Party Planner
- Australian Doof Society
- Feb 21, 2016
- 3 min read
When is my party not a party?
Quite simply, a party is no longer a party when guests are charged to attend or participate. As soon as money becomes involved it's called a 'commercial event' (see Festival Info category).
There are many other considerations to take into account, the following is a great start for home parties.
Guest Numbers
It is not uncommon for home gatherings such as weddings and other celebrations to involve up to 150 guests; nor is it uncommon for large families on large properties to invite up to 300 guests.
However, when a home party begins to exceed 300 guests its wider community and environmental impact needs to be considered seriously.
Guest Comfort
Choose a shady location on your property or consider erecting a marquee for shade. Make sure guests have access to plenty of water.
For large gatherings, you will need to consider how many toilets your guests will have access to. The best way to calculate is to ring a toilet hire company and tell them how many guests you've invited. They will match you with the correct number of toilets and storage capacity.
Supervision
Irrespective of the age range of your guests, you will need a hand with supervision throughout the duration of your party. Choose older adults who drink little alcohol or that you can trust to remain sober and responsible.
Ask your supervisors to ensure guests don't provide alcohol to under 18s. Don't leave alcohol unattended, store it in separate coolers to other drinks and cold-goods.
Guest Safety
It is a good idea to check, at entry, that everybody was actually invited to your gathering. You have the right to refuse access to anyone you didn't invite.
While planning the location of your check-point you will need to consider traffic congestion since vehicle queues on public roads present traffic hazards to both guests and other road users.
You will also need to consider parking; moving vehicles should be kept far away from social areas. If you allow guests to bring alcohol, make sure they can sleep it off; camping/sleeping areas should be quiet and kept well away from parking and social areas.
Emergencies
Plan and communicate an emergency strategy with other supervisors. Designate a safe evacuation area that is unobstructed and easy to access. Make sure it's well cleared area on all sides in case of fire.
Make sure you can contact emergency services. If there is no land phone or mobile reception at the site, consider hiring a professional medical team. They generally carry satellite phones and are in full contact with other emergency services.
Legal Responsibilities
It is extremely unwise to host a party if your home/property is not adequately insured. Whether you're planning a wedding or any other type of celebration, make sure your current insurance covers you and your guests.
Document all your safety precautions. Sketch a floor-plan of all your designated areas and make sure your guests are familiar with them. Clearly mark out any hazardous areas and block access to them.
Environment
Using existing clearings for vehicle access, parking, pathways and social areas etc helps to preserve the local flora and fauna.
Abide by fire restrictions in your area. If you allow alcohol to be consumed at your gathering or small children will be attending, an open fire on the ground is inadvisable. Never leave any fire unattended and extinguish them when you're done.
Neighbours
It's common couresty to contact your neighbours and let them know you're having a party, better still - invite them to join you! Either way, make sure they can contact you and you're readily available if/when they do, otherwise their next point of contact will be police.
Be nice to your neighbours! If you're planning to play loud music, abide by the noise restrictions of your local area. Or, alternatively, shout your neighbours a nice hotel for the duration of your gathering.
Register
Registering your event is greatly encouraged by Australian authorities but it's not a requirement by law. They do, however provide a great party guide to holding safe and legal events.
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