# Party 2010 was only so so, Thoughts for 2011 ?



## scarsforless (Sep 21, 2010)

Hello everyone. I dont want to be Debbie downer but my party was not as much of a hit as I wanted it to be. I think its due to only 10 people showing. We invited a lot of my girlfriends family but there was some bad news in the famliy that got released that day (medical stuff) and none showed, which is very understandable. I did put a lot of time and thought into it, I decorated a lot, did some of my own stuff (nothing big). Bought a lot of booze too, had special drinks i.e. flaming Dr Peppers, absinthe and pumpkin suprise shots (shot of goldschlager dropped into half glass of pumpkin ale beer). The people that came seemed to have a good time but I know my girlfriend was down a bit considering everything. I was thinking next year of doing the party maybe the weekend before Halloween weekend, like this year I should have done it on the 23rd not the 30th for a bigger turn out. Some of the people I invited were going out the club party or bar party. Just wanting to vent and see what has worked for good turn outs for others. I won't let this get me down, I love Halloween too much not to try again next year.


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## printersdevil (Sep 7, 2009)

I had to cancel at the last minute because we all got a stomach bug. At least you got yours in. DO you have photos. You know we live for photos.


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## scarsforless (Sep 21, 2010)

Sorry, I have no photos, rookie move I know but I total spaced taking pictures. (boos and hisses)


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## Halloween Princess (Sep 23, 2008)

Was it your first year? People usually spread the word, or talk about how fun it was. The turnout usually grows.


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## ldcattell (Oct 6, 2010)

I'm sorry your party didn't go as planned, but don't worry you're not the only one. I was also a little disappointed with my party this year. I procrastinated and left too much to the last minute. Not to mention 5 minutes before the party started i went to put on my pirate dress and the zipped busted leaving my whole back exposed! But don't worry about this year's party, after all there's always next year!


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## Brother Grim (Oct 26, 2009)

Personally I battle the clubs lol. I hosted mine on the 30th and had over 100 people but I did a few things different this year.

1. Word does spread
2. Save the date reminder
3. Invites
4. Teaser shots and talk about it if you see your guests
5 Re-reminders

It's a pain in the butt but it works.


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## scarsforless (Sep 21, 2010)

I have already revised the date for next year. This was my first time doing it so it was a learning experience. One thing some of the guest have mentioned since the party was the fog. I bought a 1000 watt fog machine with no real clue to how much fog it would produce. Well we got it so think in the house you could not see more than 2 ft infront of you. People loved it though. I am going to build a chiller to hold it down more next year. I am already counting down the days.


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## WitchyRN (Mar 20, 2010)

I tend to remind people about a week, then several days before hand (do the invites two weeks before) and it usually works for getting a good turn out..


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## melmyissa (Sep 27, 2009)

I totally understand where you are coming from. My 2009 party was only so-so. This year I had a little over 20 people show up but the party was MUCH BETTER! 

I think that is due to the Tempt Your Fate Game we played throughout the night. I found the game on this forum! I read alll the posts and choose some fates and made some of my own up. In hindsight, I could have made the challenges harder and even a little more risque. My original intention was to play the game until midnight but we were having so much fun that it was extended to 1 am and a winner was annoucned then. The prize was just a $15 iTunes card and a DVD of Zombieland. 

I also tried to have different areas for people to mingle in. Beer pong and darts in the garage, dancing in the living room and buffet in the dining room. 

Sometimes fewer attendees equals a better time for the host. My parents hosted their 1st Halloween party (after a very succesful 50th birthday disco costume party for my Mom this June). My folks had over 80 people show and they spent the entire time working (trash duty, drinks, etc).


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## MsMeeple (Aug 21, 2004)

I've done parties for 9 years now. Every one is different. We started out small with 12 people and then grew and grew...but yet the biggest parties weren't always the best. Last year was our best party ever. There was no way this year's could compete with it. But who knows what next year will bring. Parties evolve....go with the flow


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## Lonescarer (Jun 4, 2009)

Mine was kinda like this, too, this year. It was my first and I did it on the 30th, thinking that people would want to party after the rally (i'm outside DC) but mostly they wanted to go home and so I only got about 10 people as well.

