• Create a committee with fun people who like to party. Here are some areas of responsibility to consider: food, entertainment, location, finance, decorations / clean-up, & company communications.
• A theme to the party can also add to the fun. Examples of themes are: 50's (Sock Hop), 70's (Disco), Country / Western, Hollywood, Beach, Olympics, Hawaiian, and Casino. Let your guests know about wearing costumes and a possible prizes for the best costume(s).
• Consider the demographics of your invited guests when you are about to hire entertainment. Will there be just employees or are spouses invited also? Mostly women or men? Mostly young or old? Will the "big bosses" be there, and if so, do they like to party? Will there be children? Does your group consist of many different ethnic groups? The answers to these questions will help to determine what kind of entertainment you will want to hire. For example clowns, magicians, face painters, and jugglers are great when there are children invited. Card readers, caricature artists and dance instructors are good additions to an adult party. An experienced professional disc jockey is able to play to many age groups and can also act as an emcee.
• Giving away prizes can be counterproductive to the party if it is not handled properly. If you are going to be calling ticket numbers, do it once an hour, to avoid stopping and starting the party. Two people will be needed, along with a pad of paper, scotch tape, and a table. Call the numbers twice, have one person then write the item and ticket number on a piece of paper, tape that paper to the item, and place it on the table, then move on to the next item. This avoids waiting for someone to come forward with the ticket. Guests can go to the table where the other person can check ticket numbers. Another way to give out prizes is to have your entertainer ask a trivia question or name a particular song. The first correct answer being the winner. Don't let your party become a "bingo game" by calling ticket numbers every 15 minutes, or your party will suffer. It might be to your advantage to give away prizes during the dinner hour.
• Food can be important to your party. Avoid messy foods like wings and ribs, and have a variety of items like a cheese / frui t /vegetable station, shrimp / crab / oyster station, roast beef / turkey carving station, and a pasta station. Order on the conservative side, many times food is thrown out after a party. Remember to get Ziploc baggies,  plastic wrap, aluminum foil, and such for the leftovers!
• Next to entertainment, beverages are second in importance to the life of a party. At a party, guests are always drinking something; before eating, while eating and after eating. Beverages can range from coffee, tea, milk, juice, water, and soft drinks, to beer, wine and mixed drinks. If you decide not to serve alcohol, it can influence the turn out and/or departure time of your guests (unless your guests don't drink alcohol). Keep a variety of beverages available throughout the party. Having a coffee station available for the final hour of your event is always a great idea.
• Surveys have shown that guests will soon forget what they ate and drank at a party, but do remember if they danced and had a good time. So entertainment is very important. Know what your goals are when you decide on your entertainment. Do you want dancing? Do you want singing? Would you like audience participation? Do you want primarily socializing and networking? Would you like team building activities? Do you need an emcee? Will there be speeches made? Will you be giving out awards? Are door prizes to be given away? Do you want your guests to be entertained? Communicate as to what you expect of your entertainer to them (entertainment). It is of the utmost importance to your party. Give your entertainment as much information about the schedule of activities as possible prior to the event. With this information, your entertainer can keep the "flow" of the party going.
• Consider hiring a photographer to take candid pictures of your party. These pictures can be used in a company newsletter, pinned on the company bulletin board, or used for a promotional kick-off meeting. Showing employees having fun together, helps to give a more "human side" to each employee.
• If you have audio-visual needs, ask your entertainment if they can supply you with what you need. Generally in-house A/V departments are very expensive. You might find that hiring a disc jockey, just for the use of a P.A. system and no music, is more economical, than hiring in-house equipment. And you still have the option of music later.
• It is a good idea to have the committee meet after your event, to discuss the results of their efforts. What went well? What went wrong? Did the party bog down at any point? Could your money been spent more efficiently? What has been the response / feedback from your guests about the party? Did you accomplish your goals?

Have a Great Party!!!

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email : givethedjabreak@hotmail.com                                                                    MuRata Party Jan 06