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11 Novel Ways Tech Can Help You Be a Better Host
By Editorial Staff
Planning a party this Oscar season? These tech shortcuts will help make you the best host ever.
1. STAY ORGANIZED, ON TIME, AND ON BUDGET
Between guest lists, to-do lists, and shopping lists, throwing a shindig can be stressful. Thankfully, apps can take most of the difficulty out of party planning. Try Pro Party Planner, which allows hosts to manage invites and RSVPs, plan seating charts, assign tasks to co-planners and track their progress, and organize shopping trips. If you need to, you can easily export your lists to spreadsheets or PDFs. You can even manage multiple events.
2. NEVER RUN OUT OF FOOD OR BOOZE
It’s embarrassing to run out of party essentials—and annoying to have to run to the store when your party’s in full swing. The Party Calculators App helps you figure out how much alcohol you’ll need and how much pizza to order based on the number of guests and their preferences.
3. PLAN THE BEST OUTFIT—AND SHARE IT WITH THE WORLD
Hosts who want to dress to impress can use an app like Cloth, which helps users track their favorite outfits, ask for fashion advice from other users, and beam their duds out to the world via social media.
4. HAVE A ROBOT DO THE CLEANING
With so many things to arrange before a party, the last thing anyone wants to worry about is cleaning. So while you’re setting up food and Oscar ballots, send your Roomba out for a spin to ensure your place is sparkling for guests.
5. HAVE YOUR GUESTS MAKE THE PLAYLIST
It’s always a thrill when a song you’ve requested comes on at a party, and with apps like Party Player, you can give your guests that jolt of joy. Create a playlist on your phone and let it play. Guests can request a song on your phone or on YouTube via a text message. Multiple requests go into a queue, and when the requests run out, the app seamlessly segues back into your playlist, so the party never stops.
6. GET PICTURES WITHOUT CHASING GUESTS BY SETTING UP A PHOTOBOOTH
You’ll have enough to do at the party without having to run around and snap photos, so skip the chase by setting up a photobooth. All you’ll need is a fun background, a tablet, and an app like SimpleBooth, which allows users to choose between a typical photobooth grid shot and GIF mode. Guests run the booth themselves, choosing from 11 stylized filters; they can also share directly from the app to social media.
7. LET A ROBOT BE YOUR BARTENDER
If you’ve got space and some cash to spare, consider purchasing Bartendro 7 for your next party. The robotic bartender takes orders from a menu on a smartphone or tablet, then uses seven pumps to mix drinks to perfection. But if a robot’s a little out of your reach, never fear: Try Brookstone’s Perfect Drink system instead. Simply download an app on your iPad and connect the device to the scale. The app contains hundreds of recipes and features real-time pouring directions for perfect, delicious cocktails every time.
8. BREAK THE ICE WITH GAMES
People naturally gravitate to others they know at a party, which can lead to a clique-y atmosphere. Get all of your friend groups to mix with some fun icebreaking games like Wurdy, where each player has 60 seconds to describe as many words as he can to a group without miming, rhyming, or spelling them out. If word games aren’t your thing, try a murder mystery game like Come Die With Me instead. Guests are assigned unique characters and receive clues through their phones. It’s sure to be just as dramatic and fun as the movies winning awards.
9. IMPRESS GUESTS WITH YOUR OSCAR KNOWLEDGE
If your party guests are the kind of people who love trivia as much as they love watching awards shows, wow them with info from Awards Guide. This app has information on nominees and winners stretching all the way back to the Academy’s first ceremony in 1929. Who won the Best Actress Oscar at the 17th Annual Academy Awards? Ingrid Bergman for Gaslight, of course!
10. ALWAYS HAVE COLD AND AERATED WINE
There’s always one guest who brings a bottle of warm white wine, which most hosts shove into a freezer to chill quickly, only to eventually forget about it. Avoid this silly situation with the Icecap, a wine chiller and aerator in-one. Place the device in the freezer, and when a warm bottle shows up, take the Icecap out and pour the liquid through: It will chill the room temperature wine in seconds. And it also works with beer and other drinks!
11. SEND OUT THANK YOU NOTES
Show how much you appreciated your guests showing up for your party by sending out a cute e-card the day after. With the Thank You Note app, you can customize each note with fun fonts, cartoons, and vintage designs, then email them or post them on social media.
Whether you’re creating the perfect playlist or snapping photos of your smiling guests, innovative technology from Intel can help take your party—and your memories—to the next level. Learn more here.