Michael Sfera

Events & parties title pages.indd 2 24/11/09 10:38:26 AM

I would like to dedicate this book to my family.

A Rockpool bookPublished by Rockpool Publishing

24 Constitution Road, Dulwich Hill, NSW 2203, Australiawww.rockpoolpublishing.com.au

First published in 2010

Copyright © Michael Sfera, 2010

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

National Library of Australia Cataloguing-in-Publication entry

Sfera, Michael.

Easy events and parties : cost-effective and professionaltips for throwing a great party / Michael Sfera.

9781921295263 (pbk.)

Entertaining.Parties.642.4

Cover and internal design by Ben CroftTypeset in ITC Stone Serif

Printed and bound by Everbest Printing. Printed in China

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Easy Events and Parties

Table of contents

Foreword ........................................................................ vii

Plan for success ............................................................ viiiThe essentials of great event and party planning ...................................ixAdding the ‘theatre’ ................................................................................ix

Getting started ............................................................... xi

Think like an event manager ......................................xiii

1. Barbecues with a twist ............................................... 1Fanciful and fun barbecue themes...........................................................1Theatre ideas ............................................................................................6Planning: the easy barbecue checklist .....................................................8Top 7 barbecue saving tips ....................................................................13What can go wrong? A sure-fire event disaster prevention plan .........13

2. Now that’s a birthday: from the party of the year to your next big number ......................... 17Easy and exciting birthday themes ........................................................17Theatre ideas ..........................................................................................22Planning: the easy birthday party checklist ..........................................24The Top 7 birthday party saving tips .....................................................32What can go wrong? A sure-fire event disaster prevention plan .........33

3. Christmas parties and festive celebrations to remember ............................................................. 36Simple and spectacular festive celebration themes ...............................36Theatre ideas ..........................................................................................42Planning: the easy festive celebration checklist ....................................44Top 7 festive celebration saving tips ......................................................52What can go wrong? A sure-fire event disaster prevention plan ..........53

vi Easy Events and Parties

4. Dinner and small home parties – from casual to intimate and formal to glamorous ................... 54Impressive and inspiring dinner party themes ......................................54Theatre ideas ..........................................................................................58Formal table setting ...............................................................................59Planning: the easy dinner party checklist .............................................59Top 7 dinner party saving tips ...............................................................63What can go wrong? A sure-fire event disaster prevention plan ..........64

5. Picnic with style ...................................................... 69Bright and breezy picnic themes ...........................................................69Theatre ideas ..........................................................................................72Planning: the easy picnic checklist ........................................................73Top 7 picnic saving tips .........................................................................75What can go wrong? A sure-fire event disaster prevention plan ..........76

6. Easy events and parties pack .................................. 79Beverage planning guide ........................................................................79Easy cocktail recipes ...............................................................................84Theme recipes ........................................................................................89Food and wine matching guide .............................................................97Food storage guide .................................................................................99High-risk foods .....................................................................................100Food storage recommendations ...........................................................100

Appendix 1: The easy party budget planner ........... 101

Appendix 2: The easy events checklist template .... 104

Appendix 3: Creating your own themes and theatre ideas ......................................... 112

Foreword ‘How often does a day go by where someone doesn’t mention a party or event?’

In my job, people always ask me: What are the secrets? How do I organise a great event? Where do you start? What should I do to organise a party that people will rave about? Do you have any ideas on how I can do something different? I’m having a home party, what drinks should I buy and how much? How much glassware do I need? What should I do for entertainment? How much food should I order? Do you have any budget-friendly saving tips? How do I become an event manager? The list goes on.

Easy Events and Parties is the answer to all of those questions, and aims to change the way people think about events and to give them the tools to help them put together their own event. Planning for an event becomes easy, bringing out the fun in creating memorable parties or events for friends, family or clients. Easy Events and Parties is filled with insider tips on how to make sure that your event will run smoothly, planning checklists so that you don’t forget even the smallest of details, sure-fire event disasters prevention plans to prevent any disasters from happening on your special day, budget saving tips to help you create a special occasion without breaking the bank. Extensive knowledge and experience of event planning will also provide you with some great information on finding the best prices and deals with venues, florists, photographers, fashion outlets, beverage companies, entertainers, supermarkets and much more. On the practical side, Easy Events and Parties is filled with great event and party suggestions along with an easy party budget planner and templates for you to create your own planning checklists to suit your occasion.

