Host Turning Party Into a St. Patty's Party?

[babywings76]

I'm doing a party on March 11th and was going to mail out mini catty invitations for the host. She e-mailed me this:

Thanks, Amanda! So far, I have 17 guests that I am getting addresses for. I was thinking of making it a St. Patty's day themed party. A lot of the people that I am inviting think of that as their favorite holiday, so I could serve some creative beers and maybe pair them with some of the food! I'll be sure to have green beads to give everyone to wear when they come in. I'm almost finished with the list of addresses, so I'll send you the form asap.

Then before I had the chance to reply in any way, she sent me this:

Hey Amanda! Here is what I have so far for the guest list. I was hoping to mention that this is a St. Patty's day Pampered chef party complete with food, beer, wine and music in the invitations! I noticed that people were more willing to come once I decided to make a party around it. I can write something to be included in the invitations if you'd like. Just let me know! Also, it would be best if the invitations were sent by snail mail. Most people wont pay attention to the email.

So here are my concerns:
1. She only has 17 people?!! :cry:
2. With all this extra stuff, will anyone be coming for the Pampered Chef part of the party?!!
3. How will I maintain some sort of control with a crowd full on partying w/ music?!! :grumpy:

How do I tell this host I don't feel comfortable with all this? And I'm sending out invites for her, but I really wasn't planning on coming up with an insert about all this extra stuff. Should I let her make the insert and pick them up from her when I see her at her friend's party this Friday? Or do I make the labels and such for her invites and then hand them over to her to add her insert and mail out herself?

I'm not too happy about this. Maybe I'm over-reacting, too. Please help me to find the positive in this and/or a way to get this party back on track.

 

[pampchefsarah]

I did a party a couple of years ago. It was supposed to be a simple grill party, but the host turned it into a full-on barbecue. Very few people watched or participated in the demo, because they were all outside drinking. There was so much other food, I didn't even do one of the demos (I did the Triple Citrus Mojitos, and was going to do a dessert). Quite a few of the guests who showed some interest in products never placed an order because they couldn't be bothered to fill out an order form, or come see my for check out.I hate to say this, but you need to talk to your host and determine if she's really interested in the host benefits, or just wants an excuse for a party. If she wants the benefits, she needs to refocus on that, and skip all the 'greenery.' If she just wants to party, she's got it all planned out, so she needs to forget or reschedule the PC party. Trying to do both won't work well for either of you.

 

[smilingdee2002]

I don't know.... 17 people is a good amount. I had a "Show" that had 6 people and it ended up being a $650 show, so I never cancel! If you can work this out with your host, I think this could be beneficial. Maybe you could not do a "Traditional" show with a demo, but more of a 20/30 minute catalog walk once everyone got there with some games and giveaways. You will be surprised at how many people DO pay attention even if you don't THINK they are. Even if you got ONE booking, is it not "Worth it?"

 

[babywings76]

If 17 come, that would be awesome...but she's just inviting 17 people. That could mean any number of people could come, but odds are it will be a small amount. But...with it being publicized as a big party, they may all come and it would be great. I did also give her a dozen minis to hand out to people that she sees in person very regularly so we wouldn't have to spend money on postage for those people. So it could be that she's inviting more.

 

[Melissa78]

If 17 come, that would be awesome...but she's just inviting 17 people. That could mean any number of people could come, but odds are it will be a small amount. But...with it being publicized as a big party, they may all come and it would be great. I did also give her a dozen minis to hand out to people that she sees in person very regularly so we wouldn't have to spend money on postage for those people. So it could be that she's inviting more.

Let's rewind to a very recent conversation.... =)

Don't accept 17, plain and simple. :yuck: Call her and tell her to get out a pen and paper and you're going to play a little activity (and you get out your list of 100) and brainstorm with her. Then tell her of those names listed that aren't part of the 17 - you need at least 23 more. :love:

When you leave the invites up to them its most probable its going to be a stinky party for you and her and no one wins. Most likely you're going to leave very frustrated too and wish you had one of the drinks she was offering.

 

[babywings76]

Doh! You caught me caving in. :blushing: Oh, these habits are hard to break.You know, I opened up the invite list and saw she has my sister on there. She lives across the street from her! So I can't even hope that she's going to hand out those invites I gave her. I need the guts to call her and be assertive and do what you said. I just don't seem to have the nerve to do it. :blushing:So Melissa, what's you take on the other aspect to my situation here regarding the party atmosphere and how she's wanting to promote it to her friends? My husband thinks I should back out now. He hates to see me struggle with this and doesn't want me wasting my time as I'm taking time away from my family on a Friday night to do this party. AAAHHH!

