This is What it Takes to Throw a Good Party

If you're welcoming guests into your home, you have precisely 19 minutes to make a good impression, according to new research.

A new study examining the modern-day rules of hosting for millennials pinpointed the decision-making window on whether an event is a success or not, and found that just under 20 minutes is when guests have already made up their minds.

The research, which saw 2,000 American millennials surveyed, highlighted the importance of great snacks, food and drinks in forming this impression – guests expect to be offered a drink in under eight minutes and a snack in under 10.

The survey, which was conducted by OnePoll in conjunction with Hostess Brands, LLC, found hosts may want to stock up – the average respondent would ideally like to have five snack options during any event.

And if food isn't available then hosts are taking a big risk – 68 percent say an event is less successful when there isn't food to eat.

Results also identified the quirky do's and don'ts for successful events and found the trick to impressing millennials is to put on a bit of Maroon 5 or Ed Sheeran – deemed the most popular party choices – but to avoid classical music and jazz at all costs.

But more important than the music is having good conversations, the type of food/snacks served and inviting the right combination of people.

When it comes to food, the most commonly craved items were chips (75 percent), small sandwiches (61 percent), cheese and crackers (61 percent), cookies (58 percent) and brownies (50 percent).

"Demand for premium snacks is growing," said Keith Peterfeso, Brand Director at Hostess Brands, LLC. "Some of that demand comes from people wanting to share decadent small batch treats, like Hostess Bakery Petites, with friends and family, but still wanting the ease of buying in the baked goods aisle of the grocery store."

If a good variety of snacks is offered, guests tend to stick close to them. When attending an event, 21 percent reported hanging out wherever their closest friend was, but another 16 percent said they'd stay by the food.

The food can also provide a nice icebreaker – after the subject of TV shows, guests report food as their preferred conversation topic.

"Premium treats can really elevate a casual get together into a memorable party," said Hostess Brands' Peterfeso. "Our new Hostess Bakery Petites line was inspired by fresh, handcrafted bakery items. With no artificial colors or flavors and no high fructose corn syrup, these bite-sized, poppable treats make for the perfect permissible indulgence."

The survey also examined other hosting etiquette and how it relates to a successful event. Interestingly enough, people reported following more etiquette when attending an event than they expect guests to follow when they host.

When it came to helping the host, 47 percent said they would offer assistance, but only 32 percent expected their guests would offer to help them.

The debate on shoes is finally settled – though 35 percent of guests would expect to remove their shoes when attending an event, only 29 percent of hosts expect guests to take their shoes off.

For gift etiquette, just 22 percent of millennial hosts would expect a guest to bring them a gift, but 35 percent would bring a gift for the host of an event they attend. When guests do bring a gift, hosts report being happiest receiving alcohol/other drinks (45 percent) or food (41 percent).

Millennials and social media go hand-in-hand like chips and salsa, and the survey found that this remains true for millennials at events.

One in three (29 percent) millennials believe an event must be Instagram-worthy or shareable on social media to be considered a success, and two-thirds of millennials report posting photos on social media when attending an event – which is actually great for the host.

A third of millennials are more likely to attend an event after seeing photos of a host's previous events, so having your event show up on social media can help the next one to be even more of a success.

GUIDE FOR HOSTS
Offer a drink in under eight minutes
Talk to each guest less than eight minutes after they arrive
Offer a snack in less than 10 minutes
Offer a refill in under 20 minutes

DO:
Play Maroon 5 and Ed Sheeran
Talk about TV shows/movies and food

DON'T:
Play 5 Seconds of Summer or Bebe Rexha
Talk about politics or money
Ask guests to take their shoes off

KEYS TO HOSTING A GREAT EVENT:
Type of food/snacks served
Good conversation
Who the other guests are
The amount of food/snacks
Music played