Party-goers resist the spending pinch - 17 October 2008

New report from Yell.com reveals UK ‘partyscape’ in 2008

The UK has no intention of giving up its partying habits, with 80 per cent of party-goers agreeing that you don’t need a champagne budget to throw a good party, according to a new report from Yell.com - the online service from Yellow Pages.

Entitled ‘Party Pieces’ the in-depth report reveals that 85 per cent of the nation organises an average of three parties and attends eleven in a year and it doesn’t look like we’re going to stop at any point in the near future.

The Yell.com report has been produced in conjunction with trends forecaster Future Foundation and looks at the current UK ‘partyscape’. It examines the habits and behaviours of UK party-goers, identifies party profile types and uncovers the huge range of party goods and services people are currently searching for online through websites such as Yell.com.

And while we’re happy to throw a party on a lemonade budget, party-goers are still spending on average more than £1,000 every year enjoying a social gathering. The biggest injection of cash is given to romance-related celebrations. Guests attending wedding, hen or stag, engagement or anniversary parties each spend more than £100 per party.

Romantic celebrations aside, more than two-thirds of party-goers (69 per cent) agree that you don’t need an excuse to throw a party. Savvy party planners are increasingly using sites such as Yell.com to source a range of perfect or unique party solutions, with three-quarters (73 per cent) of party-goers who have grown up with the internet (18-24 year olds) agreeing that the internet makes party planning easier, alongside more than two-fifths of 55-60 year old party-goers. (42 per cent).

Analysis of the searches entered into Yell.com by its nine million or so users per month for nights out and party planning-related classifications, highlights the effort put into today’s get-togethers, even if the occasion and budget is low-key. Across the UK, ‘Fancy Dress’ heads the list of party searches, suggesting a need for all-out escapism when we let our hair down, followed by ‘Limousine Hire’, ‘Marquees and Tent Hire’, ‘Balloons’ and ‘Bouncy Castles and Inflatables’.

• The new party generation - more than half (52 per cent) of 18-24 year old party-goers say they get invited to more parties today thanks to social networking sites such as Facebook, and around a third (35 per cent) often cram in more than one party in the same evening
• Older Age Party-goers (OAPs) - the biggest spending party guests are the 55-60 year old age group, spending on average £20 more than other age groups on children’s parties and seasonal parties
• Party on the hoof – technology is also fuelling new attitudes to party etiquette meaning we’re more prone to changing plans at the last minute, almost 60 per cent claim not to turn up to parties – even when they’ve said yes. Plus, the average time of ‘acceptable lateness’ is now 43 minutes, with almost half of all party-goers (48 per cent) thinking it’s ok to make a call on a mobile phone to let their host know they’re going to be late

• Party Pieces Report (PDF 2.2M)