Ideas for a teenager's party

If you are a teenager and want to throw a cool party for your friends either because it's your birthday or you are graduating from school or as an ice breaker party to get to know your new college juniors or seniors , I have some ideas that I find are popular with teens to add to the entertainment value:

• Once you decide on where the party is to be held , keeping in mind the no. of guests, the ease of access , quality of food etc , divide the party zone into 3 sections as shown in the picture above.
• The Dance Zone would need the following:

1. A music system with an amplifier , a mixing console ( for the DJ to mix tracks) , >2 speakers( that support mid , low and high frequencies of sound), twin deck , atleast one microphone

2. Dance Floor lights including power cans , strobe lights , reflector balls and smoke generator

3.Last and definitely not the least- a good DJ who can rock the party

• A bartender for serving mocktails is a good option- try and get someone who can really entertain with tricks , fire juggling etc .
• A karaoke station can be built into the dance zone for karaoke buffs- the DJ himself can moonlight as a karaoke jockey
• A tattooist( for permanent / temporary tattoos) or a body piercer ( for the more adventurous) is another option.
• Some ideas on food - finger foods rock ( no one wants to hang around with a big plate of food) - go easy on the junk food and opt for soya burgers , whole wheat pizzas , juices which are definitely more popular than greasy fries and chips
• A fruit station to serve fresh juices /milkshakes , a make your ice cream or toss your pasta counter ,a chocolate fondue or a cheese fondue are some other ideas that would be new and different.

On the other hand - if your party is a sweet sixteen party where there will be predominantly girls - there are some more ideas for you in addition to the ones above:

• Rent a projector and watch a really cool movie on the big screen with chocolate coated popcorn and soda
• Have a tarot / crystal ball reading with your friends - hire a professional tarot or crystal ball reader
• Have a makeover party- hire a makeup and hair stylist to give you and your friends a new look - have some cool music playing and get someone to click before and after pictures.This is a good afternoon party idea

Have a rocking party!

update on the events venue listing

I've added 5 new venues :
1. Shilpakala Vedika
2.Country Club
3.Sajjan Goth Hall at Dhola ri Dhani
4.Haveli
5.The newly opened Tandoor at Begumpet White House Building
Do check out the updated list.
The more popular places especially in monsoon are now the hotels , shilpa kala vedika and places like Dhola ri Dhani's sajjan goth hall.Tandoor has a very nice ambience and the food is excellent.

Hyderabad event venues

Here's a list of venues in Hyderabad for parties, weddings and other special occasions. I thought I would share this information, that I have compiled in the course of my work as an event manager in Hyderabad.The list in this spreadsheet is not exhaustive, but covers most of the popular and convenient venues. Some party venues like Jalavihar, Chowmoholla Palace, Durgam Cheruvu etc are still not common and therefore have some amount of exclusivity. The hotels listed offer excellent service, good food and a nice ambience for most parties. All the places have parking facility available, although, for the parks, Tank Bund and Durgam Cheruvu only paid parking is available.

I have included the following event venues in Hyderabad:

1. Alankritha Resorts
2.YogiBear Putt and Children's Park
3. Sanjeevaiah Park
4. Jalavihar
5. NTR Garden's Party Area
6. Hyderabad Marriott
7. Hotel Green Park
8. Pingle Venkatramana Reddy Hall
9. Hotel Minerva Grand
10. Hotel Basera
11. Hotel Taj Tristar
12. Zoroastrian Garden
13. Bantia Gardens
14. Our Place Restaurant
15. Chowmoholla Palace
16. Durgam Cheruvu
17. Party Cruisers on Tank Bund
18.Novotel Accord
19 .ITC Grand Kakatiya Sheraton
20.Golconda Resort( Masab Tank)
21. Fortune Katriya
22.Taj Deccan
23.Taj Banjara
24.Taj Krishna

The location, capacity, facilities available, whether lighting , supplies, sound system,food etc is available and the rental charges / rates for each of the venues has been included in the list .If anyone has any further information to add to this list, do mail me, so that I can update accordingly.

New Ideas on party decoration

I had a refreshing 10 day break in the Ooty area which has inspired me with so many fresh ideas especially with flowers. When decorating entryways , we typically build arches with standard gerbera /roses and greens on a cloth backdrop. Other options are to make arches with balloons on an iron frame or to construct a plywood arch with rainbows/ theme related cartoon figures / stars etc.Another new option could be to fabricate , say a globe - decked with flowers of all colours or a flower rainbow or a 10 foot iron basket decorated fully with flowers. In fact, in the Botanical Gardens , the flower decorators had outdone themselves by constructing an Eiffel Tower replica( 15 foot high) covered with flowers . Such flower decked structures would look especially stunning in an outdoor party setting- say in Jalavihar glass house area or the lawns in the Taj Hotels or in Sanjeevaiah Park .

Another new idea , from the Mysore Palace - is a palace theme for a wedding - with baroque style backdrop - grand stained glass panels - pillars with gold leaf work -murals of wedding rituals - antique mandap - the darbar throne replica inside the mandap for the ceremony-- if we are ambitious then the grand archway for the entryway.This would be spectacular again in an outdoor environment.

Another idea for an outdoor wedding decoration would be complete with lush greenery , a waterfall , a few bells and chimes , the mandap decorated with spring flower bowers , a swing decorated with flowers for the couple to sit during the ceremony , the fire kund surrounded by terracotta figurines - this would make for a very ethnic and close to nature sort of an ambience refreshingly different from the standard closed mandaps.

A fancy bridal shower

The closest equivalent to a bridal shower in the Indian context is the Mehendi ceremony which is a sort of rite of passage for the bride .

