Guide to Theme Party Ideas for Direct Sales & Small Biz Events

Cyndi Lauper was right…girls just wanna have fun, especially if we’re going to give up a night to attend a direct sales party or a virtual event. In other words…if you theme it, they will come. Wine helps, too.

With the right strategy, a theme party can super-charge your direct sales business and small biz events by increasing attendance and boosting social media engagement. Let’s get the party started with my complete guide to all things theme party-related.

How Do I Get People to Book a Party or Attend An Event on a Weeknight?

That’s simple. Include the day you want to book in your theme. Whether your theme is Margarita Monday or Wine Down Wednesday, adding the name of the day to your party controls your calendar and serves as an instant reminder to guests. I can still remember going to Taco Tuesday when I was in college, and that was back in the 80’s. The restaurant packed the house on a typically slow night because we all knew that if it was Tuesday, we’d be eating tacos – with a margarita on the side. Here we are 40+ years later and Taco Tuesday is still a thing. That shows you how much we love themed events that involve food (and maybe booze).

How Can I Use Social Media to Increase My Reach?

Hashtags are the most powerful tool you have to increase your reach and connect with more customers. You can even use a popular hashtag for the theme of your event. For example, one of the hottest social media trends is Throwback Thursday (or #TBT). Check your Facebook or Instagram stream on Thursday if you have no idea what I’m talking about. Add a fun factor to your event by promoting a #TBT party theme with a contest to share throwback pictures that relate to your business or brand on Facebook and Instagram. Ask attendees to tag you and create a social buzz, which boosts your reach and connects you to potential new customers. You might even have a few party crashers show up.

How Can I Use Theme Parties to Connect with My Ideal Customer?

Want to sell to Moms? Plan a Mommy’s Time Out theme party. There’s even a wine to go with it, which makes the beverage selection super easy. Or, if your customers are in the over-forty crowd try a Forty & Fabulous theme party and post a fun This or That to increase engagement. Example: What’s more fabulous? Skinny Margaritas or Sweet Tea. Get in front of the Millennials and the Boomers by planning a MoDa Party – Mother Daughter. You get the idea.

How Can I Use Theme Parties to Increase Attendance?

Increase attendance and social media engagement by asking the guests to bring something or wear a specific clothing item. This works great for Zoom parties, too! The reward can be a fun prize drawing or bonus points towards a grand prize. Simply create a post asking guests to upload a photo or selfie. Ideas include: bring your fav (company name) product or wear a top you want to accessorize (for jewelry reps). Think about what guests can bring or do that connects to the problem you are solving. Or, go for the fun factor and make it all about the fun.

Here are some examples:

1. Clothing-Themed Events: Wear a specific clothing item. Some ideas include Tailgate (wear team jersey), PJs & Popcorn (wear pajamas), Ugly Sweater Party (Christmas), and Kentucky Derby (wear a fancy hat).

2. Wine-Themed Events: Upload a photo of a wine label that describes your personality. Oops, Mommy’s Time Out, Stark Raving Malbec, Sassy, Middle Sister, Yes Way Rose, Layer Cake, and Woop Woop (yes, these are real wines) are some that come to mind. Cheers to more reactions and comments.

3. Food-Themed Events: Bring copies of your fave recipe to share, or a food item like a banana for a banana split party or ice cream toppings for an ice cream sundae party. If you sell anything food-related you could ask guests to bring the ingredients to make tacos (on Tuesday, of course) and go LIVE to help them prep for dinner.

4. Summer-Themed Events: Hold a summer shoe contest and ask guests to vote on the best sandals of the season.

5. Color-Themed Events: Wear Pink for Breast Cancer Awareness (or color associated with a cause), Red for Christmas/Valentines/4th of July, Green for St. Patty’s, and try a Black & White Party themed for any other month. A fun summer trend is an “Evening en Blanc” (guests wear white), which is perfect for a social distancing friendly outdoor deck or porch party.

How Do I Invite People to the Theme Party?

