About Portland PartyWorks


In the 20 years that PartyWorks has been in business, we've developed systems, knowledge and relationships that make us a leader in the entertainment industry. It is our desire to share that experience with you and to bring our cutting edge concepts to your events!



We are here to share some tips on producing successful events along with some time-tested facts about party planning. We're also going to throw in a funny story from time to time because we're serious about fun!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Intuit Sites We Love Interviews PartyWorks



~Sites We Love Interview With PartyWorks~

What motivates you in growing your business?
Our motto “We’re Serious About Fun” has always meant we treat the business of having fun seriously. Since 1988 our experiences have helped us to shape our company so that we can provide the best entertainment, with outstanding service and an overall excellent experience.
What sets your company apart from its competitors?
PartyWorks strives to be a valued partner and won't settle for being just another supplier. We know our event experience, quality service and customer support will keep our customers coming back and we work hard to exceed expectations at every step of the way.
PartyWorks employs staff not contractors. This staff is hired for their customer service skills. We have a dedicated Graduation Party Planner that specializes in this specific event structure. This venue focus is why PartyWorks can offer knowledgeable suggestions based on experience and help clients avoid potential problems.
We pride ourselves in carrying one of the largest selections of interactive inflatable’s and games in the Northwest and grow this every year. We add to our inventory based on customer feedback and current best sellers.
Finally, we also offer a Best Price Guarantee, ensuring our clients they are not only getting the area’s best service and quality, but also the best price available.
What is your favorite part of running your own business?
Having been in business for over 20 years PartyWorks is now seasoned and not susceptible to the ups and downs of a start-up. The company environment is flavored by an atmosphere of fun and we all take joy in working with our return customers and creating successful events and happy, satisfied customers.
Listen To  Clients
What lessons did you learn along the way that can help new businesses just starting up?
Our motto is we are “Serious about Fun” but we are also serious about our safety and responsibility to our clients and staff. We hire our own employees instead of contractors believing employees have company pride and are more vested in excellent customer service. This pays off in customer satisfaction and our staff is consistently recognized for their willingness to go the extra mile in client response cards. Because we have employees we carry Workers’ Compensation Insurance to protect our customers & employees.
We also learned to follow up with our clients after every event for customer feedback; they can tell us which games got the most attention, what they will be looking for in the future, and how well the products worked together. We find this information invaluable in future buying decisions and many other business plans.
PartyWorks has developed programs for all price points so we can offer everyone the opportunity to have the very best fun. Our Will Call/Pick Up program works well for parties that only need a bouncer. We have packages for schools and non-profits and we have large scale event programs that combine inflatable’s and games with catering and events designed to complement each other and service a variety of interests.
How do you use social media (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc.) to promote your business and engage with customers?
When we redid our website last summer we designed it for social media communication across all the platforms. We wanted our customers to be able to access and discuss specific products by name, description or theme. Equally, we wanted to give event planners, schools and non-profits a place to go for ideas and inspiration. We showcase photos from past events here, offer ideas for theme parties, and share news and details on upcoming community events.
Though our blog we try to offer helpful timely suggestions for event planning, activities and party management. For instance, we featured water slides and outdoor barbeque tips in August; carnival activities and haunted house tips in October; and now we will focused on company parties and Christmas events.
PartyWorks YouTube Channel
We have a YouTube account that highlights some of the All-Night Grad Parties. This is the perfect venue to target the graduation age client. We keep in contact with event planners and in touch with whats going on in Portland through our Twitter account.
Posts are unique to the site and not blanketing out the same message to all Medias. All of your social media sites have links to each other and then back to the site with additional links from our Blog and Facebook page highlighting specific area on the site such as our catalog and current specials.
I use Facebook Insights, Google Analytics and Homesteads website reports to track what’s working and use this information to help me decide future posts, tweets, blogs and website SEO tactics.
What are some new or exciting things we can look forward to for your business in the near future?
Right now we are at the annual IAAPA Attractions Expo 2011. This is where we purchase new products to add to our line. There are so many amazing new activities and we will be sharing them on Facebook and Twitter first before launching them on our New Attractions Page
We learn a lot here and these ideas will be incorporated into our 2012 business plan. We will share some of these ‘Best Practices’ on our blog in the next month!
Anything else you'd like to share?
Yes! PartyWorks believes in giving back to the community. Not only do we support charitable causes, we provide special package pricing for non-profit, fundraising or school events. Our goal is to partner with as many non-profit organizations as we can to help them be as successful as possible!
Go here to see the interview at: Intuit Sites We Love