Sometimes you want to go on a great adventure, and sometimes you want to party. I am Carl Goodup and I say your party should always be a great adventure! I have some interestin’ party ideas I want to share with you but today I want to start with the basics. How to plan an Azeroth party!
Dream Up a Theme
The first thing you need to think about is a theme. Yes! You need one! Themes make your parties memorable and you want parties people will never forget. What would you remember more, “Carl invited us to the dock for drinks” or “Carl invited us to a ‘Embrace Your Party Animal’ party at the petting zoo”? Take notes from Disney and theme, theme, theme! Not that I would know about Disney! HA!
Pick a Location
This goes along with the theme you just picked. Sure your local town inn or tavern has an endless supply of food and drink, but does it fit your theme? Say you want to plan a pirate party for Pirates Day. Would a tavern fit better or a beach near Booty Bay? Be adventurous!
Schedule Your Party
You have a theme, you have a place, now when is this shindig going to happen? Remember to factor in the typical schedules of the people you’re inviting. Is it a guild event? If so what days and times are the majority of your guildies online? Avoid major holidays like BlizzCon, Thanksgiving, or Christmas Day when people may be offline due to prior engagements. Another thing to consider is what season it is. Sometimes people log in later during summer months. Keep in mind your schedule might not fit in everyone’s free time and that is okay! If someone misses this party, maybe they can make the next one! You’re planning for the majority of people, but not each individual!
Make Your Party Itinerary
Now it’s time to think of how you want your party to flow. Are you going to have contests? Are you going to give prizes? How long do you want it to last and how will you fill the time? A good plan can mean the difference between hosting a hit or a miss party!
Start out by estimating how long each part of your event will take. Give time for people to arrive and greet each other. If you are traveling somewhere, whether it’s an old raid or gnome run, get a general idea of how much time it will take and pencil it in. Add any follow up activities such as rewarding prizes and allow time to get everything done. This itinerary isn’t meant to be a hard schedule that must be kept to the second. It’s to help you know “what’s next” when things start dying down. We want people engaged!
Publicize, Publicize, Publicize!
A party can’t announce itself! Start announcing your event one to two weeks before party time. Put it on the guild website, add it to the calendar, and get macros ready to post your information! Tell everyone you know that you are throwing a party and what you’re going to be doing! If someone is less active or online when you’re not, send them an in-game invitation. Don’t forget the social media! Add reminders to Facebook or Twitter! Remind people a week before, a day before, and the day of your event. If there are prizes, let people know. People love to win fun things!
The Day of Your Party
The day of your event there are a few things to remember to do before your guests arrive:
- Make sure you have any prizes you are giving in your bag if it’s something in game. Trust me, you will be way too busy for making bank runs. You can even wrap up mounts, toys, pets, ect!
- Pick up any items you plan on giving away as favors. Ask a friend if they can help you hand these out. Depending on how many people you have this can be time consuming to do yourself especially if you are also busy being a good host! Fireworks or alcohol are popular choices but be prepared if you have any younger people in your group. Bring these lads alternatives to alcohol like foods or potions that give your character a special buff or effect. While there’s no official legal drinking age in Azeroth, some parents would rather avoid their children getting tipsy.
- Arrive early! Go to the location of your party and invite people to a raid group that are coming. Now you have a chat for people who are attending. If you have or know a warlock, consider asking them to help you get the party started by summoning people to the area. This will speed things up and make your party accessible to anyone who may be too low of a level to easily travel there themselves. If they are too low for the area, remember to kill any higher level mobs in the area as they respawn.
Party Time
The magical time has arrived. There’s just one more thing left for you to do… Relax! You have been planning this for weeks. It’s time to enjoy the company of your friends. Go with the flow of the crowd and use your itinerary just as a guide to keep the party going. Congratulations on your event!
Now get out there and plan an amazing party! Don’t forget to send old Carl a picture to darkmoontimes@gmail.com with the subject: Our Adventure Book. I would love to see the memories you have made. I’ll have more party ideas soon, but until then adventure is out there!
If you’re looking for party idea inspirations then hit up our event coordinator directory here to find others that plan perfect parties!
Carl and his wife Ellie joined the faire because they were seeking an adventure like none other. When he isn’t selling fun balloons, he loves to entertain fellow coworkers at his extravagant parties. Ellie spends her days caring for the animals of the Darkmoon Moon Faire, including Carl… her very own party animal!
Have suggestions for the Darkmoon Times? Email us at darkmoontimes@gmail.com today!
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