Social events can be fantastic fun – particularly if they are with the right people, such as friends and family that you love regularly meeting up with. However, preparing a social event that will run hitch-free can involve far more than just being selective about who to invite. Here are some techniques that can be wonderfully useful, but you might not have sufficiently considered, for preventing your social events going haywire. Follow each step in the order that they are posted here.
Invite and inform potential guests well in advance
You might already have a particular time and place in mind for your event. However, when you impart this information to the people you want to see there, they may respond by apologetically revealing that they won’t be able to attend at that time and setting. You could then react by changing either or both of these. Also, be clear exactly how long the event will last; this can avoid awkward lingering or abrupt leaving at the event, HuffPost implies.
Make sure that all invited guests will have seating
You’ve likely been in that awkward scenario of getting your drink at a party and then looking for somewhere to sit, only to realise that… there isn’t anywhere. Take account of the number of people you have invited to your event and then provide seating to accommodate all of them. Actually, you should probably provide even more seating than that. This is because you could find that some uninvited people also turn up; I will return to that subject a little later.
Keep it simple with the food and drink
Yes, you would naturally like your guests to be happy with the food on offer at your event. However, this doesn’t make your preparation an ideal opportunity to try making that obscure dish that you have never previously attempted to make. There’s just too much risk of error. In another article, HuffPost advises: “Make things you know you are good at, whether they’re stunning and fancy or not.” As for the drinks, opt for simple ones, like a bourbon rickey, that can be readily batched.
Prepare more than enough food and drink
The theme of preparing in advance should extend to making the food and drink, too. This is for several vital reasons. One is that some of your guests might have specific dietary restrictions that you need to heed. You wouldn’t want to start making everything so late that you lack enough time to ask your guests if they have such restrictions. However, another reason for this step is that there could be one or two unexpected guests; so, as a safeguard, plan for them.
Remember to regularly socialise at the event
The event should be fun for you, too – not just those who have travelled to attend. So, don’t just preoccupy yourself with making more food while the event is ongoing. If you run a bar where the event will occur, the right wine cooler fridges could help you time-effectively preserve the drinks.