Hey Everyone!

I'm appealing to any of you who have hosted or gone to 'home shows'. I recently started with a new company and will be doing demo parties, but I am really at a loss when it comes to creative party games....etc! Any suggestions would be great! I really don't want to bore the clients!

Discuss::

Have you been to a memorable/Fun home show? What made it memorable? Fun?

What are some of your favorite 'home party' games to play?

What do you dislike the most about home parties?

edit to add::

If your children were invited to the home show as well, would you prefer separate activities for them so you get grown up time? Or would you prefer joint Mommy n Me activites?

Personally, I hate the "introduce yourself" games. I like the more "trivial pursuit" games, and no, not about the product that the hostess was selling.

Any game that gets me a prize, I am for. (like my pampered chef lady would give out those cheepy paring knives or orange peelers. useful, but cheep on the seller)

The thing about home parties I hate the most is when the product rep would be "pushy for the hostess". By this I mean, if you all buy $XXX amount of stuff, your FRIEND can get blah-de-blah for free. Dont you want your FRIEND to get this nice expensive thing for free?" You are her friend arent you". I know they wouldnt exactly say that, but dang, thats how I felt cause I had to hear, "Parties that sell over $X amount have hostesses get $X for free"

I know that you have to encourage people to buy stuff, but dont make it feel like if i only bought the $3 peeler that I was a crappy friend.

What makes a good home party

#1 good food

#2 tell guest to bring a friend

#3 what may get me there is knowing there are give aways

#4 inexpensive items or things I can actually use are being sold

#5 soft music in background (jazz preferably)

Will your audience be your friends, or strangers? If they're your friends, you'll know a little about them and can let them help you figure out what to do. Ditto on the "introduce yourself" stuff. I've only been to two of these, and really only b/c it was the nice thing to do, so I can't suggest a lot of activities that "work" for these things. What kind of product will you be selling? That also might help with activities. Don't need the brand or anything, just genre.

Thanks for all the suggestions so far!

Wavydaby:: Do you put emphasizing that they can get free stuff if they host their own party in the same catagory as pushing for their friend to get free stuff? Thanks for the trivia suggestion!

Teresita:: Nice suggestion to ask the guests to bring a guest of their own! Thanks

Wheetsin:: I think most parties will be with friends, however many shows I will be doing will be through preschool classes, schools, and churches where it will be strangers. I am selling Veggietales products, so mostly that is children's videos/dvds, apparel and toys.

Thanks again for the suggestions and advice! I'm taking notes!:biggrin1:

I love veggietales...jumping up and down. veggie taaaalees veggie taalesss *singing*

cupcakes if hard floors, lillipops if there is carpet LOL

bring a friend

puppets for them to hold

a veggie tale movie playing, that will keep the kids quiet

They sale themselves.

I hate to be the nay sayer, but my idea of Purgatory is a never-ending Tupperware party. I hate being a captive customer. I hate myself for buying over-priced stuff that I don't want/need, just so I don't look like a cheapskate wet blanket party pooper. But that's just me. There are probably lots of people who enjoy attending these things. But please...if you have friends who try and decline gracefully, let them. Please, please please. Don't say, "Oh, just come for the fun. You don't have to buy anything." We always feel like we have to buy something. It's like having your neighbor's kid knock on your door selling Girl Scout cookies...how can you say "No" and still look her/him in the eye?

What business did you join?

Hijack here: Diane you look great, love the new avatar.....you look like a teen....Mandy

HiJack over, please resume normal thread activity...

Hi there,

I'm sorry but I'm just not a fan of home parties... I don't mind going to one every once in a while but my two cousins and my aunt have one every two months! How many PartyLite, Longaberger, Tastefully Simple (the best one) Pearl/oyster, Charmelle, parties can a girl handle!

I always end up buying something out of guilt, not because I actually like the products. I mean really, don't we all have about 250 candles? I have to exempt Tastefully Simple from my rant because they have GREAT spicing mixtures with no sodium that are fab.

Anyway, my $0.02 for what it's worth!

Erin, yea, I kinda think of it as the same thing.

But I guess its in how you phrase it and time it.

But, please if you ask someone to host, and they say, I dont know or let me think about it, let it go. My fav pampered chef lady would mention it once to the group about parties and sales, then would talk to each person one on one when they placed their order, away from the rest of the group. to answer questions in a more quiet atmosphere. Also, she would fill out the address section and stuff of the order form for you and ask you the "sales questions".

Hijack: Thank you Peircedqt78!! I feel like a new woman!

Okay, back to topic.

I like the free gift for bringing a friend. Since I dont like to go to those parties alone anyway, it is always nice when they give us the little token gift for coming with a friend. That is a great way to get people to bring somebody. One thing that I totally detest tho is when the person pushes you to have a party of your own.... If I wanted to have a party I would have, its that simple...

I agree that the majority of the "parties" are really lame. However, I think your product is different. You could have a really fun interactive experience with parents and kids! My personal opinions on the sales parties:

1) Have a defined start and end time.

2) Be honest an open right away - you are there to sell something. But the audience benefits by getting a trial run of the products.

3) Encourage the trial run. Let everyone play with and/or experience the product on their own without the boring "demonstration"

4) Have a group play or child play option so parents can join in if they wish -- or just leave the tykes to entertaining themsleves (that can be a great selling point!)

Let us know how it works out for you! I think it is a great idea with an untapped market.

I loveeeeeeeeeeee Veggie Tales!!!!! I got a veggietales CD from my nephew a few years ago and have every song on it memories. "My little cheeseburgerrrrr... my little cheeseburgerrrrr" hahaha

Silly songs with Larry!

I need to go home and find that cd now. I can't wait to have kids and get them singing that cd. "Everybody's got a waterbuffalooooo...your's is fast and mine is slow!" hahahaha