Life is about building and sustaining relationships and experiencing pure bliss as much as possible. A great way to cultivate relationships throughout your life is by hosting events (in person and virtually), and we can show you how without eliciting event planners, event organizers, or general event professionals. It is human nature to want to get together with others for many reasons, especially for those extroverts out there and for those of us with FOMO. Lots of cultures make gatherings and cuisine the focal point of celebrations and to show gratitude. This article is your ultimate guide for hosting an epic event, your hosting 101, for helping you get into your hosting era! Everything you need to host unforgettable events and display your creativity in the process. Pro tip, organization and preparation are key to successfully pulling off your event goals.
Table of Contents
Live Events
Start Small
Budget
Time Management
Theme/Occasion
Hiring Help or Vendors
Guest List
Invitations
Menu
Dress Code
Presentation /Décor
Ambiance
Music
Agenda
Memorable Party Favors
Be Courteous
Successful Virtual Events
Common Virtual Events Themes
Event Website and Registration
Hosting Platform
Technical Support for Less Tech Savvy Guests
Menu
Virtual Party Favors
Virtual Agenda
Live Events
Start Small
Hosting is an art, and like any other thing starting small is important because you can build upon each event and get better. Starting small can look however you want it to. You can invite 5 friends over for wine and cheese or you can invite a new love interest over and cook (order in) a nice meal and present the food in a way that mirrors the display of a five-star restaurant. It is totally up to you. Starting small is a convenient way to get started with your hosting era.
Budget
The first step to planning is to create a budget. The budget for your event is totally up to you. You can get premium with your details, or you can shop at discount stores to find a bargain on very nice pieces for the event. You will be surprised by the cute décor items the dollar store has. The first thing to do when creating a budget is to list out all your expenses, then list the expenses from most to least important and get three bids for each vendor. The goal of your budget is to maximize every dollar spent on the event. Remember to include room for error in the budget. In the event something goes wrong, you run out of something or need to execute one of your contingency plans, add 10-20% of your total budget for emergencies on the day of.
Time Management
When planning an event, the less help you hire the more time you will need to execute a physical event that leaves a lasting impression. Time is needed for organizing, planning, strategizing, cleaning, cooking, ordering, decorating, picking up food, and your own personal needs like hair, makeup, nails, and attire to get ready for hosting the event. Pro-tip, purchase all non-perishable items well in advance of the event to give you one less thing to worry about leading up to the event.
Theme/Occasion
Themes are the fun part when hosting an event. Themes create the energy of an event. More importantly, when there is a theme, putting the event together is easier because everything is created around the theme. The food, décor, dress code, music, and ambiance all depend on the theme of the event. Check out our article, 180+ Unique Party Themes Ideas for Epic Celebrations, for party theme inspiration.
Hosting an event could be for an occasion such as a religious holiday, cultural event, Friendsgiving celebration, or networking. So, do not feel compelled to have a theme if your event doesn’t specifically call for one.
Hiring Help or Vendors
Hiring help can be a great idea, especially when the size of your event is going to be large. Other reasons to consider hiring help are if you are going for a hyperbolic look that you cannot achieve on your own or if you are planning a formal event. It might also be helpful to hire a cleaning service (before the event, after the event, or both), caterers, DJs, servers, bartenders, etc. for the event.
If you are trying to avoid hiring help or vendors or want to save on the expense associated with hiring help, one way you can go about getting help without actually hiring someone is to ask your guests to bring something (depending on the kind of event of course). You could ask your guests to bring a bottle of wine, a dessert, or other items you feel are necessary. Do not be afraid to nudge your guests in the right direction if you are having a themed party and there are specific food and drink items that will match the theme.
Guest List
When coming up with a guest list a good thing to consider is, which of your friends, family, and colleagues will mesh well together. If you are having a larger event this is less important because it will be easier for certain guests to keep their distance from others if necessary. Nevertheless, keep in mind that the more intimate your event is the more you want to take note of the group of people who you are inviting and their ability to mesh well together.
Invitations
Your invitation should coincide with the party theme, and provide the date, location, time, deadline to RSVP, dress code, and theme. Feel free to follow up with additional party details once you begin receiving RSVPs. Some things to follow up with after receiving an RSVP are certain dietary restrictions and directions to your home (or wherever you choose to host the event).
A note about people who do not RSVP: if you have a guest or two that fail to RSVP feel free to have a conversation with them about whether they are coming to your event and why they should RSVP as soon as possible. It is also a good idea to let this guest know that sending an RSVP is important to continue to be invited to future events. You are already putting in a lot of effort into hosting an event and making sure to accommodate people, you should not be chasing people for an RSVP.
Menu
Food can make or break an event. You can have the most beautiful event venue, have meticulous event planning, and give your guests unforgettable experiences all night, however bad food could certainly be part of that unforgettable experience. If the food is bad, everyone will forget about how beautiful the décor was and remember all the poor food options. Quality matters with food. Always go for quality over quantity. Secondly, having a platter-style food display is less stressful because, with so many dietary restrictions nowadays, guests are free to pick and choose what they would like to eat.
