Party Start Time and Entertainer Arrival Are Two Different Times

Your invitation gives a party start time of 14:30. You want the entertainer’s first activity to begin at 15:00. Then a booking message says “arrival at 15:00”.

Those details leave an important question open: will the team be ready to begin at 15:00, or will preparation start then?

For families booking children’s entertainment with ShakeParty, which travels from Idstein to events across Germany’s Rhine-Main region, it helps to give arrival, preparation and the programme their own places in the schedule.

A clear timetable tells the host when to welcome guests and tells the team when the activity space will be available.

Give each party start time a clear label

“The party starts at three” can mean several things. It might describe the time printed on the invitation, the start of the entertainment or the moment the venue becomes available.

Write the meaning beside each time:

• Venue access: when the host and team can enter the space they need.
• Entertainer arrival: when and where the host will meet the team.
• Programme start: when the first agreed activity with the children begins.
• Programme finish: when the booked entertainment is scheduled to end.

Keep the invitation time visible too. Guests may arrive before the entertainment begins, giving the host time to welcome families and help children settle in.

There is no need for every time to be different. The point is to make any differences clear before the day.

Build the schedule around the first activity

Start with the time you want the children’s programme to begin. Then ask the entertainer what preparation is needed and when access must be available.

Depending on the agreed format, preparation might involve bringing props inside, arranging materials, checking music or confirming where activities will take place. The amount of time needed depends on the programme and venue.

Here is a fictional timetable for discussing a ShakeParty booking. These times are an example to confirm with the team, not ShakeParty’s standard arrival policy.

The twenty-minute preparation interval is illustrative. Ask what your chosen programme needs.

This example also separates the guest invitation from the entertainment booking. A family arriving at 14:30 can be welcomed by the host while the programme remains scheduled for 15:00.

Make sure “arrival” means the same thing to both sides

A street address alone may leave a few practical details unresolved.

At a community hall, the team might need the side entrance. At a restaurant, the children’s area might be upstairs. In an apartment building, someone may need to open the outer door.

Agree a meeting point that the host can describe clearly: “the main entrance beside the car park” is more useful than “at the venue”.

Tell the team about access details that could affect preparation. For example, mention stairs, a locked entrance or a room that remains occupied until a specific time.

If the venue only opens at 15:00, say so before confirming a 15:00 programme start. The team can then discuss a workable schedule with you.

Confirm which period the booking covers

An arrival time does not, by itself, explain how the service duration is measured.

For the fictional timetable above, the intended entertainment period is 15:00–16:00. Before booking, ask the team to confirm the programme duration and how preparation is handled in the offer.

ShakeParty’s booking FAQ explains that programme duration depends on the chosen service and that event details are discussed before the booking is confirmed. Use that discussion to settle your particular schedule.

A useful confirmation names the programme start and finish, the planned arrival and the access arrangements. It should also make clear whether any agreed preparation time is included in the quoted service.

Check changes against the whole timetable

Party plans sometimes change after the original discussion. The room may become available later, or the host may decide to serve food before the games.

If you want to move the programme, contact the team and confirm whether the change is possible. Check the revised start and finish together. A later start may affect room hire, the next activity or the entertainer’s other commitments.

Pass the confirmed update to whoever will meet the team. That person needs the current timetable, particularly if they were not involved in the booking conversation.

For late-arriving guests, agree with the host how the group will be gathered at the planned start. Waiting for everyone should be a discussed decision with the team.

Send one short confirmation message

Before the event, bring the key details together in one message. Using the fictional example, it could read:

Guests are invited for 14:30. We would like the children’s programme to run from 15:00 to 16:00. The venue is available from 14:00, and the host can meet your team at the main entrance at 14:40. Please confirm whether this arrival and preparation schedule works for the chosen programme, and how preparation is covered in the offer.

Add the event date, full address and the contact details of the adult meeting the team.

The useful final check is simple: at the agreed programme start, can the team begin the first activity? Confirming the steps before that moment helps everyone arrive with the same expectations.

Written by Vladyslav Yanchenko at Salestudia. This article is part of our content work for ShakeParty.