Why Delegating Party Planning Jobs Can Help Your Party Succeed



Posted: Thursday, December 10, 2009

by Shannon Summers

Orchestrating an important party requires a lot of work and sensible planning. If you are the organizer, it is not wise to think you can do it alone. In some cases the success of your party depends on your not trying to do everything yourself. If you try to do so, the task may become overwhelming; you may get exasperated and the whole experience may become very stressful. Important details may be overlooked as you get bogged down with the actual work, rather than just concentrating on the planning and oversight. For this reason seasoned party planners try to delegate many of the party planning jobs or tasks to others, while merely supervising their helpers.

What then is the responsibility of the chief party planner? To see that all details of the party planning are cared for by someone reliable. His (or her) job is to recruit volunteers or helpers and to clearly spell out to each one what their assigned job is; then to stay in touch, making sure they are on schedule, following up with them from time to time to be sure nothing is overlooked. So the chief party planner is a manager, not someone on an assembly line. He (or she) overseers other workers, giving input and monitoring their progress.

This "party manager" likely will be in charge of the budget, thus the one others come to when supplies, food, or utensils need to be purchased. That way he (or she) can keep control of expenses. On the other hand he (or she) may delegate the bookkeeping or distributing of funds to another trusted person who is a capable at handling money.

Some party planning jobs that can be delegated include preparing invitations and contacting those who fail to RVSP on time, buying supplies, booking the party site, deciding the menu, food shopping, preparing food and drinks, decorating, renting equipment, tables, chairs, or utensils, setting up the party venue, cleaning up the venue prior to the party and afterwards, arranging music, arranging other aspects of a program, including games, speeches, activities, etc.

The "party manager" will undoubtedly want to provide input regarding these various things. He or she may have some ideas regarding the venue, the menu, decorations, music, activities and other special touches (such as to honor guests of honor) and so on. However, once this input is given, the "manager" will allow the helpers to show some initiative and perform the tasks to which they are assigned. Delegating the actual work to others will relieve the "party manager" of the actual labor of getting things done. This will prevent him or her from loosing track of the big picture because of becoming too absorbed in the work details.

Some discretion will be needed when assigning party planning tasks. Persons should be assigned jobs they are capable of performing and for which they can be counted on to be dependable. If someone fails to follow through on their assignment it can create a big headache for the head party planner. However, if forethought is given when assignments are made, in most cases the persons assigned will deliver beyond the call of duty.

There is no reason to hold back from asking for help out of fear of imposing on others. What you need to do is sincerely explain to them why the party is important. For example if it is to honor someone or some special occasion that usually provides the needed motivation. Those not in a position to help will tell you so, but in most cases people will be happy to help out. Often they will get enthused and absorbed in their task and make you proud.

So don't hesitate to ask for help. Think of the purpose of the event and why you want it to be a success. Don't view yourself as a super person. Rather, recognize your limitations. Recognize that your greatest abilities are that of an organizer, and get the help you need to get the job done right. In this way you will have a team working together and your party will surely accomplish its purpose. And really isn't that what it is all about?

Bio:

Shannon Summers is a teacher and party planning enthusiast who delights in teaching others how to put magic into their parties. Go to Shannon's website http://www.partyplanningmagic.com to learn many valuable party planning tips and sign up for a free mini-course on party planning. Also, click the following link for more information on party planning jobs .

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