4 Tips for Planning a Spooktacular Halloween Event
We can feel the crispness of the fall air lately in the mornings, and I can’t help but start to get excited about Halloween! Although fall means the ending of long summer days and warm weather, fall brings so much fun. Pumpkin patches, corn mazes, jumping into piles of leaves… ahh fall. Anyways, enough about me reminiscing about last fall, let’s get to it! With Halloween quickly approaching, I thought it would be great to share some tips on planning a spooktacular Halloween event! These events can range from work events to fun parties at home, so feel free to use these tips wherever they may apply for you.
Costumes
First things first, costumes! Costumes help make a Halloween event fun and interactive! It’s vital that you, as the organizer, get on board with dressing up right from the start. This sets a standard for the event so that most of your guests will dress up as well! From my experience, I’ve noticed it’s always a bit more challenging to get people to dress up at work versus a Halloween event. Still, I’ll talk about ways you can encourage participation later in the blog, so continue reading!
Think about ways that you want to set up costumes. For example, should there be a theme where your guests have to put on their creativity hats, or maybe you want to have it as a free for all? Remember that themes can be as broad or as specific as you want them, but think about what your guests are more likely to find entertaining and willing to participate in.
Decor
Decor, this may be as important if not more important than costumes, but let’s call it even. Decor helps set the atmosphere, and for Halloween, you get to pull out that creative side of you. What I like to do is create a Pinterest board and save all my favorite decoration ideas. Then, when the event/event gets closer, I choose my top ideas and start chipping away at my shopping list. But where to shop, you might ask? A good rule of thumb is to always start at the dollar store. This will help save you a couple of bucks, and whatever you don’t find there, you can try looking at more niche stores like Party City. But if you’re crafty like I am, go to your local dollar store or Michaels and see what you can DIY!
Maybe decor isn’t your thing, or perhaps you have so many other event planning duties you can’t even start to think of decorations. I can help! Earlier this year, I launched a brand new product- Decor Crate, your decoration solution in Edmonton and surrounding areas. I put together all the decorations you will need for your event (plus more- we can customize it to your needs). Crates start as low as $55 for ten guests, but we can find a solution that works for your needs and budget. Contact us to learn more!
Catering
What’s an event without food? Whether you want to have the full meal deal or just some fun snacks, it’s important to think about this prior so that you aren’t rushing at the last minute. If you are planning an event with a more extensive guest list, consider catering or a potluck! If you have a smaller guest list, you can consider whipping up a few spooky snacks (I’ve listed some recipes below)!
Looking for something else? Scroll through Pinterest, where there are lots of different spooky treat ideas!
Improving Engagement & Participation
When planning an event, big or small, participation and engagement can really change the event’s mood. When all guests get involved in the games or activities, it makes for a much more exciting event. So how can you ensure that you’re getting high levels of engagement and participation? Including prizes or giveaways can be a great way to get people to participate in the festivities. Think about what kinds of prizes your audience wants ahead of time to ensure that the possible chance of winning a prize will entice them.
Remember, you just have to get a portion of your audience to engage. Once the majority of the event is participating, others will likely join in! Ensure that you plan activities that suit the theme, audience and aren’t too complicated.
Need help getting ready for your spooky Halloween? Contact us to learn how we can ease your event planning tasks so that you can sit back and enjoy!
Are you just looking for decorations and snacks? Then, check out our new product, Decor Crate– your decorations solution in Edmonton and the surrounding area.