‘Events that are predestined require but little management. They manage themselves. They slip into place while we sleep, and suddenly we are aware

that the thing we fear to attempt is already accomplished.’Amelia E. Barr

(English-born American writer and journalist)

Plan for successAn event without a plan is a like a movie without a script.

You’ve decided to plan an event or celebration and with so many things to organise you don’t know where to begin. To help you get started you need to have a goal to keep you focused on the type of event you want to create.

This goal could be as simple as ‘I want to hold the ultimate barbecue dinner party for my closest friends’ or ‘I want a wedding where the guests all rave about the stunning décor, food and non-stop entertainment at the reception’. Events are like everything in life, if you don’t set your goal and make plans towards it you may find yourself losing your focus, unable to pull together the event and end up being disappointed. How can you expect to hold a great party if you don’t plan one?

Events are emotional and have great significance, especially if they are being done for a milestone in your life or for someone you love. To make your event special and trouble-free you need to develop a plan that is ready for anything.

Thorough planning is the key to any successful event. Good planning can rescue almost any impending event disaster and ensure most events run like clockwork. Part of this planning involves making sure you establish good clear checklists, flow plans, records and documents that outline all your arrangements and organisation for your particular event.

You must always think of every potential situation that can possibly ‘go wrong’ and develop a contingency plan. For example, it could be as obvious as if you’re planning an event in a marquee in spring, summer or autumn and having flexible planning that will change with the weather, so to speak. You need to make sure you have a plan for the use of fans and portable air-conditioning. If it is winter make allowances for cover from the car park through to marquee location, and for sufficient heating. From what I have seen over the past fifteen years it is often the simple things that are most commonly missed when people plan events, which can cause all sorts of problems at parties or events.

Plan for success ix

The essentials of great event and party planning

To help you with seamless and foolproof planning the three key tools are:

• Thechecklist This is the master list of all the things that need to be done, ordered,

organised, arranged and when and where it will all be happening. This is the major ‘to do’ list that will keep you on track and in control. Within each chapter you will find a checklist specific to each event and in Appendix 2 you will find a checklist template that can be used to suit your particular event or party.

• Thesuppliers If you are using a supplier (caterer, florist, wait staff, performers, etc.),

you will need to make sure there are proper third party agreements in place so that people will deliver exactly what they’ve promised on the phone. Remember you are also paying for their services too and you are reliant on them delivering what they promised.

• Theeventflowplan The event flow plan is the plan of the proceedings of the day. It is

imperative that you organise a flow plan to ensure the MC, entertainers, caterers and other suppliers know exactly what time things are meant to happen. For example, when the speeches are scheduled, when the food comes out and so on. You cannot rely on things happening spontaneously; you need order from behind the scenes.

When you have these three things in order, it is time for the fun stuff – providing some ‘theatre’ and drama to your event spectacular. The aim of every event is to plan meticulously and then add great ‘theatre’.

Adding the ‘theatre’

‘You can’t have a great event without theatre.’

Another important ingredient that will make your event or party memorable for all the right reasons is ‘theatre’. I use the word ‘theatre’ to describe the drama and the impact that will make your special event stand out from the pack. This is where you can use your creativity to make a statement that gets people talking. This is the magic ingredient that will make your event special.

Each and every event must have at least one (or ideally more then one) ‘impact point’. An impact point is what makes an event memorable.

The ‘theatre’ can range from the garnish on the main course plate or appetiser, to a spectacular centrepiece or organising a flame-thrower to welcome people

x Easy Events and Parties

at the door to something as simple and elegant as a red carpet entrance for your guests. In Easy Events and Parties I will show you how to create impact points for your particular event and how the sky is the limit – you are only limited by your imagination and creativity.

To give some examples of ‘theatre’, I coordinate combined cabaret events every year that attract thousands of people. The element that makes my events stand out from my competitors is that I always provide more entertainment, such as four acts in a non-stop performance in one night rather the traditional one or two acts. To complement this I also coordinate these cabaret events with the food, and include some really creative theming and decor to suit. For one of these events this year, my team and I are putting together a circus theme with everything from acrobats to clowns to magicians to flame-throwers. Just think of the impact using some of this ‘theatre’ would have if you did this at home for a birthday or special occasion. Each chapter of this book is full of these ‘theatre’ suggestions.

Another good example of creating ‘maximum theatre’ was organising a unique wedding. I decided to think outside the square and organise some surprise theatre to make a really spectacular opening for the night. I insisted that a helicopter, carrying the bride and groom, land right in front of the reception venue as the guests were arriving. It was a well-kept secret so the surprise was a big one. People were talking about the helicopter landing all night and still are.

