BLFC 2023 logo BLFC 2023 Curse of Coeurasa Oct. 30th - Nov. 2nd, 2023

Room Party How-To Guide

How can you prepare for your room party? Plan, plan, and plan some more! You don’t want to be left with any surprises along the way.

Make a room reservation

If you are thinking this is something you want to do, you should have a room reservation at the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino. Without one, you cannot Pass Go for this year. We will need that information to relocate your room on the Party Floor.

Plan

With the room reservation out of the way, you need to get down to planning your room party. Things to consider for your BLFC experience are: will it be an open party, what hours will you be open, is there a theme, are you serving food or beverages, what supplies do you need, are you decorating, and what, a budget?

What does your room party want to be when it grows up?

All room parties are on the first floor to keep the noise in one area, and this means we will have a mix of experiences on one floor. Rooms can have private or open parties, while others will have folks who want to be in the middle of the action. And we want to stress this again, by being on the Party Floor, you agree to cope with the noise generated on the floor, and will not make any noise complaints to the hotel.

Now, how long do you want your epic party to run for? Official party hours are from 7PM to 2AM on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. You may continue outside these hours; there is no “last call”. Your party does not need to be open all three days for all 24 hours. But covering some part of them will allow for good flow through the open parties.

So, you are throwing a party. That’s enough isn’t it? It can be, but it can also be much, much more! Theming your room party can take many forms. Do you want to celebrate the BLFC theme by doing your take on it? Or you want to promote your home convention and its theme? A common type of room party has a group of friends celebrating their wee bit of furry fandom from their favorite suit maker to a favored movie. To wrap your party theme up, come up with a snazzy name for your party. You will need it later for your application and the signs you will make to advertise your room.

They always have the very best things

First time party hosts often overlook all the basic things needed to run a party. Things like a few extra garbage bags when you have all the garbage under the sun, a doorstop to let the flow in, bowls for the popcorn you are passing out, or blue painter’s tape to hang up your room party signs. Even if you don’t serve food or drink, think ahead for people who might bring items into your party from another party, a restaurant, or the concession stand.

We have a list for you of things to consider bringing. While it is a big list, not everything listed may be relevant for your party, or you may need other things not listed here.

Suggested Supplies

Your party will be on the Party Floor. That usually means food and beverages, but also includes other things as well. Food can cover Costco snack treats or food in ready-to eat-packaging. Drinks also can cover the range from non-alcoholic to alcoholic, and even be the theme of the party - Junior’s Bar. Or, skip the food and drinks and hold a Smash Brothers tournament, have a Chill Out space, do a movie/musical marathon, or even do your own micro programming and panels.

Wait, I need to have a budget?

While all good parties start with planning, lists, and the IDEA, reality comes in like a hammer when figuring out how to pay for the Tide Pod eight tier cake. Room parties can take tips and donations, but CANNOT require money to get something from the party. That is a sale. Go to the Room Party Policy for more information. But back to budgets, we are going to talk about a few different things that fall under “budgeting.”

First, budgeting time. Be honest with yourself. Throwing a room party can be hectic and busy. Plan for how much time it will take to prepare for your party, set up, run the party, and take it all back home. Pull in your friends to help with the various stages, including running the party. Pouring drinks for eight hours is a VERY long time. Make a schedule, work in shifts, and plan for someone to run late for their shift.

Decorations are here as well. Decorations can take up an extraordinarily large amount of cash and time, it is highlighted here for that reason. Parties can change the ambience of their hotel room by turning into a pub with costumed servers - hours of prep time and resources. We just want to remind you to make sure your efforts are realistic and most importantly feasible for your finances, resources, and manpower available. We want you to have fun, too!

Finally, cold hard cash. It all adds up. Calculate your travel, room, food, beverages, supplies, decorations, and printing of your signs. Then check your resources. If you can cover it all out of pocket, great. If not, decide on where to cut corners. Do not depend on the tips and donations you get over the weekend. You will be greatly disappointed and wondering if you have enough leftover for gas to get back home.

How much do I buy?

If you are supplying food or drink, consult the Party Mavens for estimated convention attendance. Consider that only a small percentage, about 5 – 20% (at the very most) of the attendees will consume your resources. If you are serving alcohol, the percentage would be on the higher side.

When purchasing supplies, factor in the number of attendees you estimate would attend your party and out of those, how many would eat or drink and how much you would serve them. If it’s your first time doing a room party, try to go for a lower estimate, as if you were to under shoot and run out, you can always run and get more supplies at your preferred store nearby. In Nevada, dedicated liquor stores like Total Wine and Ben’s Spirits allow you to return unopened alcohol, with your receipt. So, if you want, you can buy more than you need and return whatever is unused and unopened. Ask the particular store you go to before you try this, just to be extra-sure.

And now… Go do, keep it fun, and be at BLFC soon!

Useful information

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Party themes and Ideas

Contact Us

If you have any additional questions or would like clarification, please feel free to contact us.

Contact Party Maven