Guest Experience Specialist for Parties, Weddings & Events
What a Partyologist Does
They say to become an expert at something, you need at least 10,000 hours of experience doing it. After more than 30 years working in events across Melbourne, I’ve easily passed that mark. I’ve planned, decorated, and DJ’d thousands of parties, weddings, and corporate events, and while I’d call myself an expert, I’d never claim to know it all.
What keeps me passionate is that the event world is always evolving, with trends shifting, styles changing, and the way guests act and react is constantly moving. That’s what keeps this job exciting. Every event is another opportunity for me to learn how people connect, celebrate, and feel good together.
When you work with me, you get more than a decorator or planner, you get a Partyologist.
A Partyologist studies how people act and react to everything that happens in a party, wedding, or event environment. I look at what excites and stimulates guests, what kills the vibe, and how every little decision changes how people feel. My goal is simple, and that is to create the best event experience possible for those who attend. I help manage the energy of your event so it’s never flat, awkward, or boring, but naturally builds at the right times and keeps guests engaged from start to finish.
I don’t just think about food, drinks, or décor. I look at what people are wearing and whether their shoes will let them dance. I think about temperature, lighting colour, the age mix of guests, and how those factors will affect the energy level. I study the room layout and where the furniture sits, how close the bar is to the dance floor, and whether that setup will encourage movement and connection or keep people stuck in corners.
A great event is built from touchpoints, not just centrepieces. I look at every one from the lighting as guests arrive, the first song they hear, the comfort of the seating, how the room feels, and even the scent in the space. Each touchpoint shapes emotion, and when they’re aligned, you create that “feel good” atmosphere where people loosen up, connect, and stay longer.
Since 2008 my team and I at Feel Good Events have help plan and decorated more than 9 000 events around Melbourne. From house parties, fun and exciting weddings to 5 000 guest corporate events. Every single one has helped refine what I do best and that is to turn ordinary gatherings into nights people still talk about years later.
How I Learned to Read a Room
I started as a DJ more than 30 years ago, back when the only data you had was the dance floor in front of you. I learned fast that no playlist or lighting setup worked for every crowd. Some nights I’d have a full room dancing, others felt flat no matter what song I played. That’s when I realised that great parties aren’t luck. They’re a formula.
One of the moments that locked it in came during our own 15 year Feel Good Events party. We transformed one of our warehouses into a Willy Wonka inspired wonderland without telling anyone what to expect or what the theme was. When guests arrived, they were transported with music, lighting, colour and scent where everything was designed to overwhelm the senses. The reaction was instant. The energy in the room skyrocketed, people smiled, laughed, and danced within minutes. That’s when I knew décor wasn’t about looks, it was about emotion.
From very early on in my event career I started watching and experimenting, tracking what stimulated guests, what killed momentum, and how environmental factors could make or break a night. That research became the foundation for the Feel Good Formula.
The Feel Good Formula: Designing for the Guest Experience
The Feel Good Formula is the heart of everything we do. Its a practical system built from thousands of events that maps how to build, sustain, and raise energy in a room but ultimately create the best event experience possible for everyone who attends.
Party energy is the result of a great guest experience. When you plan for how people feel, everything else such as décor, music, lighting etc all works harder for you.
The ENERGY Formula
E – Emotion: Every event starts with emotion. How do you want your guests to feel, relaxed, excited, amazed, connected? The décor, lighting, layout, music and even temperature all influence that first emotional impression. My goal is to make people feel good the moment they walk in.
N – Nurture the Energy: You can’t force atmosphere, you build it. Party Energy grows when you plan for it from the right timing, music, lighting, and surprises at the right moments. I look at every guest touchpoint to make sure their experience builds naturally through the night and never hits a lull.
E – Engage the Senses: Great events don’t just look good, they feel good. Sight, sound, scent, touch, and even taste all shape memory. From the scent of candles that match your theme, to textured furniture that invites comfort, to the sound design of music and lighting, every sense matters.
