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Rock any party

Module 34

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34. Module 34: Creating loyal customers

Table of Contents

34. Module 34: Creating loyal customers ................................................................................................................... 1

34.1 Entertaining the Client ......................................................................................................................... 2

34.2 Venue-Led Entertainment ................................................................................................................... 3

34.3 Client-Led Entertainment .................................................................................................................... 4

34.4 Pacing ................................................................................................................................................ 6

34.5 Favors and Accessories ...................................................................................................................... 7

34.5.1 Decorations ..................................................................................................................................... 7

34.5.2 Favors .............................................................................................................................................. 9

34.6 To Strip or Not to Strip? .................................................................................................................... 10

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34.1 Entertaining the Client

You’ve nailed down the expectations, the type of party, and the location. Finally it’s time to answer the

question, “What should we do?” Here you start to plan the itinerary for the party and choose some

entertainment options. Every party needs a plan, or your guests will be sitting around going, “Sooo, what do

you want to do?” Worse yet, they will be asking the bride or groom this question. The guest of honor doesn’t

want to be the one leading the pack on their special day, they want to relax and enjoy the party!

Of course having a timeline that is too rigid can be a downer as well. If guests are having an especially good

time during one particular portion of the evening, it should be easy to shufflethe rest of the entertainment

around or cut some out entirely to capitalize on the moment.

Venue-Led Entertainment

Client-Led Entertainment

Pacing

Favors and Accessories

To Strip or Not to Strip?

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34.2 Venue-Led Entertainment

The choice of venue will often have a major impact on the choice of entertainment and the schedule. Pub-

crawls have the activity built in, as do activity parties like going to a theme park or taking a class. But there’s

no reason a little fun can’t be layered in with the main event. The following games can give these venues a

little extra oomph:

Scavenger Hunt – We’ve mentioned them before, but these work extremely well for parties where there is a

lot of travel. The guests can compete against one another or work together, but photo documentation is a must

for this activity.

Mini-games – For pub crawls, having a little game to play at each location can add a little more structure to

help keep the fun going. These are also fabulous as back pocket activities for use during a lull in the fun, but

if everyone is having a blast, the client should be aware that insisting a game be played can bring the festivities

to a grinding halt.

Spa Night – What’s great about spa nights is that they travel well. Send the client off with a bag of goodies

like face masks and nail polishes to enjoy while away.

Movies – An evening of movie-watching, popcorn-eating, and of course alcohol-drinking is another easy

entertainment idea that travels well and feels more relaxed if your party is travelling.

Trivia – Guessing games can be hugely entertaining, especially when they involve embarrassing facts about

the bride or groom or revolve around the theme. Another idea for guessing games can be to bring a personal

item such as a bra or condom and have everyone guess which is whose.

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Naughty, Naughty – After all, it is their last night out! Dirty games like Pin the Junk on the Hunk can be

bought at specialty party stores or online and are often a hit, especially with brides or grooms who are a little

more straight-laced.

34.3 Client-Led Entertainment

Client-led entertainments means that the best man or maid of honor has a lot more control over the pace of

the party and the entertainment choices. A client may already have a good handle on the activities or

entertainment and needs more help with venue choice and supplies. Either way, your role here shifts

from coordinator to assistant, but it’s still important to keep your head in the game, as any party you put

your name on is a business risk. You want to make sure that your client-led party is still a rip-roaring success

that serves to bring you more clients in the future.

Client-led entertainment often appears at venue parties, is more activity-driven, and works well for clients

with upbeat personalities and a flair for leadership. These clients should be good at driving the pack so they

can keep the party on-pace and flowing well.

To equip your client leader for success, make sure you familiarize him or her with the schedules in Section

4.3: Pacing, and give them plenty of back pocket games and activities to keep the festivities and conversation

going strong. For your client-led party, games can work as a flotation device for floundering activity; ideally,

the games will only need to serve this purpose until everyone has had a few drinks, but in case of a lull, arm

your client with ideas like the following:

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Conversation Starters – These often take the form of word games. Have guests go around saying

embarrassing things about the bride or groom or print out some dirty Mad Libs for guests to fill out together.

Bonus points if your client can turn an ice-breaker into a drinking game!

Post-It Games – Easy to pop into a purse, a pack of Post-Its and a few pens can keep the fun going. Play

“Who am I?” where each guest writes a celebrity name and sticks it to someone else’s forehead. Each guest

has to then ask questions to determine who he or she “is”.

Another game is each guest writes down a phrase or part of a story about the bride or groom, and the guest of

honor has to guess who put in which note and then tell the story themselves.

Toilet Paper Games – A few rolls of TP can save your night, too. Have guests break into teams to create the

best toilet paper dress or tuxedo. The bride or groom gets to judge.

Prizes – People love prizes and they certainly sweeten the deal! Simple items like nail polishes, cigars, hand

lotions, and mini shot bottles travel well.

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34.4 Pacing

The pacing of the party is designed to achieve balance between under-stimulating the guests

and overwhelming them. Without activities and entertainment to participate in, guests become bored and start

to think about going home or doing something else more fun. Alternatively, too much to do can stop a party

that is already well in motion.

