A meet & greet evening or house party in September: the list for 60 euros
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by Verpakkingdeals.nl
6 min reading time
Twenty people who half-know each other and have nothing to do. Here’s how you can host an introductory evening for about 60 euros that runs itself: which games, which decorations, and what to keep.
September is the month of first evenings. A new student house where people don't know each other yet, an association wanting to bring its members back together, a team doing something different than just meetings after the holidays. The problem is always the same: twenty people who half-know each other, in a room where there's nothing to do, with some background music.
What helps is not more drinks, but structure. Something people can gather around, something you can get involved in without having to introduce yourself. Below you'll find what to buy for that, how much it costs, and in what order to use it. Assumption: fifteen to twenty people, a regular living room or club room, and a budget of approximately €60.
Why you start with games and not with decoration
For a get-to-know-you evening, decoration is the least important part. Nobody stays longer because there are streamers. People stay longer if they have something to do that they're not excelling at — because then it's not awkward that you don't know someone yet.
Therefore, choose one game that can run all evening and two small things to use in between. More than three doesn't work: half of them will end up unused in a corner.
The game that carries the evening
The Ring Toss Game for €14.95 is the safest choice for this. You put it on a table or cabinet, everyone understands what to do within five seconds, and it doesn't require much attention: you can talk and throw at the same time. The latter is precisely what you want on an evening where people need to get to know each other.
If you prefer something where people can sit down, the 99-in-1 game set with dice, checkerboard, and score pad for €14.95 is a good base. One set serves at most four to six people at a time, so see it as a supplement and not as the centerpiece.
Two small things in between
A pack of mini poker playing cards with 54 cards costs €1.95. Buy three: then there will be cards in three places in the house, and groups will naturally form. The XXL beer game dice for €9.95 are large enough to roll on a table without anyone losing them; with or without drinks attached, it works as a warm-up.
The setup: three things, nothing more
Setup has one function on such an evening: to make the space look different from yesterday. That can be achieved with surprisingly little.
LED balloons, 5 pieces — €2.95. Two sets are enough. They only work when it gets dark, which in September happens around eight o'clock.
Barrier tape with funny text, 25 meters — €2.95. Practical and funny: you can use it to cordon off bedrooms, stairs, or the kitchen. Twenty-five meters is more than enough for an entire house.
If you want to cheer up the table a bit, mini acrylic decorative hearts, 20 pieces for €2.00 do that for almost nothing. They are reusable, so you sweep them into a bag afterwards, and they'll be there again next time.
Drinks and serving without doing dishes
This is where the budget for most evenings is unnecessarily spent. Renting glasses is expensive, real glasses mean a mountain of dishes and usually a broken glass.
Straws seem like a detail, but they ensure everyone finds their own cup again. Bendable paper straws of 220 x 6 mm, 10 pieces cost €1.95 per pack; buy three in different colors. If you want something that stays sturdy all evening, multicolor plastic straws, 10 pieces for €6.95 are the more sustainable choice — you can wash and reuse them.
Giving out a prize works better than you think
An evening with a winner is an evening with a story. The golden award trophy of 15 x 5 cm costs €12.95 and lasts for years: it comes back every time, with a new name on it. A cheaper alternative is the inflatable crown for €5.95, which you place on someone's head at the end of the evening.
For a small giveaway, you can opt for heart-shaped stress balls for €7.95 or costume nose masks for €4.95. The latter works especially well if everyone gets one: in a photo, a group with nose masks looks like a group that already knows each other, even if that's only been since tonight.
The list, calculated
Item
Quantity
Price
Ring Toss Game
1
€ 14.95
Mini poker cards, 54 cards
3
€ 5.85
XXL beer game dice
1
€ 9.95
LED balloons, 5 pieces
2
€ 5.90
Barrier tape 25 meters
1
€ 2.95
Confetti cannon hearts
1
€ 4.00
Coffee cups 150 ml, 100 pieces
1
€ 14.95
Paper straws, 10 pieces
3
€ 5.85
The total comes to €64.40. If you want to stay under sixty euros, skip the dice or replace the coffee cups with mugs from the cupboard. If you want to expand, the trophy (€12.95) and the shot glasses (€3.00) are the two additions that yield the most per euro.
What to save for next time
Roughly half of this list is reusable. The ring game, dice, cards, trophy, plastic straws, and acrylic hearts will last for years if you put them in one box afterwards. The cups, confetti cannon, paper straws, and balloons are single-use.
Put those reusable items in one sealed box with a label on it and store it in a fixed place. It will save you not only money next time but, more importantly, the evening when you discover at 6:30 PM that the cards are gone. A simple moving box of 480 x 430 x 330 mm for €3.50 is more than enough for that.
Three things to arrange beforehand
Order a week in advance. Some items are only in stock in small quantities; for example, a handful of the ring game and game sets. If you wait until the day before, the choice will be smaller.
Set up the game before the first guest arrives. A game that comes out of a bag halfway through the evening won't be played.
Agree on who cleans up. Confetti and barrier tape are put up in two minutes and cleaned up in half an hour. Divide that beforehand, not at two in the morning.
Compose your own set
All items from this list can be found in the collections Party Accessories, Games, and Beer Games. For cups, straws, and serving items, check Straws and Food & Drink Accessories. Are you organizing something for a larger group, or do you want to know if an item is available in the desired quantities? Email your quantities to info@verpakkingdeals.nl — and we'll check what's in stock.
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