Facebook is becoming flooded with Group notifications, so don’t assume that just because friends are invited they’ll accept the invite – or even see it. You’ll get better results by sharing (vs. using the invite button) the Facebook Group and sending a personalized invite via text or messenger. Use a website like Canva to easily design eye-catching invites in minutes. Pre-record a welcome video to add to the fun (dressed for the theme) and use the welcome members feature to tag everyone on the post as you “open the doors.”

What Type of Prize Drawings Should I Use at My Theme Party?

Challenges are fun, exciting, and can be very low cost, but you’ll want to be strategic. Every challenge should have a call to action and be focused on achieving a specific result. You can gift multiple prizes or gift bonus points for taking a specific action. When it comes to prize value you don’t have to give the store away, but make the gift attractive to create FOMO. Use a colorful, medium-sized gift bag with lots of tissue paper and a small gift inside. And here’s a bonus tip: when you have 50+ members in a Group you can make it really simple and use the Group Insights to access the Top Contributors list. Pick a winner from the Top 10 who are engaging. That’s who is most likely buying, booking, and potentially joining.

• Get the Party Started – RSVP or “Request to join” early bird 
• Build Attendance – Bring a new customer or party crasher 
• Build Sales – Place a $(amount)+ order 
• Build Customer Loyalty – VIP Customer Drawing 
• Build Bookings for future Theme Parties – Pick A Date, Pick A Prize!
  Note: Offer 3 levels of prizes. The more parties that are dated, the bigger the prize!

What Are Some Types Of Theme Parties?

Here are 50+ Theme Party Ideas to get you started:

Days of the Week Theme Party Ideas
Mudslide Monday
Margarita Monday
Tasty Tuesday
‘Tini Tuesday
Tropical Tuesday
Sweet Tea Tuesday
Wine Down Wednesday
Hump Day Happy Hour
Thirsty Thursday
#TBT Ladies Night
#TGIF Girl’s Night
Sunday Funday

Clothing Theme Party Ideas
Kentucky Derby Party
80s Girl’s Night Out
PJs & Popcorn
Tailgate Party
LBD Party
Halloween Mask Party
Mardi Gras Mask Party
Ugly Sweater Party
Red, White & Blue Party

Summer Theme Party Ideas
Deck Party
Pool Party
Patio Party
Frozen Drink Party
Red, White & You
Christmas In July/August
Beach Ball Party
Hawaiian Luau
Light Up The Night (Bonfire) Party

Charity Theme Party Ideas
Pretty In Pink: Breast Cancer Awareness
Lady In Red: Womens’ Heart Health
Dress In Blue: Colon Cancer, Autism
Purple Passion: Alzheimer’s Disease
Red, White & You: American Cancer Society, Red Cross

Booze & Food Theme Party Ideas
Wine & Cheese
‘Ritas & Fajitas
(Jello) Shots & Scents
Sangria & Sandals
Bubbles & Bling
Bagels & Bloodys
Cupcakes & Cocktails
Touchdowns & Tacos
Red, White & You
Ice Cream Social
Banana Split Party
Candlelight Lunch
Mimosas & Memories
Pizza & Prizes
PJs & Popcorn
S’more Fun
Burgers & Brews
Brews & Bonfires

Holiday Theme Party Ideas
Ugly Sweater
Cookie Swap
Winter Wine-Down
Snow Ball
Jingle Bell Shop
Bonfire Party
Secret Santa
Ornament Exchange
‘Tinis & Tinsel
Christmas Luau
Bubbles and Bling

Ladies Night Out Theme Party Ideas
Mommy’s Time Out
Forty & Fabulous
MoDa Party (Mother Daughter)
Sip, Shop, Taste
Single & Sassy
Fabulous 50’s
Manis and Massages
Spa Party

I had fun just writing this blog post about theme party ideas – hope you enjoyed it, too! Please add some of your favorite themes in the comments below and share this post with your tribe. Thanks!

Ready to really rock your direct sales biz?