PRIVATE FUNCTIONS
As a company, we have just returned to offering private board game parties after a year-and-a-half hiatus caused by the pandemic. During this hiatus, we started hosting trivia games on Zoom and are now beginning to offer those in person as well. If you are interested in booking a virtual or in-person trivia night, please visit our sister website: www.longdistancetrivia.com. If you would like to book a board game party, read on. And if you want to skip the reading and just talk to a real person already, call us at 617-894-9324 or e-mail host@playboardgameempire.com.
"We had a Teachers' Night Out for a staff of about 30 and the BoardGame Empire team absolutely made the night! The restaurant was slow to get the food out and without missing a beat, our host happily facilitated the first activity, MCing the first game and successfully absorbing everyone in the competition. When the food finally arrived, we had to remind the group to take a break from playing! It was so well organized yet with tons of laughter-- the Boardgame Empire crew are total professionals! We can't wait to have them back!!! Thank you so much for a game night to remember!!!"
-Ellen Slater
Coordinator
JCC Parent-Teacher Council
What is a BoardGame Empire Party?
For private functions, we offer two main parties. The first is our flagship event. A host arrives with a mountain full of games featuring anything you might picture when you hear the phrase “board games.” Party games? We’ve got those. Strategy games? Those too. The classics? Of course. Word games? Yup. Award-winning new releases? You betcha. Two player games? Absolutely.
People can grab a game they already love and start playing, but for folks looking to try something new, the host is an expert in everything there. They can explain the rules to any game or make personally-tailored recommendations based on other games the players like. Then we teach you the rules so you don't have to spend half the party looking through the directions.
Our second type of event is a board game mixer, perfect for helping people get to know each other. Whether you have a sales team and an engineering team that never talk, an orientation for incoming college freshmen, or a birthday where you don’t want everyone instantly sectioning off into the usual cliques, this is a great choice.
We split everyone up into groups, each getting their own table. Then we break out a copy of the first game and explain how it works. Everyone plays with their tablemates for 20-30 minutes, then people get randomly assigned to new tables and out comes the second game. Over the course of the event, everyone discovers a range of games, playing each with new table-mates. Every game is fun, easy to learn, and something that leaves room for having a conversation as you go.
"Employees were in awe at how many games were available—they couldn’t decide which one to play first! There were tons of games that people have never seen or heard of before—But that’s okay, because [your host] knows the rules and whims of EVERY game, and is there to walk you through them all. After each event we've held, employees have become so obsessed with a new game that we ended up purchasing it for ourselves! We can't wait to have BoardGame Empire back again!"
What Do You Get With a BoardGame Empire Party?
The perfect array of games
Having done a lot of these, we have finely honed our collection. We make sure to include options for every category of game someone could possibly want, and we make sure that those options are ones people absolutely love. In addition, we can alter the collection to specifically meet the interests of your group. Whether you have an engineering team that loves nerdy strategy games or you're planning a happy hour and want something light while you have a few drinks, we will find the right fit. Finally, for our board game bonanza, we'll create a personalized web page for your group where you can go and request any game you want. If we have it, we’ll bring it from our library, and if we don’t have it, we’ll go out and buy it at no additional cost.*
*Total cost of games purchased for this purpose cannot exceed cost of event. This has never happened before, but, ya know, our lawyers said we should cover ourselves.
A board game savant for a host
Not only do our hosts know all the rules to every game we bring, but our training basically consists of practicing rules explanations over and over until they are so clear even a potato could understand them. And when that debate comes up and Dave and Carlton are ready to come to blows over whether or not you’re allowed to buy new cards after you’ve rolled the dice, we can step in with a verdict.
-Kimberly Wilson
Office Experience Manager
Trip Advisor
"My company hosted a series of Game Nights with BoardGame Empire and could not have been more thrilled with the results. Jonathan and his team not only facilitated the games flawlessly but were super engaging hosts. If you hate icebreakers, but are looking for a way to engage past small talk at an event, then I say look no further."
-Sarah Shields
Community Engagement Manager
National Development
Music
We bring a sound system and play awesome music the whole time. We can also slant the selection to best fit the age range and/or musical tastes of the attendees. We've played new music for universities and we've done an all-jazz playlist for a 70th birthday, so whatever the demands of the event, we can make it work.
Prizes
We bring the whole event together at the end by giving away several prizes to participants. We give away one of our favorite games, free tickets to BoardGame Empire events and what we call beauty-is-in-the-eye-of-the-beholder prizes. Past ones have included Storm Trooper slippers! A sheet of completely unpopped bubble wrap! A Power Rangers cookie! We know these aren’t the most expensive things in the world, but take our word for it: When you walk away with one of them, you feel like a king.
"BoardGame Empire does an outstanding job. The quick-witted host really knows how to work a room... I thought it was a perfect fit for our nerdy MIT culture, and wanted to organize an event for alumni. BoardGame Empire was super responsive to emails, and offered advice and options to make the event a success. That's huge. It made coordinating with the Club and venue much easier."
-Nick
Organizing Member
MIT Club of Boston
Help with every step of creating the event
"Wow, this is all amazing. With BoardGame Empire, clearly the entertainment aspect of the party is all set, but I still have to figure out how to plan the rest of the party," you may be saying to yourself. But actually, we can help with that part too. Need a bartender or caterer? We know a couple who do a great job. Need a venue? We have relationships with multiple places throughout the greater Boston area and are happy to put you in touch with their booking managers (in some cases, we can even get you discounts!). Heck, when the event is done, we can even recommend other entertainment companies that are great to work with for your next party.
"Jonathan and his team put on an outstanding event for our 60 Bystander Intervention Education student trainers. The team was energetic, thoughtful, organized, and very easy to work with. The students loved all three of the games we played, and really enjoyed having Ben & Jerry's come as well. I would definitely book a future event with BoardGame Empire- all of our students had an absolute blast!"
Samantha Goober
Higher Education Administrator
Boston College Women's Center
A company that can shape shift to fit your every need
We have our standard go-to events, but we have modified what we do to fit the needs of clients before and we will happily do so again. At various times we have been enlisted to set up a Connect 4 Tournament, teach teams how to play Dungeons & Dragons, and run a mixer event where each game we used was themed around cooperation and communication. If you have an idea for a party themed around games, and what you see here isn't quite what you want, let us know.
A slew of satisfied customers
We’ve done events for TripAdvisor, BookBub, Salsify, Boston University, MIT, The Broad Institute and more. We are happy to provide you with contact information for any past customers you want to chat with.
"So much fun! TBH, I sometimes dread the after-work event that I previously committed to, but I've done two of these events and had a blast at each! It's the kind of thing where you get to know your co-worker a little more and learn that they have a witty sense of humor or really good drawing skills... either way it's interesting. I attended the first event as a guest and hosted the second and from both vantage points the execution by the host was flawless - he made it easy and fun. The set up is great - a variety of games, acoustics, music - just add snacks and beverages and it's a party!"
-Jen Lenkutis
Executive Assistant to the President & CEO
EnterpriseDB
How to Get in Touch
Give us a call 617-894-9324 or shoot us an e-mail at host@playboardgameempire.com to tell us about your event. Or just fill out the form below.