Games to Play for Hostess Parties
Hostess parties incorporate making friends and attending social events with selling a line of products such as makeup, jewelry or kitchenware. Party games give guests opportunities to interact with each other, win prizes and learn about the products being sold. Games help the hostess maintain control of the party and can be useful in recruiting others to the business. Some games call for pens, paper, candy or music, while others require just a little planning and a sense of humor.
Icebreakers
If your guests are newly acquainted, icebreaker games will get them talking. Play "Getting to Know You" by asking each guest to choose three items from her purse and explain why they represent her. For "M&M Share Time," pass around a bowlful of candy, instructing everyone to take some but not eat it yet. Have each person tell one thing about herself for each candy she took. Play "Get-Acquainted Bingo" by giving guests bingo cards with squares containing anonymous questions about other players. Let your guests do some investigative mingling to discover the answers.
Gifts
Gift games are one way to give guests free products, but prizes can also be as simple as candy. Play "Layered Gift" using the musical chairs approach. Let guests take turns unwrapping 10 layers of paper from a gift. Play "Buzzword" with multiple gifts by having guests pass them in one direction each time you say a buzzword during a product demonstration. At the end of the demonstration, each person holding a gift gets to keep it. Play "Mystery Gift" by displaying an oddly shaped, wrapped gift and letting guests guess what it is.
Trivia
Party guests will need pens, paper and their thinking caps for trivia games. For a twist on traditional trivia, play "The 'Huh?' Game" by asking your guests simple trivia questions and awarding a prize to the player with the fewest correct answers. Set a timer and ask guests to complete a list such as all seven of Snow White's dwarfs or the 11 body parts with only three letters. Play "Who Said It?" by awarding points for guests who correctly guess the speakers of famous quotes.
Product Games
Promote your products by playing games that require product knowledge. Play "Alphabet Soup" by giving points for guests naming products that begin with different letters of the alphabet. Play "Recruiting New Consultants" by giving your guests product descriptions and having each person demo one product. Hold a vote to see which guest made the best consultant. Play "Product Scrambler" by creating a word scramble with names of your products. Have a catalog scavenger hunt by naming products and letting guests flip through your catalog to find the correlating page numbers.