We love a cocktail style party! Event organisers are sometimes overwhelmed by the idea of putting on a cocktail style event rather than a sit down dinner, but for the right occasion, we think this is the best kind of party!

Some things to keep in mind when throwing a cocktail party are :

• Choose a colour palette or style for your event and make sure all pieces tie in together to create a look in the room
• Make sure you organise enough seating. We generally recommend you have seating for a minimum of 30% of your total number of guests. For example, a cocktail party for 250 people would need 75 seats
• Mix up the seating with a range of different furniture types. Have some cocktail tables and stools, chill out areas with sofas and some areas with casual ottoman style seating
• Provide a drinks bar as well as food stations. These allow guests to self serve if they would like. Make sure you also have all drinks and food served on trays by the venue staff as well. This gives guests the choice of waiting for it to come around or to go and get some themselves
• The floor plan and design of the space is so important. Give your guests things to move to. Put the bar and food separately so you don’t get a bottleneck
• Consider a central hero in the room. Maybe a huge chandelier installation or a large circular bar. This will give your event space a heart
• Provide break out activities like a photo booth, dancing area, entertainment or interactive games

Chat to our team of event designers about how we can make your next cocktail event one to remember!