Hosting a party doesn't have to be complicated. I'll show you how to make it easy and fun.
My name is Nick Gray, and I'm the best-selling author of the party handbook The 2-Hour Cocktail Party. I've hosted hundreds of parties all over the world, and been featured in the WSJ, The New York Times, and New York Magazine.
Executive Summary
To host your own 2-Hour Cocktail Party, follow these basic tips:
- Decide you’re going to host a party and commit to it.
- Pick a date for your party three weeks from now, ideally on a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday night.
- Keep the length of your party to two hours.
- Invite your friends, colleagues, and neighbors.
- Ask everyone to RSVP and confirm their attendance.
- Space out three reminder messages with fun, relevant information.
At the party, do these four things:
- Use name tags with first names only.
- Facilitate three quick icebreakers.
- Take a group photo.
- End the party on time.
Follow those guidelines, and you’ll have a gathering better than most.
Where and When to Host Your Party
- Where: Host your party at your home.
- When: Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday evening three weeks out.
- Set your two-hour time block. I suggest 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Who to Invite
- Invite your core group first.
- Next, invite a wider group, who I call your “great guests.”
- You’ll want fifteen total people to come to your party. So you might need to invite twenty to thirty people.
The Magic of Name Tags
You must use name tags for everyone at your party. No exceptions!
Invitations and the Event Page
- Message each person in your core group individually to invite them to your party.
- Choose an online platform and create a new event to collect RSVPs for your party.
- Send each of your great guests a personalized invitation with information about your party.
Want the full hosting playbook?
Grab the free 2-page party checklist.
Reminder Messages
Send reminder messages seven days before, three days before, and the morning of your party.
Icebreakers
You’ll do three rounds of icebreakers at your party. Icebreakers help to encourage new conversations, end existing conversations, and generally create traffic and activity in the room (a good thing!).
- When four to five guests have arrived, start your first icebreaker. Turn down the music and form a circle to begin.
- Say this to the group: “Let’s all go around the circle and say our name, what we do for work, and one of our favorite things to eat for breakfast. I’ll go first…”
- You go first: Lead by example. Also explain why you’re doing the icebreaker.
Later, you’ll do two more rounds of icebreakers at your party. The last icebreaker is the Advanced Icebreaker which always adds value to the room with an interesting question that other guests will learn valuable information from.
How to End the Party
- End the party on a high note when things are going well.
- Make a commitment to yourself that you’ll end your party on time. Know that you’re doing it for good reasons.
Video Example #1
In this video, I'll give you an overview of hosting your own party.
Video Example #2
In this video, I filmed an entire cocktail party from the start to finish.
Conclusion
Now it is your turn, when will you host your first party? Email me your party date so I can hold you accountable and answer any of your questions.
