[nickgray]

Great article. I have hosted hundreds of happy hours, dinner parties, cocktail parties etc. Here are a few things I'd add:

- Name tags. Please, please use name tags. They might seem "formal" or "corporate" but they're also inclusive (no cliques!). I'd rather feel awkward asking someone to wear a name tag than feel awkward forgetting their name.

- Consider hosting on what I call "non red-level days," aka days that are NOT socially competitive. Socially competitive days or "red-level days" in America tend to be Thurs, Fri, and Sat nights. Also holidays and long weekends. People schedule big stuff on these nights. Make your party easy to attend: host it on a Monday, Tues, or Wed night.

- Set a start AND an end time, and mention both when you collect RSVPs and send reminder messages. End times help get people to show up on time. They also give people an easy out to leave.

- 2 hours is the best length of time for an event like this. I like 6-8P or 7-9P.

- Get a group photo! You'll be proud of your event. And you can use the photo when you invite people to your next party.

- Don't forget to send reminder messages to everyone who RSVP'd leading up to your event. I like sending my reminder messages 1 week prior, 4 days before, and then on the morning of.

Good luck!! I think more people should host parties and happy hours. It changed my life and helped me build a network and relationships to launch my last company, Museum Hack (sold 2019).

I recently self-published a book of every little tip and trick from hosting events to teach you how to host your first party. The book is called 'The 2-Hour Cocktail Party: How to Build Big Relationships with Small Gatherings' and it has 230+ reviews on Amazon and Audible here-- https://amzn.to/39rfb2V Happy to give a satisfaction guarantee for any HN readers. You can Venmo request me @nickgray and email your receipt to [e-mail] if you don't think my book is filled with actionable, tactical, extremely practical advice for hosting events. You can read the first few chapters on my site here https://party.pro/book-readnow/

OK good luck!! You should host a party!! Your event will be awesome!! We could all use some new friends these days.

[CharlesW]

> - Name tags. Please, please use name tags.

A great resource¹² for designing an attendee-focused event badges (including holder and lanyard guidance):

¹ https://badge.reviews/ ² https://badge.reviews/10-rules-for-a-better-conference-name-...

[nickgray]

This is really well-done, kudos!! A great resource.

[legerdemain]

Eh, I've tried organizing events. I don't have the real estate to host, so that means locking in 6-8 attendees for a restaurant reservation two weeks in advance. That means interacting with the same 3-4 people and their partners. I quit after about ten attempts, and have not been invited to anything myself since. I don't think anyone actually enjoyed those brunches.

[impossible88]

Trying the same thing ten times is not the same as trying ten different things.

[proto_lambda]

> - Don't forget to send reminder messages to everyone who RSVP'd leading up to your event. I like sending my reminder messages 1 week prior, 4 days before, and then on the morning of.

I'd perceive that as too many. Leave out the one 4 days before and it'd be fine IMO.

[nickgray]

with all due respect: no I disagree and here's why.

The number 1 fear of a new or first-time event host is that nobody will show up to their party. People are TERRIFIED to host, they often DO NOT host, because of this. Or, worse, they worry that only 3 or 4 people will show up, and their event or party will be awkward.

What I've found is that the best way to get people to ACTUALLY show up (besides obviously throwing a great event with great people) is to remain top of mind. Does that feel a little spammy? Maybe. But each of the reminder messages helps to show that you take your event seriously. It shows that you're going to put on a thoughtful event.

I also include little "Guest Bios" in this message 4 days before. Guest Bios are like my Secret Weapon to getting great attendance. I wrote about them here: https://party.pro/guestbios/

I've hosted hundreds of events and sent thousands of reminder messages. I have never once been told, "You spammed me with too many reminder messages for a free party!" Instead I've seen around a 95% attendance rate, from the number of RSVPs to the actual number of attendees at the event.

Often times the advice about hosting a party seems obvious or counter-intuitive. And I think your response of "That's too many!" is, like, I think a lot of people feel that way? But I believe keeping an event top of mind is important if you're serious about having good attendance. Hope this didn't come across as an attack! I just want people to have a great event- and a lot of that simply boils down to good attendance. Open to pushback if you still feel strongly against it.

[joshdance]

I think it is a fine number. In my experience people need a ton of reminders. More than you think. I would contact people multiple times and always someone would forget. If you are not top of their memory stack, they don't remember.