About us: This year's Theme Special events at OSFest Contact us Staff OSFES on the road Hosting room parties	How to host a room party So, you want to host a room party? We at OSFest Central love room parties.  But if you want to throw one you MUST let us know.  We are working with the hotel to make the party room floor for “Con Folks” only, so you won’t bother people not associated with OSFest and they won’t bother you.  Just make your hotel reservation, then e-Mail the hotel liaison at hotel@osfes.org and let him know.   He’ll make sure you get on the party room floor. For those folks who are new to room parties, here are some tips you might find helpful:  Room Party 101 What is a room party?  Well, "room" + "party" = lots of fun at a convention.  Someone who has a room at the hotel will open it up for people to walk in and share a common activity.  There may be snacks, drinks, games, or other items available, but there will definitely be people there to talk to and enjoy. Throwing a room party can be just as simple as opening your door and waiting for people to wander in and talk.  Don't scoff.  Some great times can be had when you put 20 random people in a room!  But it can also be a big event, with the organizers spending hours decorating the room with props (the interior of the classic Enterprise, and a foil-clad room meant to be the inside of a toaster are some of the more elaborate ones).  To throw a good party, however, you really don't have to do a lot of work.  Do some planning ahead of time, think about what you like in the room parties you have attended, get some friends to assist, and it can be pretty easy.    Need details?  Here you go:   Theme your party:  The first room party OSFES ever did was a “Bad Movies but Great Popcorn” theme.  We just setup a DVD player with a few really atrocious movies, a popcorn popper and a bar.  The worse the movie the more people we had in the room, not watching the movie but conversing with others - who were also not watching the movie!  Clearly, you don't have to do much to produce a "theme" - you can make it as simple as you like.  Lots of parties are thrown to promote some future event (like the "Bad movie" party was promoting OSFest at another convention) and that theme is simple:  "If you like our party, you'll love our event!"  Of course, you can also throw a "It's Friday night at the convention, and we're going to PARTY".
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Teamwork:  You’ll need a team of people to help you with the party, but you should have someone in charge - that person will almost always be the one who rented the hotel room.  He is responsible for whatever goes on there, so he has the last word on the party.  Because he often is also going to sleep in that room (eventually), he also usually decides just how late the party will run.  Your "team" might just be 1-2 friends, but they will be needed, at the VERY least to watch the room while you use the bathroom - or take some kind of break through the night.  If the party is complex you might also need help with bartending, decorating, setup, food, etc.  Depending on how much you plan to do, divide up what needs to be brought, what needs to be setup and who will be manning the room.  Room parties can run for several hours and it is a good idea to give some of your team a break once in a while to avoid party room burnout.  But you should NEVER leave the party unattended.  It is your hotel room and you are legally liable for what happens in it.

Advertise your party:  Check with the hotel liaison (or just ask at registration) about where and how you can post announcements about your room party.  Make sure someone is available at Opening Ceremonies and at later major events in case the call goes out for room party announcements.

Location, Location, Location! Get a party room at the hotel as early as possible and coordinate with the convention to make sure your room is in the right place. Most conventions have a floor that is dedicated to room parties, and this will prevent problems with the hotel since they are keeping non-convention guests off that floor already.  You will also get better traffic flow because people will know where to look for your party.  Depending on how late you are planning on running the party, consider getting a separate room to sleep in - some parties can run all night, with the "team" sleeping in shifts in another room.  (Some of the Zombie theme party folks never seem to sleep, though...I wonder....)

Timing:  Consider the hours you set for your party.  Most parties will begin right after the evening’s main convention event, like the Masquerade contest, and run until 2-5 AM.  When you start and stop needs to be dictated by your sleep schedule.  Closing a party early is no big deal to the attendees if they know when you plan to do it.  There is always some party still going they can drift off to.

Food, glorious food:  Food draws people in. Nobody can turn down free food, especially after they've just spent their last $100 at the art show or dealer's room. Have something, ANYTHING to feed your guests.  Some crackers and a block of cheese or stick of sausage, once sliced, can go a long way.  Note that it probably isn't a great idea to leave sharp knives lying around for your guests to cut the meat.  Even if you aren't serving alcohol, some of your guests will have been drinking.  Slice it up before the party, or have a separate area for your team to use.  (See Bathroom below)

Booze:  Now, a note or two on alcohol. A party that serves alcohol is VERY popular. But serving alcohol is requires a major commitment from the party host.
If you do decide that you want to serve alcohol, keep in mind that:

• You will need a bartender, preferably someone with experience. They will need to check IDs of the people they are serving and know enough not to buckle under pressure from some 16-year-old. They should also not be afraid to cut someone off. Be familiar with the liquor laws in the state and city that the convention is in, and stick to them. YOU are liable if someone gets drunk at your party and goes and kills someone in a car accident. YOU are liable if some underage kid gets wasted in your room. Card people and cut them off when they've had enough.  Your bartender might see 300 people that night, he shouldn't be shy about asking for ID again and again - sometimes the faces, they blur together!
• The bartender should stay sober, drinking only in moderation if at all.  Nothing spells disaster like a drunk behind the bar, serving drunk under-age kids in front of the bar.  Did we mention that you are liable for problems that come up?
• When you check IDs, REQUIRE DRIVER'S LICENSES (or other government issued ID). Do not go by the convention IDs, which do not have photos.
• Alcohol is expensive, and you can NOT sell drinks in your room.  (This is not hotel or convention policy, it is the law in most jurisdictions). If you expect to try to recoup your monetary investment, you will need to do it by tip jar, and you will likely NOT get enough from that to cover your costs.
• You might get drunken troublemakers hanging around the room.  If you do and you feel uncomfortable handling them, contact the convention staff.
• Don't try to serve all things for all people.  A room party that does serve alcohol will usually limit it to a few types of specialty drinks, or beers.  If you want to be more ambitious go ahead, but don't be afraid to limit it to just a small selection.  You aren't a bar:  if you can make any drink any partier asks for you then you brought WAY too much booze.
• As always, check with the Convention staff (Hotel Liaison) with any questions before, during, or after the party.  They will be used to people throwing parties, and can help you with the guidelines you should be following.  Also, if you do have any difficulty at the party, the Convention will want to know about it to help you out.

Bathrooms:  Don't let strangers use your bathroom if you can help it. Nothing sucks worse than to clean someone else's alcohol-laden puke out of the bathtub. Grab some "Police Line -- Do Not Cross" tape or post a “Not for Public Use” sign and reserve the bathroom for storage and your buddies.  You never know when you have to slice up some more of the cheese and sausage.

Cleanup:  Remember to return the room to a condition that the hotel can deal with.  Make sure you have a clean-up plan in place, either as you are closing down or early in the morning.  Some extra trash bags are a big help with this.  You want the room back to normal before you turn it over to the hotel staff.  If you moved the beds, return them to their original positions.  Remove all signage you posted to announce your party or decorate your room.  If you think your cleanup will go past the check-out time on the final day (11 AM or noon, usually), call the hotel and see if they can extend your check-out time. Often, it's no problem.  But it is best to do this EARLY.  Ask for a late check-out when you check in, to be safe.  Be good to the hotel.  Remember, the convention wants to keep doing business with the hotel, so we can do this all again next year.

It is 4AM:  Remember that video you wanted to watch?  It started two hours ago, and you've been having too much fun at the room parties.  Oops.  Maybe next time!