One of the challenges in most home party plan businesses is finding the time to host parties. Since parties are the lifeblood of your business, the more you do, the better your business and the faster you grow your team. But working more than two or three nights a week probably isn't feasible for you. In today’s busy world, we’re always looking for ways to work smarter instead of harder. When I was working my party plan business, I held a multiple host event on the 2nd Tuesday of every month and it increased the number of shows I held from six or eight to up to sixteen each month.

During that event, I would hold up to 10 shows in one night in one big room. It was always an awesome party and often times I got my team involved and I supported them as they held a few shows of their own at my event, and we always recruited like crazy. I called it "Party Fest." In a nutshell, it's a multiple-host event during which you hold several parties at one time on one night in one large space. You can also turn  this into a quick opportunity event as well by adding a short presentation and testimonials from your team members at the end of the evening for those who choose to stay.

This is something you can do as a one-time event, or monthly to increase your productivity (imagine holding six shows in one night!) Another great perk…offering Party Fest at your regular parties as a booking option for someone who doesn’t have a big house or doesn’t want to go to all the trouble of “putting on” a party themselves. If your home is big enough, you can use it. Otherwise, check out options like meeting rooms in restaurants, motels, or community centers.

Here are some great ideas for creating a fun, lucrative event:

1. Design a fun, themed invitation for your event.
2. Decide how many parties you can accommodate on that one night in your space.
3. Depending on how much room you have, consider inviting select members of your team to host a few parties of their own during your event. This will get them involved and create built in support for you on the night of your event.
4. Ask each host to give you $10.00 to cover her portion of the event (and then pool all of the money to buy food, beverages, etc).
5. Be sure you still coach your hosts and get a guest list and postage from each host. Also, encourage them to call all their guests the night before the event to remind them to attend.
6. Each host gets a table or area for her guests. You might even consider having a contest to see who decorates her table the best based on your theme.
7. Raffle off some products to help cover the cost of the room or other expenses. I offered tickets at $1.00 each, or 10 tickets for $5.00. Almost everyone purchased $5.00 worth of tickets.
8. Do your presentation, complete with your story, booking commercial, opportunity commercial, and shopping time.
9. Teach your hosts how to help their guests with their orders. There won’t be enough of you to go around at the end of the evening, so you’ll need them to support you.
10. Include your team members, offering them two to three "party" tables of their own. They can provide manpower for your event by supporting you at the registration table, greeting, and refreshment table.

Most importantly, be sure everyone has fun and have them spread the word about your event (especially if you’re doing it once a month). I had regulars who showed up every month because of the fun and the raffle prizes. It's a great excuse for a girl's night out.

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Julie Anne Jones is a direct sales corporate consultant, coach, and trainer, and the CEO of Julie Anne Jones, Inc. She is known for her authentic and easy-to-use scripting and specializes in specific systems, language, and tools for success in direct sales. To learn more about Julie Anne and her products and services, and to read her weekly blog posts, visit her at www.julieannejones.com.