Remember, to create a successful and amazing event you need to have it well planned with a touch (or more) of theatre.

Getting startedEach chapter deals with a specific event, from a casual barbecue at home to organising a Christmas event for your workplace. Of course, you can adapt any of the particular ideas listed in each chapter to customise your own event.

To get your creative thinking going, you will find some suggestions for themes to help you anchor your event. From the theme you can build your event and make sure that every little detail is tied to your overall theme. As the saying goes, ‘the devil is in the detail’, and it is one of the things that will make your event or party seem very professional. Within each theme there are suggestions for planning the décor, choosing the food and beverages, and music and entertainment that will suit the theme.

Moving on from the theme ideas is the section on ‘theatre’. This is secret ingredient that will make your event the talk of the town and create an experience for your guests that is unforgettable. In this section, you will find some hints and tips for theatre ideas that will get your party or event buzzing from the moment that the first guest arrives until the last guest reluctantly leaves your party. There are also suggestions to help you choose amazing and outstanding venues that will provide a great backdrop and atmosphere for your event.

In each chapter, you will find a party and event planning checklist along with a timeline to help you plan every detail of your event or party and to make sure that you have included everything possible to make your event a total success.

To help you budget and plan for your event or party there are also special ‘saving’ tips that give you valuable information on how to create maximum effect for whatever your budget is.

As mentioned earlier, to plan a successful event or party you must be prepared for any little thing that can possibly go wrong. To help you prepare a contingency plan to prevent any disasters that could ruin your event, there is a sure-fire event disaster prevention plan to help you be aware of what can go wrong and what you can do to prevent it.

This book also aims to help your hip pocket by giving you an insight into how venue operators think and operate, how to get the best prices for drinks,

xii Easy Events and Parties

and how décor companies, photographers and other event supply companies can offer you extra value, as well as other money-saving tactics to use and many more insider tips. Also I hope that once your successful event is over you feel a sense of achievement and gain the confidence to do it again, even bigger, better and more spectacular than the event before. Always remember that practice makes perfect.

And last but not least, you will find comprehensive chapters on beverage planning, easy cocktail recipes, a food and wine matching guide, theme recipes, a food storage guide along with templates for you to custom the checklists to suit your particular event.

Think like an event manager

The difference between a great event and an average one is all in the planning and the theatre, the rest is trivial. Essentially the theory is simple: ‘you reap what you sow’. In other words you must plan effectively for a successful event and orchestrate the theatre. Once all the building blocks are in place then, as the event is happening, it generally only requires a bit of ‘early massaging’ and you have your triumphant event. It can seem effortless, plan it well and plan to make an impact on those that are important to you, and then implement it within your budget with minimal fuss. Then relax, enjoy and feel that sense of achievement.

When you are planning your next major event or party it’s integral you give it as much effort as you would something that it is important to your self-being and identity, because ultimately it’s likely to be. You should put the majority of this effort in prior to the commencement of the event and generally during the first hour of the event. Perhaps think of an event like a vital assignment you are completing, a project you are implementing, or perhaps a house you are building. Place added importance on it, set up a detailed plan with a checklist and then devise your point of difference.

Predetermine your point of impact, visualise the event clearly along with your plan before the event, and watch it unfold like clockwork. Don’t forget to make sure you are on top of things at the start of the event just to ensure that everything is in place and that everyone is where you want them doing what they should be doing. Once the successful event is over you are likely to feel a sense of achievement, the same sense of achievement that gives every event manager their ‘buzz’.

Suppliers are so important to the delivery of every successful event. You should always have written supplier agreements, keep all your supplier numbers on speed dial and stay in regular contact with them. Try to give the procurement and engagement of suppliers full scrutiny and considerable effort early, as ultimately these suppliers will help you deliver your successful event.

Many people will question the simplicity and the casual nature in which I talk about events such as special events that are perceived in the community to need extensive levels of organising and involve much stress. But chances are

xiv Easy Events and Parties

these people have not organised thousands of events, catered for over three thousand people in multiple venues in one night, or put an entire wedding or huge event together for clients in a couple of weeks. These people generally have not run successful events where no one has any idea that behind the scenes you’ve had to deal with mini crisies such as blackouts, wait staff or entertainers not showing up and so on.

One of the great thrills I have had in life is that I have been able to teach a number of people successfully to understand the art of event management and see how uplifting great events can be to people. I hope that this new way of thinking and some of the concepts and ideas in this book lead to many more ‘easy events and parties with theatre’ in your life.