Dress Code
Sometimes it is understood that there is a dress code. For example, if you are hosting a toga party or a Halloween party, your guests are going to come with their togas or Halloween costumes. For party themes where it is less obvious, you can get creative with the dress code. You can tell your guests that the dress code is a specific color (when everyone wears similar colors photos come out great), or you can tell your guests how to dress (black tie, formal, casual, smart casual, etc.) Whatever you choose, make sure the dress code is included on the invitation because it is courteous for guests to know well in advance the best ways for them to get dressed on the day of the event.
Presentation/Décor
Presentation is key when trying to create an experience. There is a difference between having ketchup bottles at the end of a table versus putting ketchup in a nice dish for people to help themselves. The same goes for everything else. If you want your guests to help themselves to chips do not let them sit in the bag, consider putting the chips in a nice bowl. You do not have to have fine China for everything, there are some stunning paperware and plastic flatware that look like the real thing. These sets are not only inexpensive, but they are not likely to break, and if someone accidentally throws one away by mistake it is not the same as someone accidentally disposing of a nice piece of flatware.
Glassware makes a world of difference to the presentation and even the taste of your drinks. A $10 bottle of wine will taste like a sommelier’s choice if it is served at the right temperature and in nice glasses that are correct for the type of drink. It is ideal to use the best glassware you can access. Dollar stores have cute serviettes, napkins, napkin rings, and other items to create lavish place settings. You can make the simplest food and drinks look decadent if you present them nicely!
Ambiance
The ambiance is everything. Consider what you want your guests to feel at your event. A good way to figure this out is to remember all the events and public places you have visited and the feeling you got as soon as you walked in and experienced the event or establishment. Think about some of the reasons you felt the way you felt. If you are hosting an event on your own a few things to consider are, cleanliness, music, lighting, scent, temperature, seating plan, décor, coat (and maybe shoes) check, for outside events and plan b for unexpected bad weather.
Music
Depending on the type of event you are hosting, a DJ may be appropriate or a simple playlist hooked up to Bluetooth speakers will do. Music is just as important as the food at an event because it sets the tone for the evening to follow. If people are enjoying the music selections, they are likely to loosen up, stay longer, dance, and remember your event. So, choose wisely.
Agenda
A formal agenda is not always needed. However, if there are certain things you would like to have your guests participate in throughout the event it is okay to have a list written down and announce it to your guests. This could be from games to speakers.
Memorable Party Favors
You want your guest to take away something from the event that makes them remember the event and the lovely time they had. Party favors can be anything you want them to be. You can gift your guests with something cheesey like custom m&ms or you can gift your guests with something useful like a special candle or a gift basket wtih cool goodies inside.
Be Courteous
Despite how small you think your gathering is going to be, the best practices is to let your neighbors know. Even if you think the noise from your event would be merely background noise, your neighbors should know. A nice way to do this is by a small handwritten note and a bottle of wine or a small gift basket. If you live in an area where parking is limited or the area is typically quiet, it is a good idea to let your neighbors know so they are aware of why parking may be tighter that day, why there are more cars on the street, or why there may be more chatter and music than usual. Consider inviting your neighbors if the event calls for it, especially since they are less likely to complain if they are there.
Lastly, most municipalities have noise restrictions so be sure to look into yours.
Successful Virtual Events
Since the covid-19 pandemic, no one is shy about a virtual event. There is a lot of overlap in the things needed for an in-person event and creating a great virtual environment for a successful event. For instance, for a virtual event, you still need to start small, and have good time management, a budget, theme, guest list, invitation, dress code, ambiance, and agenda. However, you do not need to hire help, have a menu, or set up decor. Here is everything you need to host an unforgettable online event if you are unable to create a live event in real life.
Common Virtual Event Themes
Here are 10+ common events that are hosted on a virtual event platform that you can replicate for an epic virtual event for your family and friends.
Halloween: Halloween is such a creative time of year and the perfect reason to gather the closest people to you for some healthy competition by hosting a virtual pumpkin decorating party or costume party. Invite your guests to bring their creativity while you all show up on video and decorate your own pumpkins. At the end of decorating, the person with the most votes wins a prize. You can even host a Halloween costume party and may the best and most creative costume take home the prize!
Trivia: Trivia night is also a fun way to spend time with loved ones and get creative. If this event is strictly for family, you could host a trivia night on family facts. Think of your family version of Cards Against Humanity. If you and your girlfriends were really into 90 sitcoms, pop music from the early 2000s, sports, or fashion, you can also host a virtual trivia night and creative trivia around any of these themes. Do you think your girlfriends would know how many weeks Brittney Spears’ Oops!… I Did It Again was on Billboard Top 100? Or could they list all of Taylor Swift’s ex-boyfriends in order?
Karaoke: Need we say more? Karaoke parties are so fun and a great way to loosen people up. It’s important to choose songs that most people will know and are in a vocal range that the average person can sing. Since this is a virtual karaoke party, downloading a karaoke mobile app (smule, StarMaker, or KaraFun) can be a nice touch for you and your guests to assist their upcoming performances. You can take things a step further and have guests request songs before the party so you can have a playlist ready.
