As soon as the guests drop in, not only greet them heartily but also offer them drinks, appetizers and hors d’oeuvres. Making them feel comfortable from the beginning will help them to feel that way throughout the whole party. There are hosts, who already have a tray of drinks ready for their guests when they answer the door. That looks like exaggeration. Could work in summer but in winter this idea is less attractive.
In fact, the first thing most guests want to do when they enter is to take off their coats.
So maybe it is a good idea to engage a “junior host” who will be in charge of the coats. If your coat rack does not provide you with all the space, you need for the total amount of coats, just engage this “junior host” to collect all of the coats at the door way so that the party-animals are relieved of that. He or she can take the coats to a bedroom and put them carefully on a bed. As a perfect host, you know of course that if some new guests arrive, a short introduction to the other guests is recommended. Do not force them into a tough conversation right away. Just a quick introduction will do. Maybe you know by coincidence that they are sharing some mutual interests, like politicians or a soccer team or whatever, do not hesitate to mention that. This will work perfectly to kick off a conversation of course. A conversation that could last for hours, but even if it lasts much shorter; it serves as an icebreaker.
As a perfect host, you should absolutely and under no circumstances “hide” in the kitchen or behind the scenes (I am very sure you get my point!). That is so very wrong. Your party is going to die that way.
You have to mingle with all of the guests; your goal should be to talk with all of them, moving from conversation to conversation. The more you do so, the more your guests will follow your example and do so themselves. If you are feeling that you are not capable of breaking the ice with your guests, you can always use some “cheaters”. I hear you think: Cheaters. Well these are some tricks, which you can use to make your guests walk around, mingle, and start some conversation.
What do I mean?
For example, provide all of your guests with disposable cameras; ask them to take pictures as the party goes on. When they have finished the camera, have them put it in the so-called “used camera basket”. Now let someone develop the photos and place them online. I am quite sure your guests will have a great time while taking pictures and while looking them after the party. To stimulate a conversation at the dinner table you can use another “cheater”. This one is very helpful if some guests on your guest list do not know each other very well. Of course, there are many of such tricks. My favorite one, the one I use for years now, is called; “Table Topics”. These are a kind of playing cards, which feature fun, topic-provoking questions. It is amazing to see how these cards really work. At the dinner parties I hosted, I saw the most sparkling and entertaining conversations coming because of those magic cards.
When the evening passes by, keep your eyes wide open and see if you can spoil your guests a bit with some small gestures, so that they feel even more at home with you. When it is getting chillier, later in the evening, you can offer some socks for those who are barefooted. Or, offer a jacket or sweater for those guests standing outside on the terrace. I am sure you have seen it happen, the nightmare everyone is afraid about, a party that started great and then somehow end up into a total disaster. Everyone is defeated, how can something that began so beautiful end as a catastrophe.
It does not take much to ruin a party!
Parties have the quality of bringing out the best in some people and the worst in others. Do not ask me why, it just happens that way, it is an unwritten law.
Just one single person can ruin a party. And really, it does not take much. Sometimes a bad conversation spoils the party. Another time someone is drinking too much. It can be uncultivatedness or dullness. As a host, you always have to try to lead things in a more smooth way, when you see it occurring. When you can, you have to try to avoid this kind of situations of course. Believe you do not have to act like superman to do so.
Do some advance planning, that is the key to avoid problems. Never act like an ostrich and think that such things do not occur on your party. Do not take for granted that your friends or family would cause such a scene or spoil your party. I agree they would probably never do it on purpose. However, we all have our moments when we are losing control of ourselves. A couple of drinks will do us not so very good at that time. Therefore, (excusez le mot) shit happens! You can avoid this partially of course by taking a closer look on the guest list, before you send the invitations. When you think that your aunt Bessie could have problems resisting the fifth and sixth drink, do not let anyone put you under pressure to invite her.
The same goes for Monica and Bill, if you know that they just broke up after they tore almost the whole house down, better not invite them together. If you are not so sure of some other people on the guest list, do not be shy, just try to ask around and find out about them, ahead of the party. Maybe you feel like a private detective but take my word; a few minutes of asking around can save your party from turning into a rugby match!