I believe everybody's right about them growing due to word of mouth. I didn't even do formal invites, only facebook, so maybe if I do both next year... Invite those special people with a nice card, and then everybody else via facebook. Hmm. Also, love the idea of a chilling mist covering the party floor.


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## The Patriot (Aug 1, 2005)

Facebook Event Pages are an amazing tool and it helped us out a lot. Regardless, you can send out a 150 invites and you will be lucky if 15 show with a guest. That's how it still ended up with ours. But you know what? If you have fun people...you will have a fun party. Booze is the social lubricant to make people happier guest...it's really that simple.


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## Cheebs (May 13, 2008)

Our first year, we had three people show up. Used an email invite (this was before facebook) and didn't really mention it much else after that.

Second year, we got 10 people. Used actual 3D invites (coffins with monsters in them) and people really responded well to how the party was set up with decorations and food.

Third year, about the same turn-out but it seemed like more people had a better time and our costume contest was a big hit along with the Tempt Your Fate game. We've used actual invites every year since the second year.

Fourth year, got a few new people show up but we were in a new apartment and were frantically getting things done even while the party started. Plus we had the World Series to contend with (we live just outside Philly) so some people demanded we put the game on and then others left later to watch it at the bars. Not too many games were played, and it seemed so so.

This year we got almost everyone we invited, minus a small handful, but still around 15 people. We had everything set up, our costumes on, the food prepared by 6pm (we start at dusk) and were actually able to entertain and hang out with everyone. It seemed like everyone had a blast, we have a ton of pictures, and I'm proud to say that everyone came in costume, which was awesome. It helped that we have been setting up since mid-September and gave ourselves a few extra days beforehand to prepare things. No games were played but it really wasn't missed since everyone spent the time hanging out and socializing.

So it does ebb and flow, some years are great, others not so much. Next year, we are planning on buying a house in the spring, so we are going to plan out earlier than usual. Already have our invites and we know the budget will be tiny compared to previous years. But I think all our friends who come just love to hang out and enjoy what we set up and as long as they have a good time, then I have a great time.


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## justd (Aug 16, 2010)

This year was our 4th party. I decorated alot more than usual, spent alot of time and money too. We had really planned on having a good crowd of 30 to 35 people, and only 10 showed up! Very disappointed! Some of the people we invited acted like it pissed them off when I asked them several times if they were coming! What do you do when people just wont give you a damn answer??!! Im sad to think about it, but we probably wont go to all the trouble to have a party next year due to people like this


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## Tippy (Oct 7, 2008)

I have had several parties and last years party was the best. I have found that having the party the weekend before Halloween is always a better turnout. I had my party on the 23rd this year and I had a good turn out but I did not enjoy it as much as I usually do. I think I stress too much on the decor and not put enough thought into my costume. Next year I will focus more on the costume and not so much on decor. And I think I will hire help so that I can enjoy the party more.


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## missbook (Sep 8, 2010)

So this was our second year of having a party. And lots of the guests are coming up to me saying they had a blast this year! It was awesome.

However, last year I thought the party bombed. We had like 8 people show up, 3 of which were my sister and the other two under age girls she brings. One of my friends gave me a decent piece of advice which worked quite well this year. Invite everyone you are aquainted with who won't be offended. Then, if they do come you will have a chance to get to know them better. If they don't come, their loss. 

We invited close to 50 or some people including the host of high school people that Facebook has magically gotten us in touch with... And only about 20 showed up. And it rained. But it was WAY more awesome than last year. And since we had to adapt for the rain we found a better way of segmenting the party out. 

Also, we found a party tent on Amazon.com that we are thinking of buying for next year to double our outdoor non-weather space.

