What is a Lanparty?
A Lanparty is where a bunch of people who like gaming get together in one place along with their machines, and then duke it out over a specially made network. Usually over a weekend or so, people will eat tons of junk food, talk smack at each other, and even play some games, and they call it fun.
The two main reasons that these parties take place are that they are social gatherings for like minded people, and also it eliminates the lag, thus meaning that any games played and lost are due to lack of "Mad Gaming Skills", instead of the online counterpart where you could actually blame your ISP’s poor connection legitimately. It is usually a fun thing to go to if you can, and with more and more Lanparties being held around the world every weekend, the likelihood of one happening near you is probable.
On the other hand, if you can’t wait for someone to hold a Lanparty, why not hold one yourself? It isn’t THAT hard to do….or is it?

Why hold one?
You will learn a lot about yourself during the process of creating a Lanparty. You will find out your limitations, and what you excel at. The main thing is, you will learn that you CAN accomplish things, and you will take that further on in your life, and be successful. [And that finishes the confidence filling and caring part of today’s message…]
Hosting a Lanparty takes time and effort. A LOT of time and effort! It also usually costs a lot too. But don’t worry, as you get rewarded with a good time for yourself and many other people. Believe me, you will!
You will definitely learn about your computer and networking, and of course talking to people is a great skill to learn. (On a side point, you will hear the word "No" from people a lot. Don’t worry. You will hear "Yes" eventually, if you are persistent).
Of course, one of the greatest things you can do is find out that there are indeed other people in your area who want to go to a Lanparty. You will make friends with them. And believe me, that is a great thing. [Why the hell am I saying about making friends!? I’m turning into Ned Flanders!].
Now, are you ready to hold a Lanparty? Then we’ll begin.

Where are you going to hold it?
The primary hurdle you need to get past is the good old "Where the heck am I going to do this!?" puzzle. A suitable place needs to be able to complete a few essential criteria.
Space – It is usually a good idea to hold the party indoors (i.e. not in the rain!). You therefore need a place big enough to fit in all of these people comfortably. With many small rooms, you can have a few guests in each room. Ideally you need one large area, like say a sports hall or warehouse. These are pretty big, and are completely capable of holding many people and their machines. To go between the extremes of a warehouse and your home, you could use local village halls, scout huts, or even local internet cafes (They would be extremely welcome of the extra business, and may even let you use their machines and net connection into the bargain! Check with them first before you spread any word out, as they are a business, and may not be so keen on tons of hooligans running riot on their systems with beer and other beverages).
Power – Computers need electricity. If you don’t have power, you can’t run a computer, let alone 20-30! Usually, the place you hire has enough sockets to cover the number of people who would fit in the space, but sometimes they have not. Do not worry, as you can cut back on the number of guests a bit and use up the freed up space as a rest area. You might also want to map out the circuits, so that you know what sockets are controlled by which circuit breaker. Handy in a blackout, but especially handy in avoiding a blackout in the first place, by balancing the numbers of machines over all of the circuits instead of just piling them all on one.
Resting – Many guests will quite happily play for the 72 hours non-stop. Others are more likely to want to rest every so often. Is the location near a hotel? If you are holding it in a hotel’s ballroom, will they discount if many of your guests book rooms? If you can, keep a space or a room aside from the main hub of excitement as a crash area, so they can sleep without much in the way of being disturbed.
Furniture and Amenities – Not an obvious problem combination, but they are essential. You absolutely MUST have a toilet there, and it must be kept clean at almost all times. It’s also handy to have tables and desks around, as otherwise people will be on the floor, and that is not comfortable at all!
Cost – How much does it cost to rent a place for a day or a weekend? The bigger the place and the more guests there are, the likelihood of paying a higher charge is a certainty. This will not only cost you more money, but in order to get that money back, you have to raise any cover charge you want your guests to pay. This in tern puts off guests meaning fewer attendees, meaning a higher price to make up for that, and the circle of despair continues.
Noise – Some places laughably have restrictions over the amount of noise that can be made. This can simply be rectified by having everyone use headphones rather than speakers. Places with more relaxed restrictions would be better, so the shouting can ensue between players without problem. Most players at Lanparties take headphones with them so they can hear their game in a noisy environment, so worrying about people bringing speakers isn’t a problem. Just stop them from bringing them. So, you have your location. Next you have to worry about…

The Network
First, see how many people are going to the party. The number of people + the number of servers you will have there = the number of ports you need. Add a few more, just in case people bring more than one machine (Own personal servers!). If you want, you could use multiple hubs, connecting them to each other with a switch, if the number of people needs it.
Usually, the set-up for the network is one hub per table, and each hub is linked to the switch, with any extra ports on the switch used by the server(s), or if there are not enough ports to allow for this, a separate hub for the servers would do.
DCHP is ill advised for a Lanparty, thus the method of Post-It notes should be used. If anyone has a DCHP server running, it must be switched off. Everyone should be allocated an ip number to use on the network, and should be shown how to set their computer up before they do anything else. It’s easier to tell them how to set their machine up via a website or an e-mail than to go around everyone’s machines and setting it up in the first few hours of the party.
One thing that every guest should be asked to do at least is to bring his or her own network cable. It will save you money if they bring the cable themselves, but get cables ready just in case.
Make sure that there’s a server that allows people to get the latest patches for the games and any non-original maps that they might need for tourneys etc.

