The Best Party Planner? One Who Doesn"t OVER-Manage Your Party
I played for a St.
Paddy's Day party this week that was just about perfect in terms of enjoyment for the guests.
And - for this - I credit the party planner.
No party professional can afford to be totally hands-off.
Great events don't simply happen by accident.
So sooner or later, a true pro will allow a bit of extra time here, or take away a little there (if the proceedings start to drag.
) But some planners are hands-on in the extreme, to the point where everything feels over-orchestrated.
For example, predetermined time schedules are great - as guidelines.
But - if the salad plates are supposed to be picked up at 8:02, and you are still enjoying your mixed greens at 8:03 - there should be some chronological leeway factored in.
Adherence to the clock (for its own sake) should never be more important than the pleasure of the guests.
It's a balancing act, and one that experienced party people learn to perform well.
The good planners - and my St.
Paddy party planner was a great one - never seem to break a sweat.
In fact, just looking at them, they appear to be having as much fun as anyone there.
(Which is not to say that what they are doing is easy- their gift is in making a terrific affair look that way.
) Our event was fairly complex, in that it involved both outdoor and indoor activities, was geared to both adults and kids (not to mention Leprechaun-dressed dogs), and ran from 4:30 in the afternoon until the last dancers jigged out the door.
It could have been a nightmare.
Instead, it was a day (and night) with something for everyone: costume contests (including the pets), a parade, dinner and dancing (including Irish folk dancing), and even a limerick-writing contest (another potential mine-field.
) Everybody - whatever their age - had maximum opportunity for enjoyment (whether they defined it as sitting and visiting, or participating in the activities), and a bare minimum of visible party manipulation.
Burt Reynolds once asked Spencer Tracy for advice on acting.
Tracy's reply: "Don't let 'em catch you doing it.
" The same holds true for good party planning - it flows so naturally, that it almost appears spontaneous.
It isn't, of course - it's darned hard work.
But it's work the true pros never let us "catch" them doing.
Paddy's Day party this week that was just about perfect in terms of enjoyment for the guests.
And - for this - I credit the party planner.
No party professional can afford to be totally hands-off.
Great events don't simply happen by accident.
So sooner or later, a true pro will allow a bit of extra time here, or take away a little there (if the proceedings start to drag.
) But some planners are hands-on in the extreme, to the point where everything feels over-orchestrated.
For example, predetermined time schedules are great - as guidelines.
But - if the salad plates are supposed to be picked up at 8:02, and you are still enjoying your mixed greens at 8:03 - there should be some chronological leeway factored in.
Adherence to the clock (for its own sake) should never be more important than the pleasure of the guests.
It's a balancing act, and one that experienced party people learn to perform well.
The good planners - and my St.
Paddy party planner was a great one - never seem to break a sweat.
In fact, just looking at them, they appear to be having as much fun as anyone there.
(Which is not to say that what they are doing is easy- their gift is in making a terrific affair look that way.
) Our event was fairly complex, in that it involved both outdoor and indoor activities, was geared to both adults and kids (not to mention Leprechaun-dressed dogs), and ran from 4:30 in the afternoon until the last dancers jigged out the door.
It could have been a nightmare.
Instead, it was a day (and night) with something for everyone: costume contests (including the pets), a parade, dinner and dancing (including Irish folk dancing), and even a limerick-writing contest (another potential mine-field.
) Everybody - whatever their age - had maximum opportunity for enjoyment (whether they defined it as sitting and visiting, or participating in the activities), and a bare minimum of visible party manipulation.
Burt Reynolds once asked Spencer Tracy for advice on acting.
Tracy's reply: "Don't let 'em catch you doing it.
" The same holds true for good party planning - it flows so naturally, that it almost appears spontaneous.
It isn't, of course - it's darned hard work.
But it's work the true pros never let us "catch" them doing.