 

[lt1jane]

My very first party as a host was a full-on party with a Pampered Chef opener. The girls (for the most part) stayed in the house for the presentation which provided dessert for the BBQ food. The guys went out to the garage and did "guy" things until we were finished. By the way, one of the guys that we had invited only to party with bought the entire Generation II Cookware set at full price!! And he stayed in the garage with the guys!!

If you're the opener, you may find that you're going to be in better shape than you think. That party was a $700+ one back in 2000.

 

[lt1jane]

I had several parties as a host before I took the plunge. ALL of them were combo Pampered Chef/Party parties. The consultant would finish and pack up and leave when she was done. It worked well for us.

I always made sure to have the party start over the supper hour and I made it a point to invite the guys too letting them know that we would have a place they could hide if they didn't want to sit in on the PC thing.

 

[Nanisu]

the only thing that might get out of hand is the drinking. I did a wine tasting last weekend with couples and although they were nice, it was WAY too rowdy for me, and even though we had 12 people, I only got 4 orders, because the majority were couples. The other two single women were getting blasted and flirting with the other guys--it was uncomfortable. Normally I don't mind wine, but a St. patty's day party with that much beer could be a wild time. You'd need to plan on it being a beer bash for sure. I would certainly tell her that you'd prefer the majority of the drinking be done AFTER the demo--safety issues maybe?

 

[lt1jane]

at my parties, PC was the opener. The (heavy) alcohol and rowdiness didn't start until AFTER the PC presentation and supper (which was served along with the PC dessert).

I would stress to the host that you need to be the opener. If you're first, you will hit everyone up before they get out of hand and drunk.

 

[BethCooks4U]

"Come for a Pampered Chef Party (be the first to get the awesome new products) and stay for a St. Patricks Day Party. The whole evening will be themed for St. Patricks Day so wear green."

I'd offer something for those who are there for the party (wearing green or not) - maybe something off green products...


I would also tell her that you have mixed feelings and that they need to be aware that the first purpose of this is the PC party and the after party is an extra.

 

[babywings76]

I'm wondering if I should e-mail her or call her on this issue. On the one hand, I'm thinking I should call her and get a feel for her intent and the way she's really viewing the party, see what words she's using as she talks to her friends. Then I can relay my concerns and offer input as to how it should go so that she can have a successful PC party. But, on the other hand...I don't know if I'll cave in and go with what she says and chicken out of expressing my concerns. Here's what I was thinking of saying if it was an e-mail. But I'm not 100% sure it sounds right. I don't want to ruffle her feathers and get a cancellation. Thanks for sending me your guest list. Looks like you've got a good start on your it...if we can brainstorm some more names to add, that will help secure a good turnout (just because of people's schedules generally the rule of thumb is that about 1/3 of those invited will actually be able to come.) Please take another look at the 50 Guests in 5 Minutes flyer that I put in your packet and see if it can help you think of some more people to add to your list. Let's see if you can try to think of 12 more people. Having a St. Patty's Day theme party sounds like fun. I'm sure your friends will have a great time. My only concern of putting a lot of focus on the music & drinks is that your friends might be coming for the party aspect, but have no interest in the Pampered Chef part. You'll want them to know the main focus is the Pampered Chef and the after party is an extra.I'll be sure to come up with a recipe demo that will be delicious and fun. You are more than welcome to prepare any additional food or drinks for your guests. I think it's fine to serve your guests a drink during the demo, but I'd try to save the bulk of the drinking for after. I'm thinking that if we do the demo right off and have it be a shorter show, then the music & other drinks can come out with the food as I'm cleaning up, that may make the evening flow a bit better. And then I'll stick around a bit for orders right after the demo...does this sound okay? I appreciate that you want to make this a fun evening for your friends. I don't want to prevent you from having a fun night, but I want to be sure that the Pampered Chef part of the night gets accomplished so you can earn some great host rewards!I think it's great to make a little insert like you mentioned. If you put one together, I can pick them up from you when I see you at XXXX's party on Friday. Maybe you could say something like "Come for a Pampered Chef Party--be the first to get the awesome new products--and stay for a St. Patrick's Day party. The evening will be themed for St. Patrick's Day so wear something green and you might just get a surprise!" Then I can extend a special discount or something on any "green" products (either by green color or any of our bamboo items) to those who wear green that night.

 

[Leanna]

I think it's ok to email since she has been emailing you. And I think that if you really want to get your points across without chickening out, the best way to do that is via email with a phone call follow up maybe a day or two later.

