THE PANEL
Edwina Dowling director, Added Dimension
Anabel Fielding director, Quintessentially Events
Wonkie Hills owner, Zest Events
Danielle Nay owner, Brand Angel
What are the main objectives of a private party?
Edwina Dowling Every client has a different objective, and it's our job to bring that to life. Most of our private clients want their party to reflect their personality, and one of the main objectives is always to entertain.
Danielle Nay We agree these upfront with clients. My objectives for a private event are to make sure every guest has a brilliant time in a beautiful space that appeals to all the senses. To ensure that they are properly fed and watered, dance if appropriate, catch up with old friends and make some new ones, and go home with something amazing to talk about. It's also incredibly important that the host has just a brilliant time.
Anabel Fielding To provide a perfectly pitched occasion, reflecting the status and social tastes of the client, with a genuine celebratory feel.
How do you measure the effectiveness of a private party?
ED Receiving a glowing response after the event is definitely a sign of us having fulfilled objectives, but I also think it's our own undertaking to make sure the clients themselves don't have to deal with any stresses that arise in the lead-up, particularly on the night.
AF Happy, somewhat exhausted guests.
DN I can gauge success by what kind of shape the guests, and the venue, are in at the end. The day after fashion designer Karen Millen's 40th birthday I found a ceremonial sword - used to slice the cake - in the pool, along with a pair of La Perla knickers. Now that's a birthday party.
Wonkie Hills How late they stay, how much they drink, how much fun they have.
What are the main differences between a private party and corporate one?
ED The biggest difference is the personal element. If a private party is a reflection of a person, then a corporate function reflects a brand or a message. There's usually less emotional investment.
DN Corporate clients usually, but not always, have more experience in this area and therefore a better idea of what things are likely to cost, which is good.
WH We would ask the corporate client what they want to achieve, whereas with a private client it's usually more obvious, but with regards to design, thought and detail we don't differentiate between the two.
Which do you find easier to work with, corporate clients or private ones?
ED As a company, we have some event managers who find it more enjoyable to work with private clients and others who prefer corporates, so it's our job to match them up.
WH Often the corporate client is easier in that there is often less emotion. However, we've been lucky enough to work with some of the nicest people you could hope to meet.
AF It depends entirely on the client. However, corporate clients mostly respect that you need to make decisions in a certain time and that you don't want to change them once made. Some private clients are absolute dreams, however, and it's a joy to work with them.
What are the biggest challenges in creating private parties?
DN Music is a big one. Allowing a client to book the DJ, usually their brother or sister, is almost invariably a disaster.
AF Squeezing people's ideas into their budgets and trying to steer them away from bad taste.
WH Managing expectations and managing the efficiency of how it all runs. Having a casual event requires as much effort as a very formal one. It's about really stripping it down and thinking about the logistics in a very lateral way.
If the private party is for a high-profile client how do you deal with the press and the hangers-on?
ED A really experienced security team who know how to manage those sort of situations in the way the client expects. Some want their events to remain completely private, while for others a certain amount of press coverage is a good thing. There has to be a balance and an understanding of what the client wants.
WH The press is containable. Hangers on shouldn't know about a private party. In our experience, high-profile clients tend to keep private parties properly private.
AF Politely and firmly in both cases, unrelenting in the latter.
If you had an unlimited budget, what would you include in your dream private party?
ED It would have to be appropriate to the client obviously, but I'm a big technology fan, so I love working with lasers, projections and fireworks. I love the theatre of all that, particularly when you can bring in elements of the client's personality.
DN I'd ask the audience. I did that once when planning a very male-skewed Discovery event. The boys came back with all sorts, including 'holographic porn'.
AF Fly all my friends to a private island and have Prince perform.
What's the most awkward audience you have ever faced and how did you deal with it?
ED We've had a situation where the client was wearing all white and a young member of the catering team accidentally dropped red wine all over the outfit. Fortunately, it was right at the end of the night, but we had it dry-cleaned and I personally returned it to make sure they were happy.
DN Every guest who has ever got upset when we turned the music off at the end. Some of the 18-year-olds at the Skins Secret Party were pretty terrifying after a few drinks.
AF A take-over of the VIP room at the MOBO music awards by gun-wielding thugs. We locked ourselves and our staff into a storage cupboard until the melee was over and had to leave the security to deal with it.
EXPERTS' CHOICE
Our private parties club reveal their favourite venues and suppliers for producing the perfect event.
VENUES
Danielle Nay
Almada;
Bloomsbury Ballroom;
Freemasons Hall
The Ivy Club
Wilton's Music Hall
Anabel Fielding
Guildhall;
Louise T Blouin Institute
Old Finsbury Town Hall;
One Marylebone Road
Soho Hotel
Wonkie Hills
Ackergill Tower, Caithness;
Kew Gardens
Two Temple Place
Villa Rothschild, St Jean Cap Ferrat;
Volstead
Edwina Dowling
Banqueting House
Battersea Evolution;
Louise T Blouin Institute
Natural History Museum
Old Billingsgate
SUPPLIERS
Danielle Nay
Advanced Signs;
Ideas Box;
Karavanaoke;
The Recipe;
Sweet&Chilli
Anabel Fielding
Cellar Society;
Gallowglass
HFM Lighting;
Project Audio;
The Recipe
Wonkie Hills
Eclare Cuisine;
Focus Lighting
Invisible Blue;
Mount Street Printers;
Veevers Carter
Edwina Dowling
Chillspace
Mecco;
Renegade Lighting Design;
Rhubarb
Sherpa