplify your holiday party. Use party favors for décor, i.e. use wire picture holders or small frames for place cards to take home. Fill the vases with colored paper shreds, turn them over, put a platter on top and create a beautiful tablescape.
4 Sense of Community. The most significant memories are created through joint experience. Have guests bring an item to add to the party theme or make one at the party. Inviting your guests to contribute, even in the smallest way displays creativity, makes great conversation, and invokes involvement.
5 Purpose Communicates Value. Plan your party from start to finish to carry out your purpose of building community. A good plan takes parties and gatherings from mundane to meaningful.
6 Trends vs. Traditions. New and exciting trends in colors and decorations can add fun and flair to any event. Traditions, on the other hand, are the familiar gatherings that warm our hearts and save time by doing what worked well before. Follow the purpose of your heart and gathering by combining traditions and trends to create a balance of new and old.
7 Make an Agenda. Once you’ve made your final decisions, an agenda is a great way to capture all of the information you need to carry out your purpose. A one-page agenda should include a general party timeline, serving times and locations, and an activity schedule. Purpose, Plan, Action!
8 Buy in Bulk. This will help you avoid the stress of last-minute purchasing if inventories run low and will allow more time for you to focus on your creative elements like games and décor. Great items to buy in bulk are invitations, paper goods, party favors, and serving pieces.
9 Location. While your home is the most personal place to have any party, it’s not the only place that invokes a warm feeling. A community clubhouse or a private room in a restaurant can be the perfect place, too.
10 Review, Review, Review. Use your Event-Planning Worksheet to record your favorite elements of each party within three days of the event so the feeling and impact of your party is fresh on your mind. Note things that should be repeated, things that did not work, and new ideas for next year.
Elizabeth Laurence is currently an Event Coordinator for one of America’s fastest-growing mega-churches. She served as an Event Planner for IBM for more than five years where she managed an employee benefits club of more than five thousand employees in six locations. She coordinates corporate team-building activities, including bi-annual golf tournaments and company-wide outings. Elizabeth and her family live in Fort Worth, Texas.