Bridal showers are becoming fairly popular in India, with the brides friends throwing that one last party to their bachelorette friend .There is the fun element of games , music and dancing which gives everyone a chance to bond and unwind a few days before the marriage ceremony.There is also the custom of all the friends and women relatives bringing over gifts for the bride -they could either get anything they want or it could be something relating to a theme- for e.g ,gifts could center around the fact that the bride loves to be a perfect hostess - it could include things like decorative jars for preserves and sauces , wine racks , punch bowl , candy dishes, wine glasses, ice bucket , elegant coasters, candles/holders, flatware etc.

Here are some pointers for throwing bridal showers -

• Who throws a bridal shower - it's usually the bride's friends/family who plan the shower - the bride , her mother and the groom's mother are all consulted about the guest list - it could be a women's only or a couple's only shower also.
• Once the bride's friends decide on the budget , they can either informally invite people over phone or send formal printed invitations or in the case of an informal party - they can send whacky or unusual invitations ( invitation in a bottle - for say a " Beach" theme party)
• A suitable venue has to be fixed keeping in mind the number of guests , the convenience etc.See here for a list of party venues in Hyderabad.
• Engage a caterer to supply the food - they typically charge around Rs 270/- per plate.
  
• If there is a theme , the party venue has to be decorated accordingly - the gifts and the bridal favours could correspond to it.The music , games etc can also correspond to the theme.
  For e.g for a "Romance" theme - pink could be colour of choice for the decoration( balloons, streamers, banners , flowers ,lamps, bride's childhood pictures etc) , soft love songs could play in the background ,candles and flowers will add to the ambience. Going with the theme , a "Flying Wishes" experience will touch a chord in everyone- Ask each of the guests to write a wish /promise to the bride in a piece of paper- allow enough time to the bride to read each one of them- slip these papers inside empty balloons , fill them with helium and tie with a ribbon - let go together.
• By segmenting your shower into three stages, you can keep the party flowing.Don't let it get stale or your guests will get restless. For a three hour party, allow about 45 minutes to an hour per phase.

• First Stage - Introductions, games, setting the mood. As people arrive, introduce them to everyone, serve beverages and hors d'oeuvres. Get one person to conduct easy ice breaking games to get the people mixing.

• Second Stage - Dinner and dessert.

• Third Stage - Play any games or other activities you have planned. The bride then opens her presents. As the guests leave give them the party favours.

  
  

How to throw a birthday party

Here are some pointers I'd like to share on throwing birthday parties(for more than 100 guests)

• Once thebudget has been decided , fix a good venue that meets the following criteria:
• Convenient Location
• Required Capacity
• Good Ambience
• Ample Parking
• Adequate infrastructure and staff support
• Most venues offer a package with separate rental and facilities charges . You can therefore ask for only those facilities that you need or ask for extra stuff . Some things that are typically included in the facilities package are tables, chairs( with covers ),basic lighting, fans or coolers , green carpets , dias and all the cooking utensils , stoves etc.The things that don't get included are extra lights, sound system , speakers,power cans , landscaping etc
• The next step is to book a caterer. Typically , the good ones charge around Rs 270/- per plate. They usually take care of the landscaping as well at around Rs 3000/- extra.These rates may vary from person to person.
• In Hyderabad,Permission is needed from the police department if a music or dance concert is a part of the entertainment. They typically charge Rs 100/- per speaker and the money is to be paid in through e seva.
• Then comes the decoration and the entertainment part of the process. Once the theme has been decided( keeping in mind what your child will enjoy) , the stage decoration , flower arrangement , balloon decoration, invitations , goody bags , the interactive games, the game gifts , the birthday cake, posters etc have to be arranged corresponding to the theme.
• The entertainment elements could include interactive games to engage the children ,magic show, music or dance performance( western or classical), puppet show, ventriloquism , portrait sketching , tattoo artists, balloon sculpting , hair braiding , mehendi artists, inflatable bouncies , camel rides , merry go rounds, electronic game rides , mimicry shows, theatre performances, game stalls etc
• Sound system arrangement ( including DJ system) , lighting arrangements , arranging for a dance floor (in case of a dance performance) are some of the other details to take care of.

During the party these are the things that need to be done :

• It's best if the host and hostess personally welcome the guests when they walk in. The children are usually thrilled to be welcomed by clowns or cartoon characters with balloons / party hats / whistles for each of them.
• The live entertainment can start once the majority of guests have arrived. Until then game stalls with games like toss a ring , dart boards, bouncing castles etc will keep the children and adults entertained.
• It's best to have a compere welcome the guests and conduct interactive games for children to involve and entertain them. Then a puppet show or magic show or dance or any other more structured entertainment can be arranged.
• When you are ready for the cake to be cut, the cake can be set up on a decorated table and the candles can be blown by the birthday boy/girl and the cake cut to the accompaniment of the birthday song.
• Last but not the least , the party is for the children to have a good time, so ensure that they have enough room to run around , dance, sing/talk on the mike and have their favourite songs playing
• When the children start leaving after dinner , the goody bags can be distributed to each child.

One can engage an event manager to handle everything from the venue booking , caterer booking and coordination ,theme based decoration , entertainment , welcome gifts and goody bag distribution etc .The entire task of coordination with atleast 10 different service providers , entertainers , artists etc can be handled reliably by a good event manager. However when using the services of one , ensure that

• You are comfortable with the way he/ she works. Discuss clearly what you expect - how you want the place to look, what gifts you want , what entertainment you would like. If the event manager is good , he/ she will creatively suggest themes , work within your budget and also be up to date on the latest trends . He/ she should know what will be popular with your guests.
• You involve yourself as much as you like - go for shopping trips , see the prop pictures if possible, go for ordering the cake , decide the music you want , the artists you want etc