Portland PartyWorks Sponsors Portland Sunday Parkways

PartyWorks Sponsors Portland Sunday Parkways

This year's Sunday Parkways kickoff is at 11:00 am on Mother's Day, May 13, 2012. The 8-mile loop has activities for young and old from one end of the loop to the other. See the map below for details and exact times. Look for Portland PartyWorks Inflatable Bounce Houses, Rock Walls and More on all the Parkways throughout the summer.Portland PartyWorks is thrilled to be a Donor of this city-wide activity that gets neighbors meeting each other and outside enjoying the beauty of their streets and parks. Walk, ride, bike, roll, run or find your own transportation to share in the events that include concerts, free bike repair, food and exhibits.
PartyWorks believes in giving back to the community. We also support charitable causes and provide special package pricing for your 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. We know the enormous effort it takes to pull off a winning fund-raiser and our inflatables are sure to increase the activity and fun level.
We have even added a events calendar to our website to help promote your events. Visit our Calendar to submit a request to be added. 
Give us a call if we can help you.

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IMG_0378, a photo by Portland Sunday Parkways on Flickr.

Portland Sunday Parkways 2012 begin May 13 in Northeast Portland. Portland PartyWorks is a proud sponsor of this family and neighbors street event. Come join us!

Budget Cuts That Won't Cheapen Your Event

Smart Planning Is Key: Negotiate Upfront for Discounts & Extras

THE GOOD NEWS: The boss grudgingly gave the okay for a Company Event
THE BAD NEWS: The budget is going to require EXTREME CREATIVE THINKING

Don't panic, you have plenty of time to put together an event with guaranteed smiles from bosses and employees alike. Everyone is stretching dollars these days and creative financing is more the standard than the embarrassing. The most important tool in your arsenal is PRE-PLANNING. After all, asking for reduced corkage fees will be a lot more attainable before the bottles are corked. Following are 15 tips to help ease your budget crunch and free up some dollars for the entertainment. Some of the tips might sound nagging (see 3), but in today's environmentally conscious society, waste is not only burning cash, its wasteful.

1. Try to limit your coffee breaks. Coffee breaks are the most wasteful type of F&B. If you have ordered a coffee break, give instructions that at the end of the break, dirty cups, and dishes are to be removed and that coffee, tea, and decaf are to be consolidated and left in place until lunch or until breakouts begin again. that way a few thirsty people can still have their thirst quenched, and you will have used your money's worth. Always pay "by consumption' instead of 'per person."   treat continental breakfasts the same. Consolidate everything for latter use.
2. Have large breakfast rolls (Danishes) cut in half when serving continental breakfast. They're easier to eat and discourage heavy consumption.
3. Have food stations attended by a waiter to discourage over-indulgence. People tend to eat less if they see an attendant.
4. Know the history of all of your events. track them carefully so you can give accurate guarantees.
5. Use drink tickets at all bars. The bars hosted and you pay only on the number of tickets taken in.
6. Limit drink tickets to two. And have attendees pay cash after using the two tickets. 
7. Buy liquor by the bottle. If you expect 300 or more guests to be in attendance at your party, and if the duration of the event is two hours or more. Estimate three drinks for each guest, per two-hour period. If your estimate reaches 900 drinks or more, you should purchase liquor by the bottle.
8. Insist on a measured pour for each drink. The number of drinks each bottle can yield is determined strictly by the size of the shot that is poured from each bottle.
9. Don't order shrimp unless it is in a "passed" hors d'oeuvre. When it's gone, don't reorder.
10. Avoid salty snacks. They Simply make your attendees thirsty and make them drink more.
11. Utilize leftovers. If you order a cheese display and it is relatively undamaged after the cocktail hour, have the cheeses sent to the presidential suite.
12. Explore food options. In some cities, you can actually have a sit-down dinner for less money than a reception. (as long as you have a cash bar)
13. Think about hosting only wine, beer, and soda. Provide other alcoholic drinks at a cash bar-especially today when everyone is trying to discourage chemical and alcohol dependency.
14. Shop Around. If you have a particularly expensive event, place it on a bid basis with three hotels who could handle the numbers. 
15. Don't over serve. 
16. Price compare using an Event Planner to help you. Often times they have discounts already negotiated.

Most important. Have fun, it's a party.