Bachelor party season is in full swing and hotspots like Montreal are packed every weekend with groups of rowdy guys who are helping their groom-to-be friends enjoy their final hurrah. In this series of bachelor party articles we already discussed bachelor-party planning from the professional organizer’s perspective, and now we’ll take a look at the client’s experience, which varies drastically based on whether they go at planning alone or hire a company to take care of the details.
“Before your arrival you have to understand what kind of a group you have,” said Angelo D’Ambra of Montreal Nitelife, a company in Montreal who has organized thousands of stag parties. “It’s important because you’ve got some guys who are the groom’s friends, which is the easy part, but you might also have brothers-in-law, fathers-in-law and uncles-in-law whom the bachelor party organizer may not know. So you want to understand who everybody is.”
In the last article we explained how the bachelor sets the budget, but this is a base budget and includes the minimum costs like hotel accommodations and transportation to Montreal. However, there are certain things the organizer can’t control, like whether people order a salad or a steak, buy two lap dances or stay in the back with a girl the whole night, and play $20 at the casino at the slots or play $20/hand at the Black Jack tables, all of which can affect the budget dramatically. “These are variable circumstances that you can’t control, but as the professionals we can better understand the group you’re working with,” D’Ambra said.
Questions Asked To Plan The Best Bachelor Party
There are certain client profile questions Montreal Nitelife asks the organizer in order to plan the itinerary:
– What’s the average age of the group? “If they’re 18 we will make sure to let them know what clubs they shouldn’t be going to, which might be 25 or 27+, and if they’re 27 we’ll be sure to let them know which clubs to avoid so they’re not rubbing elbows with 18-year-olds.”
– What’s the budget? “Is the group used to spending $60-80 on a really good restaurant or would they prefer a pizzeria at $20-30?”
– What are the atmosphere preferences? “Do they prefer places where girls are in short skirts, high heels and Louis Vuitton purses or do you prefer a more laid-back atmosphere where girls are more approachable?”
– What are the music preferences? “Does the group like the house-techno beats or more top 40/R&B?”
When a group of guys travels to a new city like Montreal for a bachelor party, they need to know the city well enough to choose the best hotels, restaurants and nightlife venues for their group – not an easy feat. “If you’re doing it on your own you have to research the 400 different bars, nightclubs and strip clubs on your own,” D’Ambra explained. “If you don’t make plans in advance you get here and basically ask the front desk staff where you should go – the problem is, they don’t know 400 different spots and their uniqueness amongst the 400. They think they know what’s ‘in’ regardless of client profiles. You can’t expect a hotel staff person to have every contact required to make it a flawless experience, like waiving the cover charges and avoiding line-ups. That’s where we come in because we do deal with these 400 places on a regular basis and know everybody who manages or owns them personally.”
He added, “The same thing goes with the restaurants – it’s sad to say but kickbacks play a large role where tourists are advised to go, so basically, whether you are willing to spend $60-80 on a good steak the valet guy might send you to that pizzeria.”
Bachelor parties in new cities are always exciting. But depending on the type of bash you’re planning, organizing all of the logistics yourself versus hiring a few professionals can influence your overall experience. Every groom-to-be deserves the ultimate VIP treatment at their bachelor party, and professional planners can put everything in place.