R – Raise the Room: Décor should do more than fill space, it should lift emotion and enhance good feelings. The right décor, lighting colour, layout, and design choices instantly change how guests behave. When a room feels warm, inviting, and exciting, guests relax and join in. That’s when the fun starts.
G – Guest Connection: Every detail should bring people together, not separate them. Layout, furniture placement, dance floor and décor, all decide how guests mingle. A great event layout encourages connection, movement, and shared fun, not isolation.
Y – Your Event Evolves: Every event teaches something new about people, timing, and atmosphere. After each event we look at what worked and what could be improved, constantly evolving how we design guest experiences. That’s why every event we do feels even better than the last.
This isn’t guesswork. It’s grounded in real world event, wedding and party observation. For example, the wrong sized venue can destroy energy before the first drink is poured. A half empty hall always feels lifeless. Too much furniture or too many separate spaces split crowds and dilute excitement. I help design every setup to keep people together, because proximity builds energy.
Guest Experience Science
After 30 years in events, I’ve learned that creating a great guest experience isn’t luck, it’s behavioural science. People respond to environments in predictable ways, and when you understand those triggers, you can design experiences that make them feel good without them even realising why.
What I call Guest Experience Science is about recognising the subtle factors that drive how guests act and react, from lighting, temperature, sound levels, scent, colour contrast, crowd density, and even what they’re wearing. Each of these variables influences how relaxed or energised people feel at any given moment.
Over thousands of events, I’ve noticed patterns. Guests always move toward situations that feel more comfortable. They feel more comfortable when event spaces are balanced, not too bright, not too cold, not too quiet. When those environmental cues align, people naturally engage, talk more, and join in. When they don’t, they pull back.
Guest experience design is about working with human behaviour, not against it. When you plan with this in mind, every choice from layout, timing, music and décor all working together to create an emotional rhythm. And when guests feel good, party energy happens on its own.
The Science of Party Energy
You might be asking yourself what is party energy and why is it important?
In simple terms, party energy is how stimulated your guests feel. It’s the difference between a room full of people and a room full of life. A sit-down dinner with quiet talking has low energy. A packed dance floor with guests singing together and their hands in the air, that’s high energy. The job of a Partyologist is to manage that energy so it builds at the right times, never dips for too long, and ends on a high.
The reason party energy is so important is that from my many years experience, the parties, weddings and events that are more memorable are the ones that had a high party energy. This is not to say that lower party energy events aren’t enjoyable, its just that they tend to fade away in your memory.
Good party energy doesn’t happen by accident; it’s the outcome of a well-designed guest experience where every detail works together to lift mood and connection.
One client said to us – Our guests couldn’t stop talking about the great party atmosphere in the room. People we didn’t expect to dance were still going at midnight.
Over time, I’ve identified six key stimuli that define the success of any party:
- Lighting: The colour and movement and speed change affect how people feel. Warm, soft and static early, then dynamic once dancing starts.
- Temperature: Too cold or hot and guests leave the dance floor or the event. My rule is warm to start, cool to finish.
- Venue Choice: Size and layout must fit the crowd with big empty rooms draining energy.
- Music/Entertainment: Matched to age, vibe, and timing. The right song at the right moment can turn a room into something exciting.
- Décor: Sets emotion instantly. A decorated space tells people this is special and a bare room feels flat.
- Seating: Too much of it kills party energy. Cocktail layouts always create more energy than sit down dinners.
When those six are balanced, energy builds naturally. When one fails, the room feels off, and guests feel it even if they can’t explain why.
Managing Energy in Real Time
Reading energy is an art. I watch for warning signs like people checking phones, sitting down too early after the dancing has started, or looking at their watch. That’s my cue to intervene.
Sometimes it’s as simple as changing the music tempo or dimming lights. Other times, I introduce a surprise, a party game or spontaneous entertainment act to re-ignite the crowd.
