HOW TO THROW A BIG PARTY ON A MODEST BUDGET IN GENEVA
by Chené Koscielny
If renting out a luxury lakeside hotel or flying your friends to Ibiza is not in your budget, is it still possible to throw a party with serious FOMU clout?
How do you get the wow factor without the sleepless nights and the stockbroker’s price tag in Geneva? This may not be as impossible as you think…
We recently crossed paths with two expats form Serbia and Iran, who now call Geneva home. Aysan and Aleksandra love organising parties and celebrations, paying particular attention to the smaller details that make all the difference between an ordinary and a spectacular event.
They created Leventa Design, a party and events design platform in 2019, to make it easier for people on all budgets to celebrate life’s great moments with family and friends.
They’ll take the stress out of your party by doing it all or simply provide you with the tools and contacts to enable you to be your own event manager. Between them they have enough original ideas, great connections, experience and skills to turn your party into the envy of your friends.
HERE THEY share their TOP TIPS FOR HOSTING AN UNFORGETTABLE PARTY
1. HUMOUR ME
A great way to get guests to interact and create a buzz is to have a really good entertainer. Aysan recommends a good caricaturist, who sketches your guests – which will get them talking and the drawings can be taken home as party souvenirs. A really good illusionist also works – particularly for corporate dos, she says. Introducing pole-dancers is another way of turning up the heat – maybe not the office party, though.
2. THE ULTIMATE PHOTO BOOTH – MIRROR MIRROR ON THE WALL, WHO’S THE FAIREST OF THEM ALL?
This photo booth, believed to be the only one of its kind in Geneva – will keep your guests amused for hours. The Mirror booth is an interactive mirror that will reply to you with voice guidance and lead you to discover a whole new level of fun photo-taking. Approach it, take your photos, sign and design them to your taste, finally, choose between printing or emailing your photos.
TIP: Personalise the layout and frames to match your event theme or occasion, add dates/names/logos or # to every photo.
You can hire this photo booth, fetch it and set it up yourself (to keep costs down) or Leventa Design will deliver and set it up. You can also add printing facilities.
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE MIRROR PHOTO BOOTH HERE CLICK HERE
3. FUN AND GAMES (not just for kids)
You need to break the ice and encourage guests to interact and have fun, says Aysan. Examples include having a beer pong table, dart board or baby foot table. Giant chess anyone?
4. A CHAMPAGNE WALL – yes, please!
This one is new to us – and we LOVE this idea.
You don’t need to fork out for waiters to serve drinks if you have one of these – a wall with champagne glasses that you keep filling and from where guests simply help themselves – how cool is that?
We’re thinking of installing one in our lounge permanently.
5. A DONUT WALL – the perfect selfie backdrop
Same idea as above – with colourful donuts that can be picked off the wall. Very instagrammable.
6. GREAT VIBES
We’ve all been to parties where the music was too lame to get anyone moving. With the right band (even just one great singer or musician) you can really lift your party from ordinary to extraordinary. Aleksandra and Aysan have great connections in the local music scene for every type of party.
7. POSH NOSH
A wilting crudité platter with a few cheap dips will leave your guests uninspired, while a handful of posh snacks will leave everyone starving or going elsewhere for food. Aleksandra recommends a sushi chef who prepares sushi in front of the guests or a food truck. They work with different caterers and can suggest different cuisines to match your event.
8. A SLICE OF HEAVEN
Avoid a cringe-worthy supermarket cake that tastes like cardboard stuffed with cream. Leventa Design will recommend special cakes – which can be custom made at reasonable prices – they can either handle the whole process from matching the cake to your theme to ordering and delivering it – or they can simply pass on their contact. You decide.
9. THEME
Choosing a theme is an easy way to get people in the mood and it doesn’t have to cost a fortune – says Aysan.
Leventa Design can help you choose a theme or just provide decorations e.g. balloon arches, a flower wall, interesting lighting displays and more.
10. CREATING MEMORIES
If you’re hosting an office party, graduation, wedding or engagement party, it’s a good idea to hire a decent photographer or videographer who will go beyond selfies and will capture your special moments to treasure forever. Leventa Design works with a number of very good and very reasonable photographers and videographers.
HOW LEVENTA DESIGN WILL HELP MAKE YOUR PARTY SPECIAL
RENTAL AND SHOP
Since the creation of the Leventa Design events organisation and party design service in April 2019, the two women have been adding affordable products to the rental and shop categories of their site. Their online catalogue is growing fast and they cater for adult and children’s parties.
Simply order your products online.
FINDING A GREAT PARTY VENUE AND STAFF
They also offer venue recommendations – matched to your event and budget for example spa days, wine tasting and cinema nights.
If you need staff – they’ll recommend waiters, cleaning staff, cooks or babysitters to ensure your event runs smoothly.
NEED A PRIVATE CONCIERGE?
If you haven’t got the time or knowhow to organise a great party,
Leventa Design will do everything from theme creation and event design to food and drink organisation, invitations, table and space setting, party favour selection and purchase and much more…
You choose how much you’d like them to do and how much you’d like to do yourself.
There is no excuse for uninspiring parties in Geneva.
We can’t wait to test the champagne wall and Mirror Me photobooth soon.
Invitations welcome.
CLICK HERE to find inspiration for your party.
