Is 4 Hours the New 5 Hour Party?

 The LSNY ALL Stars appear at our client's party back in 2008

One of the things that my clients and families know at the end of our time together if not during, is that I will go 100s of extra miles to make sure their experience is the best it can be.  I treat every party as if it were my personal family's events, or one better the last party they will ever attend.

In going the extra mile that means I'm going to share information that may not be the norm, popular or is not in the mainstream.  Some of my clients are quite savvy when it comes to parties and can see the value in these ideas.  For others it may be the first time they have ever heard it.  And if they are not comfortable with new ideas or knowing what who we are and what we do, they sometimes pull back a little.

I just had this experience on both sides of the fence with the proper length of parties question. 

Here's the inside scoop on the length of parties from our experience:  I've investigated and pulled it apart, and if you want the thesis on it I can give it to you, but the short of it is

***People can rock a 5 hour party much easier in the evening than in the afternoon.  But they don't necessarily prefer it.  This is my experience over 20 years of doing parties.

BUT almost everyone can ROCK a 4 hour party from beginning to end. whenever the party is.

***Another inside scoop - The majority of parties FEEL better to guests if the main reception of the party is shorter than 4 hours in duration.

Now of course there are a lot of factors that go into that besides just the clock ticks.  How exciting, lively and intense an experience is it for your guests?  What is the age range of the guests?  Are they movers and shakers or sitters and eaters?  Does the energy of your parties prove to be so unabashed that they become a vortex for others to join in?  Do they have wild and crazy streaks or are they more sedate and prefer to watch and talk?

Yet even after these questions are answered, nearly every party I've done in the last 20 years (over 1500) has FELT better and been palpably more exhilarating afterward when the main reception was shorter than 4 hours. I've passed this along to industry vendors and whether they say it publicly is one thing, they all agree behind the scenes, as one vendor stated, "they all leave after dessert anyway."

I share this information with clients in the pre-booking process for them to consider for themselves.  I'm not pushing them away from a 5 hour party or that we can't do them well , because can go 6 or 7 hours if need be with vibrant energy.  My goal is to inform and serve them in getting the most INCREDIBLE FEELING event, so that they and their guests walk out of there elated, euphoric and retain a long lasting  memory of this event as one of the best ever.

A client I had done 2 previous parties for (both of which were 5 hours) was doing her last child's mitzvah with us.  I assumed it would be another 5 hour affair, because both previous parties were unbelievable.  She told me she was shortening it.  She said she had been talking with friends, "Yeah 5 hour parties don't seem to be the way to go anymore."  She was already hip to the pulse of change.  More on this in a moment.

The other potential client that I shared the information with came back to me after being ready to go forward and stalling to say, "We were really taken aback by suggesting having less than a 4 hour party. Everyone else we told this to rolled their eyes at us." 

Michael Sage on a Foto Favor from LSNY Entertainment

Last week we did a 3 hour party that was OFF THE HOOK!  There was no fluff, lulls or hiccups. We gave away more business cards at that event than the 3 previous ones together.  Why?  Because it moved so well everyone was refreshed!

Back to the story, the first client whose party was 4 and 1/2 hours with an hour and 15 minute cocktail for the adults had a transcendent experience at her party as did her guests.  See http://lsny.blogspot.com/2010/05/review-kramer-mitzvah-at-mountain-ridge.html,  Her main room was 3 hours and 15 minutes - 3 and 1/2 hours for the kids.  The results were electrifying.  Now her first two were amazing parties and they had 4 hours in the main room.  This one was 1/2 hour shorter for the kids and 45 minutes shorter for the adults.  And my whole team noticed the difference.

Back to the other client:  We lost the party to someone else who agreed with the client and told them "everyone does 5 hour parties" - suggesting a weakness or deceptive ullterior motive on our part to suggest a shorter event.  

Granted a shorter party by 1/2 hour or 1 hour is less working time for us, but the intense fun we have at our parties, shortening it a little may be welcomed relief for clients. But folks a wedding or mitzvah is a LONG day for guests too.  If it's a morning ceremony for a mitzvah, people are up like a workday, 6, 7 or 8am getting everyone ready to go. They get to the ceremony at 9 or 10am.  The ceremony is an hour or two (depending on how much the rabbi or officeint enjoys speaking) and then you move on to the reception at 12 noon and 5 hours later it's potentially a 9, 10 or 11 hour day for them.

This is where ending at 4pm or 4:30pm is so psychologically appealing and more stress-less.  They can let go more and give more because there's not another hour to the party.

I've seen it 100s of times at both lengths of parties just in the last few years.  Even evening parties benefit from the shorter duration.  Talk about lifting off!  Oh my goodness the energy is sustained throughout.  The party is full, tighter and no dull moments.  It's quick moving and pulsing with energy, something is always about to happen in just the right timing.

This is what my May client tapped into.  This is what many of my clients have experienced even those that chose a 5 hour party, but extended the cocktails so that the main room was 3.5 hours instead of 4 hours after an hour cocktail.

I know the allure of having a 5 hour party, suggesting more is more.  You haven't seen relatives and friends in a while.  You want to get around to everyone.  It's a magnificent thing.  But it's very ambitious to imagine that in 5 hours we can get to everyone in a quality way that we had imagined.

We find ways in the party itself to make that connection with your guests in an indelible way that often is more memorable than the conversation you could have.  And it's a connection through music, dance, touch, smiling, vibrancy, fun and embrace. 

Getting this kind of connection is what it seems we are all seeking.  I can guarantee you that in the right hands 4 hours or 4.5 hours will feel like a beautiful eternity that you never want to end, instead of one of those 5 hour marathons that you find others or yourself leaving after dessert is served, ironically arouind the 4th hour.

5 hour parties can be magnificient with incredible partying guests, but for the majority of people, 4.5 hours, 4 hours even 3.5 hours can be a surprisingly spectacular life-changing event.

Cheers and Happy Events to you.
Michael



what is the best length for a party? should a party be 4 hours or 5 hours?  How do you decide the length of a party?  Does my party have to be 5 hours?