Entertaining may be a challenging or fun task, depending on how you approach it. Although planning an event may be one of the most stressful things to do, you can decide to make a change this year by making it fun, entertaining, and rewarding for you and your guests.
Entertainment comes in different ways. A party or event is only as good as the entertainment, and as a good host, you’ll need to take up the responsibility of ensuring your guests are well entertained. Whether you’re planning a get-together, birthday, dinner, casual hangout, wedding, or anything in between, here are seven never-fail tips for entertaining in 2024 and make sure your guests have a memorable time:
The Devil’s In The Details
When planning an event, one of the first things you need to do is keep tabs on your party particulars. It’s easier to entertain guests when things go as planned, and keeping tabs on the event planning will ensure you have a plan B, even if some things go haywire.
You’ll need to always check with your caterers, bartenders, chefs, entertainers, decorators, space, guest list, anchors, and every other person you’ve involved in the party planning—including yourself—to avoid catastrophe. You can also engage your close friends or relatives to monitor some activities for you. Don’t do everything by yourself as this will stress you out. A stressed host may end up being the party pooper.
Instead, focus on something you enjoy doing, which could make planning the party fun for you. Try to have a backup plan in case one, two, or more things don’t work out. (Ever had a caterer back out at the last minute or flowers wilt when you need them fresh?) You don’t want to be fretting up and down because of a missed detail.
Plenty Of Delicious Servings
Take time to plan your menu because what you’ll be serving is a great sign of hospitality. Make a list of menus you’d like to serve your guests and pick the popular ones in 2024.
Set up an interesting bar that gets people excited and, more importantly, let the drinks flow freely—you can never go wrong with a great wine serving. Wine pairings make food look fancy without much effort and even complement different kinds of flavors, enhancing your guests’ experience. If you aren’t great with wine pairings or need more wine choices, visit this resource or other shops to find which wine goes well with what’s on your menu.
Nothing could compare to the feeling of seeing your guests happily sipping a glass of wine while feasting on delectable food. To make things fun and entertaining, you may allow guests to serve themselves and pick their own food.
Welcome Your Guests
As the host, the first item on your program is to welcome your guests. This even starts with the decoration you’ve set up at the venue to set the event’s mood. Welcoming guests is part of your event planning, so you should always keep this on top of your list.
You can arrange a pretty welcoming theme outside like flowers, balloons, props, or placards that set a welcome feeling for guests. You don’t want them to be feeling out of place. Stand by the entrance to greet guests with open arms and a beautiful smile, expressing warmth toward them in the most pleasant manner.
This is one of the best ways to make guests who don’t know you feel welcomed. During this time, make sure you get your game face on as you’ll have a couple conversations to handle.
Live Entertainment
What’s a party without fun, and what’s fun without entertainment? Therefore, hiring live entertainment is key to avoid any dead air. Even a second of silence will feel like a lifetime when you’re entertaining your guests. For this, you’ll have to make sure you spare a chunk of your budget for live entertainment as they may be on the expensive side. However, live entertainment will truly make your event an immersive experience for your guests.
Live entertainers can come in the form of a musician, comedian, dancer, magician, or, for you fancy folks out there, circus acts. The trick is to ensure that the type of live entertainment is something that befits your event and complements your event’s theme. The entertainer must be able to attract the right energy into the event, so you have to do your research before you book any live entertainer. You can start by making inquiries or watching a video of their performance.
Play Music
Music is one of the easiest ways to entertain guests at an event. This is still necessary even when you have a live entertainer since entertainers may only perform for a set time.
Add enough music to your playlist to last the entire event. You’ll have to pay keen attention to your music selection. Pick songs that can engage your guests into dancing, mingling, singing along, or simply enjoying just being in the moment. And this should be a no-brainer: the music should set the mood for the event.
Remember, your guests won’t have the same music choice. Get ready to mix upbeat music with mellow ones as the night winds down. You may even hire a DJ, if you can afford one, to manage the music side of your event.
Invite A Mix Of Guests
Don’t be afraid to mix up your guest list. Invite different characters, generations, neighborhoods, and professions as much as possible to make the event fun and interesting.
Your guests will feel entertained when new topics and opinions keep springing up. Encourage mingling by allowing guests to move around freely instead of getting stuck with one person throughout the whole event.
You can engage them by asking each person to talk about something embarrassing, important, or funny that has happened to them. When guests have topics to discuss, they won’t get bored. It’s one great way to foster the free flow of interesting, unexpected ideas, even at your event.
Just Have Fun
The key to great hosting at an event is having fun yourself. Be a happy, flexible, and fun host. You set the mood for your guests by looking relaxed and having a good time. Everything in the event revolves around its hosts.
Plan ahead to avoid mistakes, and when they happen, ask your inner circle for help. Don’t take on too much. Instead, delegate as much as possible. Also, try to project positivity throughout the whole event. A stressed-out host projects an uncomfortable atmosphere. You have to make your guests feel like they want to keep coming to your parties.
Conclusion
Entertaining is a critical aspect of any event, and entertaining your guests the right way will create indelible memories they’ll cherish for many years. Admittedly, hosting can be challenging, but it’s not impossible. Following the tips above can give you an insight into how to entertain your guests the right way in 2024. Don’t forget to share these tips with friends when you’re done reading.
