Start with why: define what a great night looks like

Before the date, the venue or the guest list, decide what the event is for and who it's for. Every later decision gets easier.

The Valore team · 2 min read

Ask a first-time host what their event is for and you'll usually hear the format: a dinner, a mixer, a launch party, a workshop. Formats are useful, but they don't tell you what to do when you have to choose between a bigger venue and a better one, or whether to invite your manager's friend who keeps asking.

A purpose does. Good hosts know, before anything else, what they want to be true for their guests when they walk out the door.

Write the one-sentence purpose

Fill in this sentence: "This event is for [who], so that by the end of the night they [what changes]." Keep rewriting it until it's specific enough to rule things out.

• Weak: "A networking night for founders."
• Better: "A dinner for 12 first-time founders in climate, so each one leaves with two people they'll actually follow up with."
• Weak: "A housewarming."
• Better: "A housewarming that mixes my work friends with my neighbours, so the street feels like home by spring."

The better versions tell you the guest list, the size, the format and even the seating. A dinner for 12 where everyone should meet two people needs a long table and a host who rotates seats at dessert, not a bar with standing room for 80.

Let the purpose set the size

Under about 12 people, one conversation can include everyone. Between 12 and 40, the room splits into clusters and the host's job becomes introductions. Past 40 or so, you need structure, like name tags, a short program or zones, or people will stay with the friends they came with.

None of these sizes is better than the others. The mistake is picking the size first ("the venue holds 150, so let's invite 150") and hoping it fits the purpose afterwards.

Use it as a filter

Once the purpose is written, put it at the top of your planning doc and check every choice against it. A DJ at a dinner meant for conversation works against you. A photo booth at a founders' dinner probably does nothing. A booth at a housewarming meant to mix two friend groups might be the best icebreaker you have.