Most cities have free entertainment if you look for it, but sometimes you just want to invite friends over. If you hesitate because of the cost, then there’s a way to get someone else to chip in for the party.
How can you provide food or entertainment for your guests for free? Host a house party sponsored by a company that wants to expose their product to a wide audience across the country in the same time frame.
This week I received two emails about hosting parties; one was for a snack mix and the other was for Greek yogurt. In addition to food, products featured at parties include video games, movies, toys and music.
Pros and Cons of Hosting
There are several reasons why you would want to host a product-sponsored party.
- You can offer your friends and family an experience not available elsewhere. This is true when the focus is on a yet to be released CD or show.
- If your entertaining is in a rut, then a house party might be the way to change things up. Typically the sponsor will include activities in the party pack such as games along with gifts for attendees and decorations.
- Party planning is simplified by using the online invitation tool which also tracks attendance. The pack usually includes tips on how to guide the house party experience.
Of course, it’s not all roses. Reasons you might not want to participate include:
- The selected dates don’t work with your personal calendar. The dates are typically not flexible as the sponsor wants a big bang with all launches on the same day.
- You are obligated to provide feedback to the sponsor and may be required to include photos and comments from the guests.
Where to Find Parties
If you are interested in hosting an event you’ll need to register at a site that works with the sponsors to find hosts. The biggest is probably House Party. The two sites I received invites from were My Get Together, a General Mills site, and Kraft Foods’ First Taste.
I think being a sponsored House Party host would be a good way to mix things up once in a while. Have you ever hosted this type of party? What did you think of the experience?
photo credit: infilmity
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I hadn’t even heard of these types of parties before, but they could be fun depending on the product. (I’m assuming there’s nothing to buy…)
Jackie, you are correct — the party pack is provided at no cost to the host.
I didn’t know these sorts of parties existed until now.
I tell you I’ve learned so much by reading blogs that focus on freebies!
I too have never heard of this kind of party. It sounds fairly easy to do. You will have to let us know if you try it!
I’m kinda anti-social at home. I was hoping one of you would host one! 🙂
these are some good ideas. I know of Weddings sponsored but not regular parties. Good job.
I forgot about being getting their weddings sponsored. The difference here is that the companies are out looking for people to host a party versus people going to the company as with weddings.
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