As an event coordinator, my first thought is always ‘Let’s plan an event!’. However, when planning my very own Celebrating Simple Life Brand Re-Launch I went back and forth on the idea of throwing a launch party. And than I had an ‘AHA’ moment when I said ‘How can I showcase what I do for a living, hang out with my favorite people and Celebrate at the same time?!’ The LAUNCH PARTY was a GO!
I wanted the event to feel organized, yet casual, with attention to detail, but fun. I wanted to find balance between speaking about what I’ve been up to in my business and time to catch up with the amazing women who came out to support me. There were a number of women who were able to attend, who I had been meaning to chat with about ways I thought we could do future projects together and I was so happy to have this platform to make these connections.
If you have been thinking about hosting an event, soiree or gathering to engage your community, friends, family, colleagues & business associates in your industry about what you have going on in your business or launching a new product, it doesn’t have to be complicated. A thoughtful plan, with attention to detail goes a long way in making those around you feel engaged and important to you while also being able to showcase YOU!
Getting started is the hardest part and from there, follow these simple steps that I took to create my intimate launch party gathering:
Pick a date and book your venue ( or host it at home!)
The right atmosphere is conducive to good conversation and feeling like you are apart of something special. For my Launch, I used the beautiful & intimate space of The Well Collab Not only is their space gorgeous, but their mandate is Women Supporting Women…a perfect fit! (And how gorgeous are the flowers that my Bestie delivered to celebrate from afar - put together by the incredible Blossoms Florist.)
2. Invitations
If time allows, a paper invite received by mail, is always in style! For my recent launch, I designed a beautiful digital image that matched my brand and texted it to friends and emailed it to industry professionals to save on cost and time.
3. Food & Beverages
The attention to detail is always what makes one party or event stand out above the rest. And how those details make me feel. (I was inspired by all the Grazing table inspiration I’ve been following in Pinterest, especially the ones from The Honest Platter in New Zealand.) I wanted to stick with my shades of pink color palette and had lots of fun at the market, picking out items that fit and than played around with placement of the items to make the board look amazing. We sipped on a delicious new Lola Rose Wine from Pelee Island Winery in Ontario that I stumbled upon because the bottle was pretty. (Does anyone else do this too?!) I was delicious!
4. Decor
Because the venue at The Well Collab already had the feel that I wanted, I didn’t want to add unnecessary decor. My rule with events, is that less is more and work with the space your re in, instead of trying to make it look like something it’s not. (Seems like an applicable life lesson in general!) I purchased a Rose Gold Geometric Patterned pad of paper from Michaels craft store to use as an inspirational backdrop as guests entered and it was the perfect spot for my photographer friend to snap some adorable photos of guests having a good time. I also wanted to add an element that shows up on my Instagram often, a large pink balloon. Just for fun! Party City has amazing large round balloons that look like they might float you away.
Photo Credit: Crossing Cultures Catering
5. Interactive Activity
When an event includes women gathering….a lot of talking goes on. Sometimes no activity is needed, especially when the timeline of the event is short. I wanted to find a balance in telling a bit of my story for new friends and to be clear about the direction that my business is moving forward in. That is one of the biggest challenges in creative industries is that often, even our closest friends, don’t know exactly what it is that we do. For something fun to add to the evening, I teamed up with Crossing Cultures Catering for a really fun Cake Pop making activity. (Check them out, because they have workshops and lots of other fun things that they offer!) Guests could decorate their own cake pop to eat or to pack up and bring home and have a whole lot of fun while making them.
6. Thoughtful Goodbye
As a way to remind my guests of the fun experience we had enjoyed together, I invited them to pick one of the pieces of Quote Art off the wall and take it home with them and put it in a place they look at often, as a reminder to tell them how amazing they are. I also attached sparklers to my new beautiful business cards from MOO that they could take with to connect with me afterwards.
I made sure to follow up with each guest in the days following my Launch Party and thank them for coming out and for the ones that I’m really close with, I also included a reminder of how much they mean to me in my life. Life is not for the weak of heart, and I’m so grateful to have the women around me that I do, cheering me on, encouraging me to always do what I love and inspiring me to be the best version of myself.
Cheers to Celebrating today!
