Parties are incredible in their variety but all share one common theme, human interaction. There are retirement parties, birthday parties, bachelor parties and house parties. There are informal parties and formal parties. There are planned parties and spontaneous parties. You get the picture. Parties are what you make them.

I believe there are five essential elements that combine to make a successful party host. They are listed below with an explanation of each point.

Comfortable

Begin by welcoming your guests personally when they arrive. Thank them for coming. Be sincere. It is important that they are introduced to other guests or announced to the other guests in the case that everyone knows everyone in attendance. Show them where they can put their things (coats, bags, etc.). Familiarize them with the location of the bathroom, kitchen or bar. Whatever areas of your home or venue are germane to the party.

Food and Beverages

Food can be anything from a meal to snacks. Regardless of what you have chosen to serve your guests, be certain there is plenty. You don’t want to have to dive back into the kitchen or sprint to the SevenEleven because you are have exhausted the food. The same goes for the beverages. This is also an important component of ensuring the comfort of your guests.

Seating

This is a real pet peeve! I can’t be comfortable if I have no place to sit and I believe many other folks feel the same way. Don’t overbook your party. Do not invite more people than you can comfortably accommodate. If you need to rent some chairs, then rent some chairs! I’m not terribly fond of eating from my lap either. Need to rent tables?

Entertainment

Entertainment should tie to the theme of your party, if you have one. If not, consider your guests’ personal tastes. Are they movie buffs, music lovers, or video gaming fanatics? Are they mostly extroverts or introverts? In all likelihood, you will have a mixture of both. Keep this in mind as you decide what form(s) of entertainment you will provide. Your objective should be to achieve as much social interaction as possible while ensuring that you are not placing your guests in awkward situations. Obviously, you can’t achieve 100% and chances are good that if you do it will be a dull party. Just keep the personalities of your guests in mind.

Attentiveness

Again, we’re back to the comfort theme. As your party progresses, make certain to mingle with all your guests. Make sure their needs are attended. In short, make sure they are enjoying themselves!

Now that we’ve discussed the five essentials of being a good host, you are ready to plan that party! There are countless resources for party planning, party themes and party entertainment on the Internet. Take a tour! Read other articles about parties, party planning, party games and entertainment. Remember, the ideas I’ve put forward here are my own and you may agree or disagree.

Author Bio: Ronald Fisackerly does a lot of article writing for Skylighter. Skylighter sells flying lanterns and fireworks as well as a variety of other items.

Category: Entertainment
Keywords: parties, party, party host, good host, planned parties