Tricks to Make Your Event Memorable 

A sense is a physical phenomenon of the human body. Scientists have noted as many as twenty types of senses in the human body. Focusing on the basic five senses accredited to Aristotle of sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch, you can host a truly memorable event. Leaving one of these out when you are planning can lead to disaster. When your guests walk into your event space, each of the five main senses should be stimulated. If you fail in any one area, you aren't maximizing your guests' sensations, and subconsciously, they won't feel as good about your event as they could have felt.

 SIGHT:

Sight is essentially the most important sense while event planning and should be a good portion of your budget. If you have everything in place for the perfect party, but your guests walk into a drab space of different shades of gray, that will be what they remember. Some people don't realize that everything - absolutely everything in the space is contributing to sight. This includes food, furniture, candles, and any other type of decor you have acquired. Food is part of the decor, so if you are having a themed party of any kind, it is a must to coordinate the food and make it as pleasing to the eye as possible. Food should and must also make sense along with the theme. It is easy to purchase decor to fit your theme at places like Stumps, but you may not have the budget to purchase the perfect decor. If you are on a tight budget, you can make beautiful focal pieces out of metallic or opalescent balloons by fastening a cluster of different hues of the same color balloons, tying them with shimmering ribbon, and attaching them to the ceiling. Using these balloon clusters over tables - either dining or reception - is a smart way to expand your budget. Also, using items that you can collect free, such as tree branches on the ground, and painting them with metallic paint and sprinkling them with glitter would be another suggestion.

HEARING:

Sticking with the theme of the event, analyze what type of music fits best with the theme. Decade themes are easy to figure out, but other themes, such as a traditional dinner party, can be more difficult. Classical music at a low volume, especially piano pieces, are a very traditional choice. Not many people are offended by classical music and it transcends many generations. Keeping music at a reasonable volume is key. The sound is merely ambiance, not the entertainment. You do not want your guests to have to expend energy raising their voices to be heard over the music. Before the guests arrive, perform a sound check from all points in the event space before you decide on the appropriate volume. Your guests should be able to talk comfortably without any stress. With a younger crowd, you may go for light pop music, but again, at a minimal volume. Hard rock, rap, hip-hop or electronic dance music is not suggested at an event unless you are having a dance floor and dancing is the main form of entertainment. In this case, you will need to increase the volume for dancing.

 

TASTE:

The party is centered around food. Never host an event without ample food for your guests. Whether you are strictly serving appetizers or a full meal, the food must fit the theme of the event. Westerns go with barbecues, traditional meals go with traditional themes and that's how it has to be. Don't serve Mexican food at a Luau or Hawaiian food at a Chinese New Year party - it just doesn't make sense. Food is part of the party decor and should not only fit the theme, but be part of the visual sensations of your event. The host should always sample the food that is available to the guests. One quick way to ruin the vibe of the party is to serve bad food. If the food isn't up to par, you may need to make changes. During the planning stages of the event, if you are going with a caterer - do a tasting. If you are preparing the food yourself - practice the recipes. Food is something that we all have in common - it's important to every living person, so the more memorable your food, the more memorable your event will be.

SMELL:

When your guests enter the party space, they should be able to inhale sensational aromas. With a Luau, you should have the scent of coconut and pineapples, for a Mexican Fiesta - have the fragrance of Mexican spices at the entryway. You can purchase scented candles or even plug-in air fresheners in the scent of your choice, but hit your guests with the aroma upon their arrival and keep the scents away from the food.Scentsy has fragrant candles without a flame. Flames have to be managed as they can be hazardous with a large amount of guests. You do not want your artificial fragrances competing with food. Never light scented candles on a buffet or dining tables, as the perception of taste is ~ 75% smell and you will cause your guests' taste to be off if you have fragrant candles.

TOUCH:

This sense will be one of the more difficult to achieve, but is simple at the same time. Think about where your guests will be and what they will have access to touch. Linens for the reception tables or dining tables are definitely the focus. A good place to check for linens is Party Linens by DeNormandie. You want to have unique textures on these locations. Mix up a silk and satin, and add different items, such as large rhinestones or decorative pebbles to the tables. Depending upon the theme of your event, you may think of items that fit your theme and place them in locations that the guests may be in contact with. For example, use coconuts on a luau buffet table or hay bales for a Wild West party. Party planning is a delicate process. It is always best to have a partner to discuss ideas with, and to follow a party planning checklist. There are many different checklists available on the internet, and should only be used as a guide, as each event is unique. Don't forget that in any party, you'll need a focal point. You need some form of entertainment for your guests. If you are hosting an award's ceremony, that might be good enough, but having a violinist during the guests' arrival would be a nice touch. If you are hosting an event as a get together for any group of people, consider what will fill up the bulk of the guests' time at the party. The focal point of the party can be dancing, watching a live band or other performers, or maybe doing a murder mystery game. You can download murder mystery games or have a boxed set prepared for you at companies like My Mystery Party. Another entertainment alternative would be hiring a comedian, hosting an auction for charity, or possibly hosting a series of fun party games, as in the Party Host Handbook. Many websites also have party games listed by theme as free downloads - simply perform a web search for your theme. If you hit on all five basic senses, keep your guests entertained while keeping everything within your theme, you are guaranteed to maximize your guests' experience and host a very memorable party.