Events Archives | Party on the Rocks

Celebrating Community Over Competition

March 13, 2020

When we started Party On The Rocks, there were so many unknowns that we had to face as new business owners. One thing that we certainly didn’t expect is the sense of community that came along with starting a business in the event and wedding industry.

At first glance, it may seem like venues, caterers, bar services and the like would have fierce competition among them. Instead, we’ve found a great deal of support for everyone working in the event industry in Washington. Today we want to talk a little bit about the idea of community over competition, and what it means to us.

As a business, our primary goal is to make sure that our clients have the best experience possible. This means we not only need to offer superb service, but we also need to know how to profitably run a business and keep up with evolving trends and policies.

We are so thankful to be a part of organizations like the Snohomish Wedding Guild, ILEA, Seattle Wedding Network, and others that help make it possible for us all to share in the wealth of knowledge out there and help each other to tackle obstacles.

By taking the time to learn from others in the industry and have open dialogs about challenges and trends, we are all able to grow and serve our clients better.

We’ve also learned that we have a lot to gain by banding together. Events like the Snohomish Wedding Tour and Sky Valley Celebrates Tour brings together groups of venues and vendors for one big open house. With joint marketing and organization, ALL of the vendors can meet potential clients and grow their businesses.

We also recognize that not every client is right for every service. We love being able to refer clients to other services if we are not available or are not the right fit for an event.

Entrepreneurship can feel like a lonely journey at times. But it doesn’t mean that you have to go through it alone. We are so grateful to have a community of other business owners who are going through the same process to learn from and bounce ideas off.

What does community over competition mean to you? Comment below or join the conversation on social media. Let’s all keep supporting and lifting each other up!

Bottles vs. Kegs

September 12, 2019

If you are planning a wedding or event, chances are you have beer on the brain! It’s the number one question our clients ask us when planning their bar menu, and we’re here to settle the age-old debate: bottles, or kegs?

Well…. it depends!

We know. Not what you were looking for. But the truth is, bottles and kegs both deserve a spot in the beverage lineup. What is important is determining what will work best for YOUR EVENT by considering a few key factors.

Before we get into the nitty gritty details, take a moment to think about the amount of beer to serve at your event. Things like time of day, season, and guest preferences all factor in. Our rule of thumb is to plan for 60% wine and 40% beer. If you will also be serving spirits, we suggest 30% spirits, 30% beer, and 40% wine. We dive into this topic when planning your perfect bar menu, read it here if you haven’t yet!

Bottles

Here are the key reasons that bottles might be the right choice for your event.

Variety

With beer variety on the rise – it can be hard to decide on just one flavor that your guests will like. Bottles allow you to purchase different types of beer in smaller quantities, all the way down to six at a time if you like. If you go with bottles, we suggest offering no more than four types of beer in order to avoid decision-paralysis, for both you and your guests!

Leftovers

Another great perk of beer in bottles is that they stay fresh for about a year when unopened. Kegs on the other hand, last less than 24 hours unless they are stored in a kegerator. If you want to avoid wasting any unused beer, bottles are the way to go.

Ease of Service

The number one reason to choose bottles, in our opinion, is ease of service. Bottles are fast to open and serve, whether they are given to guests directly in the bottle or taken a step further and poured in a glass. For a quick and happy bar line, bottles beat kegs every time. If you only take away one thing from the bottles vs kegs debate, it should be this: Kegs take 4x longer to serve than bottles. We repeat, four times!! This is a big factor to keep in mind when you are envisioning your event, as we all know that long bar lines can throw off your schedule and cause frustration among guests.

Kegs

If you are feeling like bottles are the way to go – keep reading! Kegs still pack a punch when it comes to adding value to an event. Here are the key reasons why kegs might be right for you.

Cost

Kegs allow you to buy in bulk in a way that bottles never can because you can skip the individual packaging and labels. In some cases, kegs can be 40-60% cheaper than bottles. If you are planning to serve a large portion of your guests beer, kegs are the most economical option.

Waste

What makes bottles easy to serve is also one of their downfalls—waste. Bottles are resource-intensive to manufacture and distribute, and can end up in landfills if not properly recycled. On top of eliminating packaging, kegs are reusable. If reducing the impact of your event and bar is important to you, kegs are the way to go.