The party should be paced in such a way that it invites guests to get involved in the festivities and then backs

off from structured events once there’s a general hubbub of enjoyment taking place. Below are some sample

schedules that demonstrate ideal pacing for different types of parties.

Pub-Crawl: Guests arrive at the first location and spend about an hour drinking and eating. Transportation

arrives and guests are carried to second location where they spend another hour. Transport to third location

where cake/dessert should be served. Final location should be close to the hotel where guests can finish up

their partying and head to their rooms.

Venue Party: Guests arrive at the venue and receive a drink. 30 minutes in, first game is played but should

be something guests can do in small groups. Prize is awarded and guests are encouraged to start eating. One

everyone has eaten, another game can be played. This one can be more involved as guests have warmed up to

each other by now. Prize is awarded and if there are gifts they can be opened while dessert is served and eaten.

Activity Party (think class or event): Depending on the type of activity, pregaming can be a great way to

start off the night. Guests arrive at a home or bar and start drinking before heading to their class. Having a

couple of drinks before you pole dance for the first time can ease nerves. Afterward, get some food and play

games at a restaurant or house.

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Destination: Pacing for this event is a little more open and relaxed and will be driven by the client. Guests

travel to the location and arrive at the hotel together. It’s often a good idea for there to be two nights spent,

the first being a bit more relaxed and the second being the party night. Make sure the flight home is an

afternoon flight!

34.5 Favors and Accessories

Decorations unite the party while it’s in progress, and presenting guests with favors is an easy way for the

client to show their gratitude on behalf of the bride or groom. Picking out the favors and accessories for the

party can be one of the best parts of planning, as bachelor and bachelorette party items tend to be comically

risqué.

34.5.1 Decorations

You have several options when it comes to your choice of decorations. The first thing to know is that with

bachelor parties, you don’t have to get as detailed as with bachelorettes. Men sometimes appreciate a

coordinated touch but they probably aren’t going to be expecting streamers, balloons, or handmade

papercrafts. In any case, you can follow these guidelines to ensure seamless decorating.

Coordinate with the Wedding – In the rare occasion your party doesn’t have a set theme, coordinate the

decorations with the colors or theme of the wedding itself. This applies to decorations and invitations, and you

can encourage guests to match the colors as well.

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Coordinate with the Theme – Is your bachelor party doing sports? Choose some fun printed plates and shot

glasses. Are your bachelorettes doing a beach destination? Choose some tropical decorations to send along

with them – or even better, mail them ahead of time for the staff to put up in the hotel room when they arrive.

Allowing the theme to open up the decorating ideas makes your job easy.

Novelty Decorations – You know what we’re talking about. Some clients are going to want to go with the

dirty stuff and that’s great! Novelty decorations are available from most suppliers and are common to the

bachelor and bachelorette party world. Know where you can get anatomical straws, glassware, and wearables.

Wearable Décor – Speaking of wearables, part of the fun is dressing your group up for the party. Party supply

stores or sites carry bachelor and bachelorette themed sashes, tiaras, hats, bow ties, and eyewear that can dress

up a party in no time. These items can also work as favors, though not everyone will want to keep their glittery

cowgirl hat forever.

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34.5.2 Favors

Everyone loves presents, and it’s nice to have a little something to remember this night by – especially since

guests might not remember anything else! Use the following tips when selecting favors:

Try to coordinate the party favors with the theme of the evening

If possible, choose favors that guests will continue to get some use out of

If you can swing it, favors can be an excellent marketing tool – who gives out flash drives at a

bachelor party? You do, and everyone should hire you.

Again, base your favor choices on the type of party. Here are some ideas!

Game Night – Send guests home with a personalized deck of cards or set of dice. Especially great for casino

or Vegas parties.

Movies – DVDs can be remarkably inexpensive and are easy to relate to the theme of the party.

Pub Crawl – Personalized shot glasses or wine glasses will get more use in the future.

Holiday Party – Pick some classy décor in neutral colors that your guests can take home and use year after

year like a flag for Independence Day, or a personalized foam headstone for Halloween that reads, “Here lies

(the bride)’s singleness.”

Nerdy – Thumb drives, comic books, and miniatures all make great favors for parties like these and can be

personalized or coordinated with the theme.

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34.6 To Strip or Not to Strip?

Inevitably you will find that some clients want to hire a stripper or two for their party, though the process and

execution is almost never what television portrays it to be. If the process makes you uncomfortable, you don’t

have to offer it as part of your services, and clients are welcome to contract a stripper on their own. If you do

decide to include them in your files, remember a few rules of thumb.

(Re)-establish Expectations – Above all, it is the bride or groom’s party, and occasionally an overzealous

best man or maid of honor will think a stripper will just make the party when in fact the groom or bride would

be mortified and their evening would be ruined. If you think you have a joker on your hands, insist on getting

the bride or groom’s opinion first.

Use a Reputable Source – You’ll have to do some digging but it will be well worth it. Some companies have

a reputation for no-shows and you’ll want to be aware of this before you promote them. In fact, you don’t

have to do the actual hiring yourself. You can keep the contact information for a few companies with good

reviews from previous parties to hand out upon request so that in case of a no-show, you aren’t left holding

the bag.

Be Aware of Legislation – Every government is different, and what may be condoned on a federal level may

be restricted by county or city ordinance. Make yourself familiar with local law.