One of my favourite tricks as a DJ was the dance off reset. If the room was dying, I’d cut the music, get the guests to form a circle around the dance floor, and run a friendly men versus women dance challenge. Instantly the room would erupt with laughter, cheering and connection. Within minutes, the party energy was back.
Those moments aren’t luck. They’re about understanding how humans respond to stimulation and social cues.
Senses People Forget
Sight and sound get all the attention, but touch and scent often create the strongest memories.
A tropical themed event smells better with coconut or mango candles. A Willy Wonka theme works best when guests can smell chocolate or candy. Even subtle things like the texture of fabrics or the comfort of chairs affect how guests relax. The more senses you stimulate, the stronger the memory.
Smell also anchors memory with the faint whiff of a smoke machine still takes me straight back to 90s nightclubs. I use that principle to help hosts create nostalgic or themed scents that become emotional triggers long after the event.
Spatial Psychology: Designing Connection
Layout shapes energy more than décor budget ever could. The Bar and DJ at opposite ends of the room or furniture separating the dance floor from guests are energy killers.
For high energy events, I keep the setup tight with bar tables around the dance floor, minimal seating, and clear sightlines so guests can see and join the fun easily. When the bar is near the dance floor, people dance sooner, stay longer, and keep coming back after every drink.
That design principle alone has turned countless “quiet” functions into full dance floor nights.
Reading the Crowd
Different crowds need different stimulation. Mixed ages, families, or corporate groups each have their own triggers.
Older guests appreciate comfortable seating and steady lighting while younger guests want freedom to move and louder sound. Cultural factors matter too, with Indian weddings thriving on colour and rhythm, while some Asian events are more formal and visually driven and usually lower energy.
Part of my role is balancing those expectations, so everyone feels comfortable enough to participate, not just watch,
The Moment Energy Switches
There’s always a turning point when an event shifts from polite to electric. I’ve seen it happen hundreds of times, like a wedding where we opened the dance floor with Brazilian dancers in bright costumes and live drums. Within seconds, the room exploded. The energy level tripled, and the night stayed alive until closing.
That’s what I aim for, creating the moment when people forget they’re at an event and start feeling it.
What My Experience Means for You
Three decades of doing this has taught me that success isn’t about spending more money, it’s about spending smart on what affects emotion and improves your guest experience.
I’ll help you:
- Direct budget toward the elements that truly move people.
- Avoid design mistakes that drain atmosphere.
- Keep the format right so guests stay engaged.
Working with me and my team at Feel Good Events, means you don’t have to guess what works. You get proven methods for managing energy, connecting people, crafting memories and throwing exciting parties.
My Party Rules
- Keep guests together as energy dies in empty spaces.
- Lighting must change as the night builds.
- Music tempo and volume should follow the crowd’s energy.
- Speeches and formalities early, so your fun starts early.
- Always plan for comfort from temperature, seating, food & drinks.
- Dancing is a must if you want high energy and your guests to feel good. Dancing is the best way to release feel good endorphins and make your guest feel happy.
These rules sound simple, but they’re based on decades of watching what makes guests stay and smile. There is a lot more to these simple rules, but these are the basics.
Why I Do This
Everyone deserves at least one big, fun, feel good event in their lifetime, one where they can actually enjoy the night instead of managing it. When you plan with guest experience in mind, you create more than a party, you create a shared emotional high that stays with people for years.
That’s why I’m obsessed with what I do.
Who I Work With
My best clients share a common goal, they care about how their guests feel at their event and want to plan for this. Whether it’s a wedding, brand activation, corporate Christmas party or important birthday, they want a night that’s alive with laughter, energy, and connection.
If that’s you, we’ll work well together.
Planning help is best suited to clients who want their event to run smoothly from start to finish and not just look good. As a guide, planning services usually make sense for events with total budgets from around $15,000 for smaller events, $20,000–$40,000 for medium sized events, and $50,000+ for larger or more complex events.