Wine Tasting: Don’t feel like you can only do a wine tasting. You can switch the wine out for whisky, beer, or champagne if you think your guests will enjoy that more. If you are sticking to wines, we suggest doing one of three tasting packs, reds, whites, or rosés. What makes for an amazing wine tasting experience is the element of surprise, so in an effort to not give away the wine that is being tasted, you could send a tasting pack to your guests removing all specs from the wine bottles. Consider purchasing small wine bottles that have just enough wine for a tasting. You can also suggest foods that your guests should have that will pair nicely with the wine being tasted.
Game Night: For a guaranteed fun virtual game night, you must play any of these games, 20 Questions, Charades, Bingo, Pictionary, Words with Friends, Psych!, IKYFL, Scattergories, Heads Up!
Cooking/Baking: If you want to host a cooking or baking party with your friends be sure to send out the necessary ingredients before the event so your guests have time to go out and buy them.
Mixology: The same goes for a mixology party as a cook/baking party, send out the ingredients list in advance of the virtual event so your guests can get everything they need.
Movie, Sports Game, or Award Show Watch Party: If there is a highly anticipated movie coming out, the season finale to a popular show, a major sports game, or award show coming up, instead of watching by yourself or with whoever is in your household, why not open the viewing up and host a watch party? A Watch party makes anything that you are watching so much better and you will have the best time watching in real time with those close to you.
Dinner Party: Dinner parties are always fun because of the amazing good and even better conversations that are happening over dinner. For a virtual dinner party, guests can have carte blanche over their dinner so long as they show up online on time and ready for amazing conversations over a nice meal and cocktails.
Vision/Mood Board: Vision board parties are powerful and serve a clear purpose, which is to organize your goals and assist you in manifesting those goals. Quite honestly, vision board parties should happen more frequently than they do. Most people partake in a vision board party right before the start of a new year or soon after a new year has started. There is no set time for you to focus on your goals and work on manifesting them. A virtual vision board party can done multiple ways, guests can come prepared with magazines, scissors, a large poster, glue, or tape to create their board. Or your guests can use Pinterest, Instagram, and any other site that has an overwhelming amount of photos and create a virtual vision board on Canva. At the end of the creating portion of the vision board party, leave space for each guest to present their board to the group. Depending on some of the goals you and your guests have and disclose to the group, you all can have accountability partners and hold each others hands through achieving these new goals.
Astrology: Who isn’t into astrology nowadays? There is so much depth and history to astrology, so if you have a group of friends who like to get deep, are into personal development, or are on a quest for self-discovery, a virtual astrology party might be up their alley. So many people know their zodiac sign and whether or not they resonate with the characteristics of that sign. Less people know their Big Three or their Big Six, and most times if someone does know their Big Three they may not be so sure of what their Big Three means about them. If you want to take your event up a notch, invite astrologists to serve as teachers/keynote speakers.
Event Website and Registration
If you feel your event calls for a formal website for registration, by all means, definitely create a website. An event website is an easy way for your attendees to register and for you to update everyone with the event details in a centralized place. The event’s website should be user friendly and include high quality images that match the goal and vibe of the event. If your event is more private, then you can send out invitations the same way you would for a live event, and be sure to include access to the hosting platform after your guests RSVP.
Hosting Platform
It’s important to consider the digital platform to host the event, the interactive elements on the platform such as a live chat, and the registration process for attendees. Although you do not need to book the perfect venue or set up decor, you must decide on the right virtual platform to host your event. Determine the hosting platform you’d like to use that will be best suited for the type of event you are hosting. The most popular video platforms for hosting are Facetime, Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype, Weve, Remo or Microsoft Teams. All your guests need to attend your event is a smartphone or computer.
Technical Support for Less Tech Savvy Guests
If some of your attendees are not technical savy people, it is a kind gesture to offer assistance to them in advance of the virtual event or perhaps invite them over to access the virtual event with you through your electronic devices.
Menu
You can advise your guests to come with a glass of wine ready, dinner prepared to eat on camera, or for a nice personal touch you can send food to your virtual guests through any food delivery service. Sending food will make your guests feel like they’re really being hosted although the event is virtual.
Virtual Party Favors
You can send your guests virtual party favors. You may not be able to create cute party favors for your guests like you could at an in-person party, but you can certainly send a bottle of wine, flowers, a plant, or a gift card.
Virtual Agenda
An agenda totally depends on the kind of virtual event you are hosting. If you opt for hosting a virtual dinner party, having a few conversation starters written down in advance of the party would be helpful to get guests chatting. If you are inviting someone to speak, such as an astrologist, psychic, chef, sommelier, etc., be sure to go over whatever party agenda you have with your guest/speaker in advance to make sure you both are on the same page about how the event
is going to flow.
Final Thoughts
We love events and hosting. It is such a great way to fellowship and connect with the people closest to you for any reason. Whether it be an event for a special occasion, for the holiday season, or just an excuse to create memorable moments with some great people, as you can see its pretty doable to host live, virtual, or hybrid events. Now that you have a good resource for the event planning process, to further step into your hosting era, check out our article 180+ Unique Party Themes Ideas for Epic Celebrations for some of the best event themes. You will not be disappointed.