Whether you want to celebrate a milestone, or organise a special event with your friends, planning a private party can be intimidating if it’s your first time around. Do you start by booking a venue, building a guest list, or setting a date? With all the things that have to be considered, knowing where to begin can be a challenge. But with the proper preparation, anyone can hold the private party of a lifetime. Here are a few tips for organising a great private party.

Use the Occasion to Set the Theme

The first thing you have to do is know exactly what the goal is for the event. It could be anything – maybe you want to throw an engagement party, or celebrate your youngest one’s graduation. Or maybe you want to hold some sort of networking event. In either case, knowing this from the start will set the tone for the rest of the preparation.

Now that you have your goal in mind, you can start working on a theme and look at the logistics. If this is for a networking event for instance, you can keep things simple, but if you want to impress partygoers, then you’ll have to invest a little more in decor. This is the time to start looking at suppliers and planners for the decoration part if you’re unfamiliar with it.

You’ll then have to look at things like the number of people that will be there, what type of entertainment you’ll be hiring, dates, and the type of equipment that will be needed. This will be very important when choosing a venue.

Start Looking at Venues

The next step is to start looking at possible venues. The ideal venue will be spacious, have plenty of things like outlets that will be able to handle high voltage equipment, and located in a great location. Ideally, you should have different venues you can choose from that are all easily accessible.

White Rabbit in Shoreditch is an example of a place that ticks all these boxes, and is a great place if you’re trying to hold a small private party. They also offer catering and a digital and lighting hire service to make things easier for you.

Either way, always make sure that you check venue websites and work out the logistics with them. You should also organise for a visit to go over the details.

Have a Clear Calendar

You should have a clear calendar in place to mark important due dates to make sure things go smoothly. Ideally, you want to send invitations at soon as 6 weeks in advance and at least 2 weeks before the event. Also make sure that you have a clear RSVP procedure so you’ll know the exact head count.

Organising a private party can be nerve wracking at first, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll become a pro. If you follow these few tips, you first event should be a blast.