Hosting quotes

I recently did a piece for HTSI’s summer “How to Host It” issue on gifts for hosts that aren’t alcohol. So many people don’t drink these days. Even if they do, anything you bring tends to get dumped in a corner. So, what else should you take instead?
I sent an email request out to PRs, asking them to canvas their clients. These pieces are an easy win for PRs, clients and – frankly – me as they require a lot less graft than other pieces and, often, readers find them the most entertaining.
But not everyone who submitted answers made the final cut. And I wanted to revisit the piece here to explain why. The reasons may help you manage your clients’ expectations or improve their quotes for next time.

1. The biggest reason quotes get cut from pieces is limited word count. For this piece, I had over 20 contributions but only room for half of them. I know it’s frustrating but the good will is not wasted – their contribution often leads to other things.

2. Suggestions shouldn’t be blatantly self-serving. One contributor suggested bringing a pair of salad servers from her own range of kitchenware. This did not make the cut. Another wrote: “I don’t expect anyone to bring a gift… What I would like most is if everyone arrives with a big smile.” A lovely sentiment that also got the axe. A third contributor offered two ideas: “a wildflower honeycomb from a small rural apiary” and “Ukrainian saffron”. Both brilliant but near impossible for readers to source.

3. Other contributions included “a really nice loaf of bread”, “something grown” and “a jar of homemade marmalade”. All delightful but too generic. I need specifics! Another contributor recommended a very specific maple syrup from Quebec, Canada, which she loved because it demonstrated ideas of terroir that she felt strongly about as a wine merchant. A specific product with a very specific reason.

4. A few suggested the same thing: olive oil. In this case I went with the contributor who provided the strongest explanation for why olive oil is such a good gift (amid the current explosion in super premium suppliers) and gave the most interesting examples.

5. One contributor suggested a very familiar brand of jam, which I didn’t include because I felt readers wanted expert suggestions they couldn’t come up with themselves.

6. As part of the mix, I wanted personality or what I call “a bit of crazy”. I didn’t just want a sensible list of chocolates, oils and condiments. Chris Black advocated “a box of Cheez-Its – to fuel the post-party clean up” which I liked because it was comforting, junky and fit the category of “post-party” gift (aspirin and Berocca would have done the trick too.) The most unhinged suggestion came from Chris D’Sylva who proposed bringing an industrial blowtorch. His suggestion ended up shaping the headline: “Bring your own blowtorch – what to give the discerning host”. Who could resist a soundbite that bonkers?