How To Pick An Event Theme
Is coming up with an event theme getting you down?
It's a tricky one - there are soooo many themes to choose from, and even more so - how do you pick a theme that's going to get everyone excited about your party, as opposed to moaning about what they are going to wear?
Locking in a theme early means the rest of your event planning becomes so much easier - you'll be able to pick decorations, give people time to decide on their outfit and even have time to think about themed party food and drinks!
And who doesn't like the idea of more time :)
Here are our top tips on picking the best theme for your event.
Tip One – pick a theme based on the season
Nice and easy! It could be a winter wonderland, spring fling, summer beach theme…..you get the idea. Not only does this make picking outfits/costumes super easy, but it also gives your guests a lot of options as to how much they dress up or dress down.
Tip Two – pick a theme based on your crowd
If you know that you've got quite a conservative crowd coming to your event, it’s best for go for something as easy as possible. Ideas for this could be a colour theme (you could do your company logo colour), season based themes as mentioned above, or something that calls for a formal standard of dress e.g: the Oscars, Hollywood or James Bond/007.
However, if you’ve got a group of guests that are quite social, feel free to go all out. Disco Inferno, Arabian Nights, Carnival…. think big because an outgoing crowd are going to absolutely love it.
Tip Three – lend a hand
If you want people to get into your theme, a good idea is to send guests a few inspiration pictures to get them started on their costumes. Every event that I’ve been to and this has happened, it has been SO helpful and really inspired me to work on a great costume. Doing this tells your guests to what level they’re expected to dress up and will get them excited about the event – highly recommend!
Tip Four – do your homework on cultural themes
When picking an event theme that is based around a culture different to your own i.e: Fiesta, Arabian nights, Bollywood, make sure you do your homework. Speak to someone who is from that particular culture, and check that everything you’re doing is correct and respectful. A theme from another culture (especially one that is very present in your workplace) is an awesome idea, and can be so fun – just do your homework!
Tip Five - think about where your guests are coming from
If your event is not on a workday, guests are more likely to be coming from home, so will have time to get into a costume and get ready. In this case, it’s ok to plan a theme that may require a bit more effort.
If your event is planned for straight after work, things need to be easy and straight forward. You need to pick a theme that calls for costumes that people can literally throw on and walk out the door. For example, a really easy one would be a crazy hat party. Put on the hat, they’re done, time to come to your event.
If you are out of town for an event, e.g: an off-site conference or in another city, this is a factor you will need to really consider when picking a theme. Ideally, your theme is something that requires a costume that they can throw in a suitcase and bring with them e.g: Grecian theme - all they would need is a bed sheet!
Another idea in this instance would be doing some research on local costume shops in the event or accomodation area and providing this information for your guests. Most $2 shops, Look Sharp stores, or local costume hire shops would definitely have Hawaiian or superhero outfits, so this theme could work well.
If you’ve picked a theme and it’s time to plan the entertainment – we’re here to help. We’ve got a big list of all the event themes we’ve done and guests have loved (and are always keen to try new ones), so fill out our contact form here with yours, and we’ll be in touch with what we can do!
Happy theme picking :)
