Managing a Large Guest List: Tips for Keeping Costs Down for Your Party

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Discussion Overview

This thread discusses strategies for managing large guest lists for Pampered Chef parties, particularly focusing on cost-effective ways to send invitations and reminders. Participants share their experiences and thoughts on how to handle extensive guest lists while maintaining engagement with potential attendees.

Discussion Character

  • Anecdotal
  • Opinion-based
  • Exploratory

Main Points Raised

  • One participant shares their experience of receiving a guest list of 101 names and considers whether to ask the host to reduce the list or send postcards instead.
  • Another participant suggests mailing postcards and adding labels with current guest special information.
  • Several users mention the idea of sending mini invitations to out-of-town guests and offering to help with reminder calls.
  • One participant recounts a past experience where a host invited over 50 people but had very few attendees, emphasizing the importance of inviting from diverse social circles.
  • Another participant discusses the effectiveness of using email and phone invitations, noting that hosts appreciate the simplicity of providing names and contact information.
  • Some participants express optimism about large guest lists, sharing positive outcomes from similar situations in the past.
  • One participant mentions the potential for offering incentives for guests who attend the show, such as special gifts for those who bring a specific invitation.
  • Another participant reflects on the costs associated with sending traditional invitations and suggests that host enthusiasm plays a crucial role in attendance.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Views differ on whether to pare down guest lists or stick with sending invitations to all names provided. Some participants advocate for sending postcards, while others support traditional mini invitations. There is no clear consensus on the best approach, as experiences and preferences vary.

Contextual Notes

Participants share personal experiences related to managing guest lists and the impact of host engagement on attendance. The discussion reflects a range of strategies and outcomes based on individual circumstances.

Who May Find This Useful

Consultants looking for insights on handling large guest lists and exploring different invitation strategies may find this discussion beneficial.

ChefBeckyD said:
Oh wow - I have to say that, although I hate to disappoint everyone - I guess my host was right. :cry:

Out of over 100 invites, she had 7 attend the show, and one outside order. Now, she does have a few more people that she said wanted to place an order, and two of those at the show asked if they could call me today to add to their orders they placed last night...but still....

Right now, sales are at $395, and I got a booking for a Cooking Show in Feb, and a Bridal Shower for April. Soooo, not a total letdown, but nowhere near what I would have expected for that many invites sent out.

Interestingly enough, of those who attended, 3 had received the catalog invite, and the other 4 got the postcard. The outside order (online order) had a catalog invite as well - so it was an even split.

Soooo, there you have it! I'm not going to lose money on this show, but it wasn't "the best show ever!" by any stretch of the imagination!

In all fairness though - the group that came was GREAT! They were a lot of fun, asked a ton of good questions, and made the evening a party! Out of 7 guests - I sold 3 DCB, booked a party because of the DCB, and 2 of the guests already had a DCB - so only one guest is still DCB-less. :)
Click to expand...

It kinda sucks that not many people showed up but look how many contact numbers and address you have for your prospecting activities! It might not be a total wash.
 
  • Thread starter
  • #62
mandy412 said:
It kinda sucks that not many people showed up but look how many contact numbers and address you have for your prospecting activities! It might not be a total wash.
Click to expand...

All I have are addresses - no phone #'s. I probably would never use this list for bookings, etc. I did get several good contacts from the show and outside orders. 2 Bookings and several people who purchased the DCB - so plenty of follow up for me.

We closed the show at $550 - so I'm happy with the turnout.
 
I agree Becky....good show! You have leads, bookings and above avg sales, right? Congrats and Kudos!

So, with the results you got...will you continue to mail out the mini's? Do you personally think it's worth the cost?
 
I was reading thought this because I have a host for next Friday who has outdone herself.... she sent out a FB message to 94 people... gave me a gust list of 50 to be mailed... and called me yesterday and asked for 30 more of her invitations so she could hand them out to the women at her church.... assuming that there will be some duplicates from FB and on her mailed guest list I'm going to say that is 150 people.... now I'm sure that not all of them will come, or even place orders.... and I'm trying not to get my hopes up because everytime I do I get let down miserably... I had a show on the 2nd where there were 35 people and only had 680 in orders... the entire show fit in two boxes.
 
I just had a party where I mailed 114 invites for the hostess. She had 18 to show up and 4 outside orders for $1100 in sales.. wonder what the other 80 people thought? been nice if they had ordered or called to say they were not coming..
 
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