Variety (again)

While bottles won over based on the number of beer options you can offer at your event, kegs can expand the brands of beer at your disposal. Many local microbreweries don’t can or bottle their beer, but they do fill kegs. If you have a particular brewery or a specific beer that you want to share with your guests, getting a keg for your event may be the only way to serve it! While we recommend serving a maximum of four types of bottled beer, for kegs we recommend a maximum of two.

There you have it folks, our thoughts on the bottles vs kegs debate! When it comes to serving beer, bottles and kegs both have their pros and cons. Consider the factors that are most important to you when it comes to cost, variety, waste, and servability. Whichever route you end up taking will ultimately support an amazing event!

Tell us, do you have a preference between bottles and kegs? Tag us on Instagram with your thoughts!

How to Rock your next Corporate Happy Hour

June 12, 2019

Companies everywhere are realizing the importance of happy hours for maintaining employee happiness, strengthening collaboration, and creating an intentional office culture. From young startups to large firms, monthly or weekly happy hours have become a staple in the workplace.

If the thought of planning a company happy hour sounds overwhelming, hiring outside support might be right for you. Our corporate clients love the fact that we can offer a full-service happy hour – we bring all of the supplies, serve throughout, and take care of the cleanup! Knowing that we have the details taken care of makes it easy for employees to relax and engage with their co-workers.

Whether or not you do-it-yourself or hire bartending or event support, these tips will help you rock your next company happy hour.

Plan a Recurring Happy Hour

Build employee excitement and expectation by hosting a recurring happy hour. A weekly schedule is a great way to bake team bonding into your company culture. If weekly sounds too frequent, try bi-weekly or monthly. Whatever frequency you decide, keeping the schedule consistent will help employees plan for and look forward to each event.

Mix up the beverage options

Keep your events interesting by offering different selections for each event. We like to rotate a selection of local beer and wines so that you have something new to try each week.

Plan a themed event

Any good happy hour has two key items: appetizers and drinks. Pair these together to make a fun theme for each event, like a margarita and taco bar. Another option is to plan your happy hour around staff birthdays, and let the birthday person pick their favorite drink and food! You can even add team building activities to go with each theme.

Hire a licensed bartender

Depending on your office culture, having alcohol in the workplace may make some employers uneasy. Hiring a licensed and insured bartender to serve alcohol is a great way to ensure that all legal requirements are being met and that you are maintaining a safe and responsible environment.

Need more tips for your next happy hour? Contact us to see how Party on the Rocks can support your corporate events.

3 Perks of Hiring Event Staff for Corporate Events

November 30, 2018

Every meeting planner knows how helpful it is to have an extra set of hands. When you’re managing multiple vendors, setting up the space, tracking down speakers, and keeping track of a hundred other details – having people to step in and get things done is huge.

Whether you’re a small business with a single person in charge of planning events or a large company with a full events team, hiring event staff for day-of support can be the difference between a relaxed and a chaotic event. We’ve gathered the top three reasons to consider hiring event staff to help your corporate event run smoothly.

1. Jack of all trades

Event staff are experts at managing details, have a wide-range of skills, and are multitasking aficionados. That means they can jump in whenever and wherever you need them – from setting up the space, helping the caterers distribute food, doing dishes, and even taking out the trash. They are your extra set of hands (and eyes) and help make sure all the details are taken care of.

2. Integrate seamlessly with other vendors

Have you ever wished you could be in multiple places at once? Especially when the caterer needs someone to set place settings and fill water glasses, the photographer needs a run through on timing, and the chairs and tables were delivered, but no one has set them up? Event staff to the rescue. They can be the “glue” that holds your event together by working with all your other vendors, leaving you to manage the big picture.

3. Manage the bar

The bar is usually the hot spot of an event. Hiring a bartending service will keep your event professional and running smoothly. Make sure your bartender is licensed and insured. Hiring a bartending service with a liquor license, like Party on the Rocks, means they can also provide the alcohol for your event. This means one less detail for you to worry about.

At the Northwest Events Show this fall we met over 2,500 of the top meeting and event professionals in the Pacific Northwest, with services specially designed for corporate settings. Take advantage of these great resources to help your next corporate event go off without a hitch!