The Secrets of Putting Together a Successful Themed Event

For a start, it needs to be original. A theme that has been done dozens of times has already turned into a cliché. In addition, it should be appropriate for the respective event and crowd. A corporate gala can’t be carried out under a silly theme that will take away from the gravity of the occasion.

Whenever an event is celebrating the accomplishment of a certain person, the theme could be something that they’re known for, something that they enjoy. A business event can carry a theme that has positive connotations, that increases awareness or allows for less formal socialisation.

A good themed event is also something that the competition hasn’t done. Businesses may want to take a look at the recent event calendar. An idea, even if it appears to be great at the time being, shouldn’t be something that someone else has done in the near past.

Sit down with your event planner and do a brainstorming session. Don’t edit yourself — draft all of the ideas that seem appropriate for the occasion. When you’re done with the initial process, you can refine the promising concepts and work on those.

You now have the theme and a bit of direction. Based on this information, you can choose the right venue and the entertainment that will help you create the authentic atmosphere associated with the specific theme.

If you are organizing a traditional masquerade, a ball hall would be appropriate. As far as entertainment goes, you can have live music and teach guests how to do the waltz or another classical dance.

Obviously, an outdoor venue isn’t going to create the same authentic and elegant atmosphere as a venue featuring all the essentials for ballroom dancing.

Keep in mind that the more exotic and out of the box your idea is, the more you’ll have to spend on a specialized venue, props, accessories and entertainment. If you are attempting to plan an event on a limited budget, sticking to a simpler theme will certainly be a good idea.

Event managers will work hard to accommodate all of your requirements. On occasions, change may be required due to the unavailability of a venue or another hindrance. In such instances, counting on the feedback of event management professionals is the best thing you can do. Otherwise, you risk having a semi-executed theme and a party that looks anything but carefully planned.

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If the budget allows for it, consider having certain attractions available during the party.

Attractions are perfect for large groups of people that don’t know each other well. They help break the ice and they also increase the authenticity of the setup.

A contest, for example, is ideal for a team- building party or a celebration that involves a general audience. It can also be used to generate funds for a certain charity. Whenever people have such a higher goal, they’ll be willing to work together. Obviously, a fun contest during the event itself will maximise the engagement level and enable everyone to have a lot of fun.

A light show, the presence of a photo booth, a live cooking demonstration or a ballet performance can all add a lot of sparkle to the celebration. Relevance is once again a key concept. Having something flashy and pompous for the purpose of featuring an attraction isn’t really going to do anything for the attendees.

To generate a lot of buzz, you will also need to plan and coordinate a perfect marketing campaign for the upcoming themed event.

A good slogan is reminiscent of the theme. It gives potential visitors an instant idea of what the party
is all about. Rock the Block is one example of a wonderful slogan for a classic rock party. The slogan, combined with an attractive visual (imagine 80s hair rock bands) will be sufficient to get potential guests in the mood.

The key to good marketing is consistency. The same tagline and visuals will need to be featured in press releases, on the company’s website and in local newspapers. Thus, come up with materials that will deliver one and the same message across all of the channels.

Finally, guests should take something from the party home with them. A themed favour is ideal for marketing and branding purposes.

The aim of the favour in this situation would be to enforce the theme and also to increase the brand recognition of the event organiser. It can be small, as long as the item is relevant and personalised to speak about the theme.

Usually, the most successful party favours capture experiences and emotions. You can take a picture of each guest upon arrival and hand out the photos in branded frames by the end of the night. People are likely to keep on using such favours in the future, which is obviously the ultimate goal.

To sum it up, the most challenging aspect of planning a themed event is choosing the theme itself. Dedicate most of your time to this preliminary phase. Once you have a clear idea and a detailed concept, you will find all other event management and planning tasks to be relatively easy.

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