Gary
When you’re planning a luxury party, wedding or event you’ll want to have the right party suppliers on board to ensure that your soiree is the social event of the season. In this article we offer a brief rundown of different supplier types, why you should use them and the services that they offer:
Event planning and management services
Why are they important? Planning an event can be a lot of hard work. The bigger, better and more memorable you want your party to be, the more work involved.
There are multiple party suppliers to source, budgets to manage, guest lists, invitations and RSVP’s to keep on top of, venues to hire, theming, décor, lighting plans to consider… and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Event planning and management companies do this kind of thing day in, day out. A great planner will take control from the get-go. They will arrange an initial meeting with you so that they can understand you and the event you want to put together. After that they will work closely with you, involving you in important parts of the decision-making process, but looking after the day to day complexities and hum drum elements so that you don’t have to.
They’ll be there in the build up to the event, on the day and evening of the party and will deal with all post event necessities too. In short, they will make sure that everything is neatly pulled together, slickly managed and stress free for you. All you have to do is turn up and enjoy your party!
See our list of recommended event planning and management companies here.
Caterers
From high end, formal, luxury seated dining, to street food, bowl food and buffets. No matter what type of event you are planning, you’re likely to want to provide food for your guests. There are plenty of caterers to choose from. But it’s worth remembering that each different caterer will have their own set of services, specialities and skillsets; they will also come in at different price points too.
Image courtesy of Vanilla Bean Catering
A caterer may be the perfect fit for one event, but a poor match for another. It’s important to understand the types and levels of service that they provide before you decide who you will hire.
Some companies excel at formal dining, some at creating casual dining experiences, some tiptoe along the line between the two. Make sure that your caterer not only delivers a great menu, but an appropriate level of service for your event too.
Additionallu, it’s important to be clear on what you expect from your caterer up front. Some caterers offer an element of event planning as well as food and service. This is often based around invitation and guest management, but usually pulls in elements of theming, décor and entertainment too.
See our list of recommended caterers, here
Entertainment agencies
Entertainment can make or break an event. Get it right and guests will be talking about your event for years to come. Get it wrong and they may still be talking about your event for years to come… just not in the way you hoped.
‘Entertainment’ covers many entertainer types: Bands, DJs, close-up magicians, silhouette artists, wacky waiters, roaming musicians, celebrity chefs and more. Entertainment agencies can help you to navigate your way through the wide variety of options available and to find the perfect acts for your unique event.
An agency’s reputation relies upon the successes of its acts. They closely vet acts and monitor customer feedback and reviews. Hiring your acts via an agency helps to ensure quality, but as with other supplier types there are premium, mid-range and entry level offerings. Check out reviews, read testimonials and – where possible, see acts perform live before you sign on the dotted line.
Find our recommended entertainment agencies here
Bar and drink party suppliers
The bar is the place to be at most social gatherings, so make sure that you get the right set up for your event. Professional bar companies will be able to advise on the perfect size bar, layout and location for your unique event.
Bar suppliers usually offer a variety of different service levels, from dry hire (bar only), to fully stocked and staffed bars. They will also source your drinks and glassware and offer a variety of bar designs to suit your event.
Having a traditional bar plus an artisan bar (such as a Gin bar), is a popular choice at contemporary events. Bar tenders range from straight forward servers to specialists who can talk you through the provenance of your beverage, and even flair bar tenders (think Tom Cruise in Cocktail), who can entertain the crowd too.
See our list of recommended bar suppliers here
Looking for more info on party suppliers?
Why not visit our recommended supplier directory? We only list suppliers that we have worked with and trust to deliver service levels that meet our exacting standards.
And talk to a member of our team for more advice and recommendations. Every event is different, and all party suppliers offer different types of service. We excel at understanding our customers needs and personalities. We match our clients with recommended party suppliers that will suit them and their unique event. Call 01483 322070 or email enquiries@lifestylemarquees.co.uk to find out more.
