Some additional things to think about when hosting large (30+ people) parties that I learned from recently hosting:
-Some people are introverts by nature and aren't comfortable with unstructured socializing. There are some simple, easy games that people can play to facilitate drinking and people getting to know each other - of course there is beer pong, and also jenga, and cards, etc. Have this stuff lying around and people can play with it if they want. Can also play an interesting video without sound on the TV, or something like that. Once I had some singers perform. One girl complained that she was bored at my recent party. I was tempted to tell her that it's not my fault she has no social skills, but actually a lot of people aren't good with small talk, especially in Asia. Why they would go to a party if they don't like/know how to socialize is beyond me, but there is no harm in making it easier for them. The one risk is that people playing a game get into a circle and don't mingle, but for simple and stupid games they'll get bored eventually but by that time they are tipsy and the ice has been broken so it's ok.
-The unknown guys problem is still unresolved. One girl I invited asked if she could bring a friend. I needed more guys so I said ok. That guy was at the party and he seemed ok, but, without asking me, he invited two of his other guy friends to show up. That I wasn't cool with - too many degrees of separation (a group of three guys that know each other but I don't know any of them?) and it's simply rude. I told them that that wasn't cool and implied that I didn't really want this group of guys here that I didn't know. They apologized and all of them left shortly afterwards. Was I out of line? As the host, you need to maintain control of the party and a maximum of two degrees of separation (friends of friends). I can't believe that I have to spell this out for people but apparently some people don't have basic manners and consideration. Perhaps they thought it was a fun and lively party so they could just invite whoever they wanted. I really don't want to go back to my no unknown guys rule, since the vast majority of guys that people have brought to my parties have been pretty chill, but one bad guy really ruins things. Sometimes I don't understand why some people have to be such a pain.
-People are unbelievably flaky. There were tons of people that accepted the invite but then didn't show up and didn't bother to tell me they weren't coming and didn't apologize afterwards for not showing up. I still had a huge turnout because there were lots of friends of friends, but I just find it amazing that people lack basic consideration these days. And lots of people canceling with unbelievably stupid excuses at the last minute. Anyway, point is that either choose your guests carefully to emphasize reliable people, or just be ready to roll with the punches and don't stress too much over who did and didn't show up. I'm guessing a lot of people wanted to keep their options open in case nothing better came their way on a Saturday night. Hard to combat that other than making sure the party is great so people know it's worth attending, or subtly calling out the flakers so that they know it's not cool. This is one reason I'm a bit hesitant to have a smaller, more intimate party - in those situations if there are a few flakes then it can drastically change the tone of the party.
-It's damn hard to find quality guys who will show up, not get super drunk, and won't be creepy. I much prefer having guys that I know and trust in my place rather than random dudes. However, since I don't actively game to meet dudes, there are only so many guys that I know and fit the above criteria, and on any given Saturday night there are only so many that are are free to come. I invited a couple of guys that came but didn't bring me any value, so I'm not keen on inviting them again unless they invite me to stuff. Lots of guys talk a big game about bringing girls and then show up empty handed so be ready to call them out. If you are throwing lots of parties, actively think about which guys will be a net asset.
-Ratios are hard to manage sometimes if timing is off. In addition to the above mentioned flake problem, at my last few parties there was also the problem of guys coming late. In the beginning of the party, there are lots of girls, and they are sober, and they get bored easily. Some of them leave early because they aren't getting hit on by guys and they don't have the social skills to entertain themselves. Then the dudes start showing up after 10/11 pm and soon after security is telling you to turn down the volume and the carefully planned ratio rapidly deteriorates till the guys are crowding each other out from the few remaining single girls at the end of the night. So get your guy friends to show up on time!
-This isn't the Donald Trump thread, but the link below is an absolute goldmine of a book. I took it out just as a joke and gave it to people to read and they absolutely started going nuts and taking pictures with it, regardless of who they like politically. Obviously, you may not want to introduce politics into the discussion but depending on your crowd, this book or some other type of funny, interesting book can liven things up a bit.
https://www.amazon.com/Quotations-Chairm...rman+trump
-Pay attention to some small details. Make sure cups/ice are conspicuous and easily accessible. Try to limit how many wine bottles are opened to avoid waste. Super simple sangria is very popular.
-Pay attention to ambiance. At some point it may be appropriate to make the music more active or quiet - you will have to make the call. At some point you may want to turn down the lights as well. I missed both those details and I think it costed me some hot girls leaving early because they wanted a more club atmosphere. Obviously this won't apply to all parties - depends on your crowd.