Workshops are the New Party
To listen to this article in the form of a podcast, listen to Season 2, Episode 6 of the Things I’m Working On podcast, above.
Months ago (before the pandemic even) I started playing with the idea of hosting workshop-based parties. I started by hiring instructors to come to parties to teach guests a skill, facilitate discussion, or give a presentation. All in all, I’d have to say I really like the results of this and don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner. Below I will talk about where this idea came from, ideas of types of parties to host, and the logsitics of how to make it happen for yourself.
Workshops as parties
I’ve been to a lot of conferences through the years - I’ve even hosted some - and a great speaker who helps you ask yourself the hard questions and get to answers is priceless. I found myself wanting to bring some of these speakers and teachers that I had met around the United States to friends and family. I had gotten such great joy out of working with these people that I figured other folks would as well.
On top of that, I’m always looking for a party theme and activity in the beginning phaes of my party planning process. I find that a theme and activity allow the guest to know what they are getting into - and to opt in to whether or not that is how they would like to spend their time. They know up front what they’re going to do, how long it’s going to take, and that they will be with other like-minded folks who want to participate.
Not only that, but there would definitely be a takeaway for the party guest beyond having a good time and eating a few calories. And the takeaway of knowledge or a new skill could be utilized in the future as well.
Workshop party ideas
At this point, I have hosted about a dozen workshop parties. Each one was its own unique experience and had a different set of guests. Below are just a few ideas I have executed that might appeal to you and your friend groups:
A Fitness Party - I have hired dance instructors and yoga instructors to teach private classes. One of the fun parts about this is that you can help curate the playlist, set the intention, and design the experience for your guests.
Educational Workshop - I have asked my financial planner, a burlesque instructor and sex educator, a tarot and astrology reader, and author of a book about journaling to come in and speak with my friends.
My financial coach has spoken with my friends both in-person and virtually. She shared information about how people should think about saving money on a macro-level, and what types of questions to be asking yourself in making those savings decisions.
The burlesque instructor presented an introduction to burlesque that started with a historical overview and ended with the attendees walking across the “cat walk” of my living room.
The tarot and astrology reader put together a class for Valentine’s Day to teach attendees how to read their birth chart and find out what the location of Venus in your birth chart says about love, relationships, passion, and harmony in your life
Personal Development Workshop - Slightly different than a strictly educational workshop, I had a sex educator (actually, the same as the burlesque instructor), an author of a book about journaling, and a business coach to speak to party attendees.
The sex educator facilitated a discussion about designing a love life that works for you.
The journaling author gave an overview of journaling basics, walked us through a journaling prompt, and then facilitated discussion about things that we had learned and the way that we felt.
The business coach talked about how to define your why and the steps that you can take to move more towards your life’s purpose.
Other ideas that I have not yet executed on include hiring a storyteller coach, a cook or baker to take guests through making an item, a stylist to help folks clean out their closests and to do it live on the call, wine or beer tasting with a sommelier or brewer, and chocolate tasting with a chocolate tastemaker.
The name of the game? Ask yourself what is something you would want to learn in a workshop. Then find somebody who could teach it.
The logistics of a workshop party
Find an instructor and ask them if they would be willing to attend your event.
Determine whether you will pay for the instructor cost or whether your guests will chip in to help cover the cost. (You can even decide that a portion of the proceeds will go to a non-profit that aligns with the theme of the event.)
Invite people to the event giving them all of the details ahead of time so they can make an educated decision about their attendance.
Plan an icebreaker game for the beginning of the party that ties to the party theme.
Have an excellent party.
Send thank you notes with links to resources including the instructor’s information.
That’s it. It’s about the same as hosting a regular party, but with hired entertainment. One of the nice things about a workshop party is that most of them work equally well both in-person and virtually. If you are interested in learning more about hosting virtual events, you can check out my top tips here.
