If you’re throwing a party, then you’ve got to know how to deal with gatecrashers. They might not seem to be harmful, but can turn out to be quite the troublemakers at times. This article will help you out with some tips.
You’ve organized a party for your girlfriend’s birthday. It’s at a fancy club that she absolutely loves! The invites have been sent out and you expect some 50 odd people to attend. Friends, colleagues and family. Everyone’s having a good time. Your girlfriend is beyond happy! She’s ecstatic and is glowing with the radiant happiness on her face. You couldn’t be happier yourself. You’re mingling with the guests when you notice a group of people you don’t seem to recognize. You ask your friends if they know them, and proceed with almost everyone around, asking if they invited the unknown people. Nope, no one did. You my friend, have got a bunch of gatecrashers on your hand. How are you going to deal with them? Let’s give you some help in this PartyJoys article.
Study their Behavior
Alright, so you’ve figured that these people are uninvited. They’ve walked into a party where no one knows them and are enjoying themselves thoroughly. The first thing you need to do is wait and watch. Assess them thoroughly. What is their behavior like? Are they just there for the food and drink or are they engaging in disruptive behavior? Are they keeping to themselves or are they mingling around and causing trouble to the other guests? Keep an eye on them and ask a couple of friends to do the same. Then you can move on to the next step in the plan.
Judge if They’re Troublesome
Once you’ve been watching them for a while, you’ll get the answers to almost all the questions asked above. Now, once again, confirm with everyone at the party (discreetly or not so discreetly, it’s your choice) that they are indeed uninvited people. You never know who might have asked a friend to tag along. Once you’ve established beyond a doubt that they are gatecrashers, you can get a fair idea of whether or not they are troublesome.
Escort them Out or Let them Stay
Many a time, people will walk into a party uninvited just for the thrill, for free food and booze or sometimes actually by mistake. You need to now go forward and approach the unidentified people and ask them what their reason is. If they’re genuinely lost, then they’ll most probably be embarrassed and walk out when you ask them. This can become evident by their body language as well. They might look confused and out of place and finally relieved when you tell them they’re at the wrong party. If not, then you have two choices. First choice, if you think they don’t mean any harm or look like they’re just there for fun and aren’t really bothering anyone, you may consider just letting them be. This is a very risky option, remember that. The next, and much wiser option that you can take is to approach them and tell them that the party can be attended by invitation only and since they weren’t invited, they need to leave. You need to employ tact, combined with a necessary amount of firmness when you do this. You don’t want to make a scene, but at the same time, as the host of the party, it is your responsibility to keep your guests comfortable and safe. So, be firm, and ask them very politely to leave. Take a couple of friends with you so they know you mean business. Keep a cell phone at hand, just in case the situation gets out of hand and you’re forced to call the authorities.
The best way to avoid gatecrashers is to state in your invites whether your guests can bring someone along, ask them to carry their invites when they arrive at the venue of the party, and also make some arrangements with the security at the venue to check people’s invites when they enter. Make it clear that you don’t intend to be inhospitable, you’re just taking the necessary precautionary measures to ensure everyone’s safety.