The Joys of A Party At Black Pepper Celebrating Steve Brewer's Successfully Becoming Distinguished Toastmaster

Steve Brewer celebrating his success.

What makes you attend a party, pull or push? I missed the Watford Speaker's Club Christmas Party. Was it because the dates clashed, or simply that I had so many parties, or that nobody phone me personally? Or was the clincher the fact that I already had two wine club parties and two Speakers' Club parties and had to miss the Writer's Circle party because it clashed with another party?

When I went to the party in January celebrating Steve Brewer's success I enjoyed it so much that I regretted not attending the Watford club party the previous December and vowed that I would join them next year. What was so good about the party for Steve Brewer? Every club or event succeeds because one or two or more people devote lots of time and effort into making the event happen. Instead of seeing organising as a chore, those in charge look forward to managing the details as a preview and extension of the joy of the occasion.

Whether you are arranging a party or a wedding or a funeral, what keeps you going is the desire to see friends or family, honour somebody and have a successful event including all the elements you feel are either necessary or pluses. Let's look at the elements of a successful celebration and speech: First pick a date which suits your VIP.

Venue and Date
Choose a date when it is celebration season, or a date when no rival events take place and restaurant prices are advantageous. January was a good date. No rival events claimed our time and money. Invitations Send out invitations. Note in the original invitation or a follow up personal note or phone call why the recipient will be welcome or why the VIP is a VIP.

Partymania shop, Hatch End. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright. 

Banners and Balloons
Ask the venue to provide banners and balloons or supply them and arrive early so they are up before the arrival of the most guests and the VIP. Opposite Black Pepper restaurant in Hatch End is a party shop called Party Mania. Another party shop is in Stanmore. You will find similar ones worldwide, and if not, there's always the web, so allow a month for anything you want to order on line, with delivery from China and the Far East to Europe or America and in the opposite direction.

(A club organiser might have a box of party ware. Harrovians club used to keep Xmas items from year to the next, including banners and a Santa Claus outfit. The trick is to keep a note of who took the goods home. One year it took a week or ringing around to find out who had the old Santa Claus outfit. Sometimes a hoarder has an attic and is keen to keep items to supply to numerous clubs of which they are a member. Other times nobody wants the clutter the responsibility and nuisance of storing and labelling and transporting back and forth. It's just a question of finding which committee member or person living near the club venue wants to take home the leftover banners, and whether they are willing and able to produce them at the next event.

 Venue and Decor Menu, food and drink

 Socialising and mixing Speeches
 All went well. (Another post in my travel blog features more on the restaurant.
 (This is a Draft - saved so as no to lose it. More text and photos to be added later.

Club officer training - what I'd like next time

What did I enjoy?

New information - from Coralie.
Display of Toastmasters Promise.
Display of banners with ribbons.
Slide presentation.
Coconuts as prizes.
Food and drink on arrival.

What could be improved or changed?
Get to the other participants, their names, position in their club, their contact details.

Photo of those at the event to put on Facebook/website and encourage others to attend the next event.

Show manual cover and say on which page to find information. (I was faffing around in wrong manual and interrupted speaker Coralie before I found it.

Something for everyone so those not getting the coconut prize got a pen or a chocolate.

Give out pen and paper at start or check everybody has got them or ask everybody to get out paper and pen from their bags or email asking them to bring paper and pen.

Email venue organiser/club president, ask who is booking venue eg Sergeant at Arms AA, email them (SAA or whoever) and ask for written confirmation that venue is booked.

People should not sit behind others with the same name. Those with same name should have first letter of surname on badge. We had two Angela's at this meeting. Only two days earlier two people called Mike, one behind another, stood up when TME called on Mike to speak.

What extras would I like next time?
A Speed-dating style start where you exchange your details with other participants to encourage networking.

Name badges with club and current or previous or potential posts held. Ask me about/I'd like to know about tick box on badge.

Trouble-shooting guide on each committee post. eg Challenges of a President and falling numbers; quick panel one sentence anser on how to deal with it. How to replace a committee member who resigns a week later.

A write up of the event to remind us what we learned and pass it on to those who did not attend and keep a record for future years.

To create your own survey go to: surveymonkey.com/survey

Angela Lansbury, speaker, author of: Quick Quotations; Wedding Speeches & Toasts.
Member of Harrovians and HOD Toastmasters clubs.
Posts held previously:
Secretary, HOD.
President, Harrovians.