 

[cincychef]

I think if you are nervous and won't say what you want to then email is fine, but you will probably get better results with a phone call Remember to her you are the Pampered Chef expert and you can get so much more out of a phone call than an email because you can read her better and she you. I still get worked up over calls that I have turned into "conflicts" in my head, but 99% of the time once I make them I am so glad I did!I would start with the guest list and do exactly what Melissa said, give her a quick call and say, "That's a Great start on the guest list. Let's brainstorm who else you can add" I wouldn't say" if it can help you, or if you can try," because that is letting her say no.
Then I would say "I LOVE the St Paddy day idea, I will make sure I come up with a themed recipe option for you. Here is how I do my theme shows, we can offer an incentive for those who wear green and I will do an XX min demo, and then take orders. While I am cleaning up you and the guests can get the party started (or suggest they move to another room and do your demo in the kitchen.)
I wouldn't ask her if it sounds ok or tell her you don't want to ruin her fun, it is kind of that rule that you are better off to say a positive and have them nodding in agreement instead of approaching it with a negative.Also I think letting her know you will pick up the insert is great! Good Luck!

 

[babywings76]

I meant to come and post an update last night. I was about to send the email, when I decided that the best thing would be to call her. So I tried but had to leave a message, I mentioned in the message that I had a couple questions about her party and would love to talk with her about things. I did briefly mention a couple of the things that I say in the e-mail, but I kept my tone happy and upbeat and sensitive to her wanting her guests to have a fun party. I told her I'd be sending her an e-mail about it and if she could call me back that would be great. So then I got ready to send her the email, double checked a few things to be sure I felt good about it, and as soon as I hit the send button, guess what...she called me back. Man, I wish I had a "cancel" button on e-mails. Right away she apologized for her e-mails and said she felt so bad, that she re-read them and realized that she made it sound like she was more focused on a party instead of PC. She immediately put my concerns to rest and pretty much said exactly the things that I suggested in the e-mail. I was so relieved. I told her that I just sent an email and she can just disregard it. :blushing: She liked the wording on the invite insert that I shared w/ her and wants to go that route. She wants to also order small favors (some small PC item) at the party this Friday that she'd like to give out to her guests. If they don't arrive in time, then she'll just tell them about them and say they are on their way. (but they should theoretically get there in time...we'll see.)So PHEW! I feel a lot better! Oh, and I talked w/ her about the guest list and she said that she's inviting only people who she thinks are interested in PC. So...I had a little chat w/ her about the importance of inviting everyone because you just never know. I gave her examples of how some times people are needing something, a gift or something they've been wanting to get for themselves. Or some people might not want to come, but would like to order something. I also talked w/ her about my website and inviting people who live far away. Then she got more excited and realized she has another 20 people she can invite then. I switched it to being called a Catalog show on my website so that she can send those out to her long-distance contacts and not worry about the whole RSVP thing and people thinking they don't need to order because they can't come due to distance. She seemed happy about our conversation and I feel that we are on pretty much the same page about her party. So, we'll see how things turn out!

 

[jbondr]

What did you decide for the invite wording? I also have a St. Pats Day party I am trying to work on. I am a little concerned about the party turning into a "party" but trying to keep it focused so far. You have helped me with your thread. Thanks to all!

 

[babywings76]

It was the wording that Beth suggested up above. This is what I suggested to my host: "Come for a Pampered Chef Party--be the first to get the awesome new products--and stay for a St. Patrick's Day party. The evening will be themed for St. Patrick's Day so wear something green and you might just get a surprise!" Then I can extend a special discount or something on any "green" products (either by green color or any of our bamboo items) to those who wear green that night.

 

[Melissa78]

Doh! You caught me caving in. :blushing: Oh, these habits are hard to break. (

Yeppers! :angel:

 

[ChefKelebel]

I'm just curious...how did this end up?

 

[babywings76]

It turned out really great! She had about 15 guests and several of them brought their husbands/boyfriends and the guys hung out in an adjoining room. It was a loud and fun party, but it wasn't out of control. I had people come up and help me make the recipes and they earned tickets and I gave out a prize later. They had a lot of fun and definitely were there for the PC stuff and were very interested in everything. Sales were pretty good (closed at $675) and I got a couple bookings. The host was very happy with the way things went. I even got some compliments from some guests on the way I did my show. They came decked out in green and the host gave out prizes for that. She bought each of them a SB cookbook (at a previous party I did for her friend) as a party favor and they were all so excited. She served them all wine and/or beer for the party, but it wasn't like a big blown out thing. She had additional drinks for them for after, but it didn't turn into a huge drinking fest.

 

[lesliec]

Glad it worked out. I have a group that I do parties with that uses it as an excuse to party. Husbands are always there and outside drinking. One of the hubbies always comes in and tries to take center stage, but it is kind of the signature of the group. They have money and always have at least a $500 show (heck, one was over $1,700!!!!!) so I'm not complaining. Someone mentioned at the last one that they had gone to a neighbor's party w/ a diff consultant, and when asked to book, she told her "no, we do our parties with Leslie". Kinda made me proud. I've only been at this a year, and just got into this group in October, so I am glad they are so loyal!!!!!