Party Planning Palooza

Students practice event planning by creating a personalized party plan for a real client, using interviews and feedback to refine ideas, solve challenges, and organize logistics while applying creativity, communication, and critical thinking.

Grade Level
Secondary
Estimated Time
Twelve 45-minute class periods
Author
Jacob Cope, Stephanie Grant, Kimberly Mendenhall, and Luke Williams
Updated
September 19, 2025

Driving Question
(Teacher Guided, Student Constructed)

How can we address a client’s needs to create an amazing party plan?

Public Products

Students will present a party plan to a client for review and approval, with the possibility of implementation by the client.

Connections

Foundations

Milestones

Milestone 1 (Days 1–4): Entry Event

Situation

People often feel overwhelmed when planning parties, as they frequently exceed budgets, spend too much time on details, and become stressed while trying to create a personalized and creative experience. Students will be introduced to a real client to plan an epic party that will keep a budget, save time, and be stress-free for the client. Throughout this project, students will utilize real-world skills such as organization, teamwork, budgeting, and creativity to meet the client’s needs and preferences.

Key Student Questions

  • Who is the client that we will be planning a party for?
  • What are the specific requirements and desires of our client?

Formative Assessments

  • Client Interview

Materials

Day 1–2 Instructional Procedures

  1. Introduce Party Planning Palooza by showing one or more of the attention getter video clips short party clips. Ask students to note their observations of the planning process and discuss what responsibilities an event planner might have.
  2. Facilitate a class discussion on what makes a great party. Have students share examples from their own experiences.
  3. Present the project situation: People often go over budget, spend too much time, and get stressed about planning customized parties. Students will design an epic party plan that is budget-friendly, efficient, and stress-free for a client. Emphasize the real-world skills involved: organization, teamwork, budgeting, and creativity.
  4. Review the project instructions and requirements (based on the teacher-selected option in Foundations → Teacher Preparation).
  5. Show the Vocabulary Slides.
  6. Guide students to construct a driving question such as, “How can we address a client’s needs to create an amazing party plan?”
  7. Organize students into groups of up to four and distribute the Project Role Assignments Worksheet. Assign or allow groups to choose roles:
    • Client Relations Manager: maintains contact with the client
    • Budgeting Manager: ensures the budget is not exceeded
    • Itinerary Manager: ensures activities are included in the plan
    • Marketing Manager: manages visuals and promotional elements
  8. If possible, arrange a guest speaker (e.g., event planner, Convention & Visitors Bureau, city planning committee, or Olympic planning committee) to share their experiences.

Day 3 Instructional Procedures

Instructional procedures depend on the teacher-selected option in Foundations → Teacher Preparation

For Options 1–3
  1. Introduce the Client Interview Template.
  2. Have student groups plan their client interviews. Each student should participate in the interview and ask questions based on their role in the project.
  3. Have students initiate contact with the client to arrange an interview during the next class period to gather the necessary information for planning their client’s party. They can use the Parent Email Template or Student Email Template (if applicable) to schedule an interview.
For Option 4
  1. Distribute Client Cards to each group.
  2. Have groups review their card and begin brainstorming ideas. They can use techniques from the Brainstorming Resources. Encourage brainstorming strategies to generate creative options.

Day 4 Instructional Procedures

Instructional procedures depend on the teacher-selected option in Foundations → Teacher Preparation

For Options 1–3
  1. Have students interview their clients using the template to learn about the client’s party needs. The Client Relations Manager should lead this discussion. Students should discuss and complete each part of the Client Interview Template as they meet with their client.
  2. Once the template is completed, have students submit a copy of their work for the instructor’s review.
For Option 4
  1. Have students use their Client Card details to complete the Client Interview Template.
  2. Once the template is completed, have students submit a copy of their work for the instructor’s review.

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