Amazon.com: 10 x 30 White Party Tent Gazebo Canopy with Sidewalls: Patio, Lawn & Garden: Reviews, Prices & more


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## colmmoo (Jul 23, 2005)

Thought that I was the only one who was upset after our party. We had a guest list of around 60-70 people most of whom showed up. We decorated indoors to the hilt as usual (it took days!) and got a magician to stroll around doing tricks from 8:30-9:30. Doors opened at 7:30 pm. Start of the party was great - it was crowded, people having a good time, music playing. After the magician left though, I'd say that we had 8-10 people left!!! I was just stunned. At that point, I had just finished making sure that everyone had eaten and drank something and was ready to settle down and join the party. I had music going - a nice mix - some dance songs, pop songs, etc. Most of the guests had kids with them so my only guess is that the kids got tired so the parents had to take them home at a decent hour. Soooooo, I was VERY upset and was crying because I wasn't sure at the time whether the kids had fun or not (I really host the parties for the kids). We played two games - mummy wrap, pin the smile on the skeleton and a pass the pumpkin (like hot potato) game. But I had really wanted to have some dancing too. Thinking back, I should've started the dancing right after the kids' games. Not sure if I'm going to have the party next year. My husband said that we should but just not put so much work into it. We had a lot of leftover food, desserts (I stayed up late baking that week) and hardly one touched any of it. 

Also, I'm finding that some of the kids that used to enjoy our parties are now tweens and they're sooo serious now. It's sad really. Some of them didn't even show up - came up with excuses, but they're parents came.


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## tgoodman (Sep 25, 2009)

justd said:


> This year was our 4th party. I decorated alot more than usual, spent alot of time and money too. We had really planned on having a good crowd of 30 to 35 people, and only 10 showed up! Very disappointed! Some of the people we invited acted like it pissed them off when I asked them several times if they were coming! What do you do when people just wont give you a damn answer??!! Im sad to think about it, but we probably wont go to all the trouble to have a party next year due to people like this


This year was our 3rd party and we invited about 70 people and had a total of 34 show. I think it was a mistake to have our party on the 30th and we will, from now on, have it the weekend BEFORE Halloween. I believe a lot of people had activities with their kids and/or were anticipating a full night on Halloween and didn't feel like partying both nights.

I, too, am perplexed by people who will not RSVP! No matter how many times you request they will not be considerate enough to simply click the "Attending" or "Not Attending" button on a Facebook invite. Those people never get invited back to my parties, period. In fact, many of them fall off my "Friends" list altogether. If they don't think enough of me to respond to a party invitation I seriously doubt they deserve my friendship at all.

I've found the key to a great party isn't in the QUANTITY of the guests but the QUALITY. Next year, I'm planning to invite all the fun people I know really enjoy the party, and then I'm asking THEM to bring 2-3 people THEY know that really enjoy Halloween. I find it's the people who not only enjoy a party but enjoy Halloween that make the best party guests. I like meeting new people and as long as people are well behaved, I think it should be fun to incorporate people my friends think will enjoy the party. This way, I have a whole pool of resources to draw from for party guests and don't have to rely on just my own circle of friends, who may or may not enjoy Halloween as much as I do.

This year we played Tempt Your Fate, as usual, but added "Who Am I" and "Winking Murderer" and all were hits. Games should not be underestimated for enhancing the party atmosphere.


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## Dr. Phibes (Nov 10, 2010)

I am a newbie here on the forum, and to hosting a Halloween party. I had my first one this year and it turned out pretty well. The only negative was not many people dressed in costume. Being from Pittsburgh, the Steelers were playing the Saints on Halloween nite so a lot of the costumes were simply Steeler jerseys. 

Regardless, instead of just throwing your typical party I decided I wanted to start my annual party with a bang and decided to have a crawfish boil. I had never done one before so it was learn as you go but I think all in all a lot of people had fun and the crawfish were a HUGE hit. Perfect little buggers to eat on Halloween! 

I have some pics but am unsure how to post yet. When I figure it out I will post some!


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## Dr. Phibes (Nov 10, 2010)

justd said:


> This year was our 4th party. I decorated alot more than usual, spent alot of time and money too. We had really planned on having a good crowd of 30 to 35 people, and only 10 showed up! Very disappointed! Some of the people we invited acted like it pissed them off when I asked them several times if they were coming! What do you do when people just wont give you a damn answer??!! Im sad to think about it, but we probably wont go to all the trouble to have a party next year due to people like this


Don't let others ruin your spirit! Just ask cooler people next year LOL! Maybe just plan on a smaller gathering of your better friends next time.


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