At those levels, there are enough moving parts such as venues, suppliers, entertainment, logistics etc, for expert planning to really make a difference. My goal is always to make the process easier, reduce stress, and make sure your guests have the best experience possible.
Decorating is about turning that plan into something guests can feel. It’s where the atmosphere, emotion, and visual impact come together. For most events, decorating starts to make a visible difference from around $5,000 to $10,000, and full transformations from $30,000+.
Whatever your spend, I’ll help you put it where it counts in the areas that will have the biggest impact on how your guests experience your party, wedding or event.
How We'll Work Together
- Discover your goal: What experience do you want your guests to have?
- Define your needs: Do you need design, decorating, planning, or all?
- Design your plan: We map guest experience, décor, layout, and logistics for your space.
You’ll know within one conversation what’s possible, what fits your budget, and how we can create the best result. Three month’s notice is ideal, but great parties or weddings can happen faster with the right focus.
Let's Chat About Your Event
If you want guests laughing, dancing, and feeling good long after the events over, let’s talk.
Final Thoughts
Whether it’s a wedding, a big corporate event, or a private party, my goal is always the same and that is to create the best guest experience possible. I want to help design for feel good, happy moments. That doesn’t always mean high energy. Some events are about calm connection, emotional storytelling, or simple comfort, and the Feel Good Formula still applies. It’s about matching the energy of the event to the purpose and the people, so whatever the atmosphere be it lively, elegant, relaxed, or intimate, your guests feel good being part of it.
That’s the science and art of Partyology.
Author – Marcus Prentice – Partyologist, DJ, and Event, Party & Wedding Planner
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is a Partyologist?
A Partyologist studies how people act and react at events and how lighting, music, décor, and atmosphere affect mood and connection. I look at every touchpoint that shapes the guest experience so your party feels fun, effortless, and full of energy.
Why is guest experience more important than décor or food?
Décor and food matter, but they only support the bigger picture, how guests feel. If guests are comfortable, entertained, and emotionally connected, they’ll remember your event for years. Great guest experience always leads to high party energy.
What did you mean by "party energy"?
Party energy is the emotional pulse of an event and how alive and connected the room feels. It’s the result of good planning, great timing, and thoughtful design. You can’t buy energy but you create it by focusing on how guests experience every part of the night.
How do you design an event for guest experience?
I plan every detail around how guests will interact, move, and feel. This includes layout, lighting, music timing, scent, temperature, and even what guests wear. When all those details work together, you get a natural, feel good atmosphere that builds all night.
How is your approach different from other event planners or stylists?
Most planners focus on how things look. I focus on how they feel. My background as a DJ taught me to read the crowd, manage atmosphere, and respond in real time. I don’t just design décor, I design experiences that create emotion and energy.
Can the same principles work for corporate events and weddings?
Yes. Every type of event benefits from the same core principle, design for your guests first. Whether it’s a formal gala or a backyard wedding, the emotional journey of the guest always shapes the energy in the room.
What's the biggest mistake people make when planning events?
They think “pretty” equals “memorable.” The real test of success is whether guests felt included, excited, and connected. If the room looks stunning but people are bored or uncomfortable, the energy drops and so does the memory of the event.
How can I tell if my event has good party energy?
You will Feel It. You’ll know when people linger on the dance floor, laugh freely, and don’t want to leave. High energy feels contagious and guests feed off each other’s reactions. If they’re on their phones or drifting away, it’s a sign something in the environment is off.
How can you help me create that same energy at my event?
I’ll help you design the environment, music, layout, and timing to build energy naturally. It’s not about spending more, it’s about spending smart on what actually influences mood and emotion.
What's one small change that can instantly improve guest experience?
Move your bar closer to the dance floor. It sounds simple, but it changes everything, people connect faster, dance sooner, and the energy stays high.