Announcements, People Awareness and Other Diversions
It’s always advisable to tell people about the Lanparty early in the planning stages. Set up a website and tell Lanparty websites such as LANParty.com about it. These sites get tons of hits, and hopefully likeminded people in the area read them too.
The website should contain useful information about the party, including where and when it is, how much it would cost, any rules that need to be obeyed, and any attractions that will be there (Such as a rest area, a Playstation with DDR mats for breaks, fully stocked bar, sumo wrestling, anything that takes your fancy!), tournaments (and prizes), and any other helpful stuff that they should be told (aka where the nearest McDonalds is). You MUST give details on how to sign up for the event, otherwise it may become a bit difficult to run with people turning up suddenly on the day without any knowledge on the number of people appearing.
Newspaper adverts may not be the most effective way of getting hold of local lanners, but the keyword here is "Cheap", as there is no point advertising in nationwide/worldwide publications about a 40 guest Lanparty in Devon unless you can guarantee that the advertisement would bring in enough to cover it’s cost (This is "No"). A local paper is your friend and ally, as the adverts are cheap, and usually the reporters are helpful. A community newspaper that usually reports the most exciting thing each week would almost certainly relish the opportunity to report a gathering of hell-bent loonies virtually killing each other for a marathon session, instead of the usual "Night watchman discovers cat in cheese factory" stories they run to fulfil their humdrum lives. If they report on the event, then there is a chance that more would visit in a future gathering.
If you have access to a photocopier, you could make posters/leaflets about the party, and put them in local shops. Many games stores and internet cafes would be helpful with publicising a local gaming event, and may want to be involved more.

Finances and Passing the Buck
If you are hosting the party, it is YOUR responsibility, and YOUR head on the block for anything that goes wrong and any costs that go with it. If you are jointly doing this with a friend or friends, then it’s YOUR responsibility, not the group, if something goes wrong. People always pass the buck to someone else, so long as it isn’t them, so you had better prepare if something needs paying, whether you are on your own or with people. The people will most likely not help you, so be careful.
Work out how much everything would cost for the weekend. Got a figure? Good. Now double it. This is your ballpark figure. The doubling will cover the cost of the party, and any eventuality that may arise. Prices change and fluctuate, and so no exact price can be set on everything. Now, with that ballpark figure, divide it by however many people are going to be at the party (including yourself. Always remember yourself! It is unfair to make people pay for your entry, even if you are the one running it! You are going to enjoy yourself, yes? Well then you should pay too!). This is how much the ticket price to get in should be. Any cash that is not spent on the party should either be kept aside for a good tournament prize, or set aside for the next event in preparation.
One way you could save cash is if you get sponsored. For a first party, it is hard, as you have yet to establish yourself, but for future events, there is that possibility of help from companies. Ask local businesses such as restaurants for food help, computer stores for loans of a machine for a server, or even the networking equipment, in return for some wall space at the venue, and a place in part of any advertising/the website you make for it. It may even be worth your while to get hold of big manufacturers for aid. Many PR departments would be interested in supplying a prize for contests at parties, as it is a great way for them to get almost free advertising.

Volunteers
Holding a party on your own is almost classified as suicide if it’s big. Ideally, you should have some volunteers to help out with the various jobs the party needs done. These volunteers should not be worked to the bone, as they are there to enjoy the party too. If possible, reward them for their free hard work by letting them in for free, or by giving them special privileges, such as being on the same hub as the servers, or free food. Anything can be used as a reward for volunteers.
Jobs that should be done include minor cleaning, setting up and closing the party afterwards, helping guests out with the network and local amenities, food runs (Bulk Orders to the local Pizza place) and making sure that life is comfortable for the guests in general. They should also act as the police of the event, making sure that people do not argue, or cheat, or get in without a ticket/paying. Heck, they may even get a power kick by chucking the undesirables out if they are causing trouble.

The Guests – Before and After
Once people have registered, they are classed as Guests. If they arrive, they are Attendees. It’s the transition from Guest to Attendee that is quite troublesome for many people. If people are going to a party on their own without knowing anyone there, they may bottle out of it and not show, despite paying for the place they want to sit at. Constantly check with guests to make sure they are turning up, as this does two things. This makes the guest ready to come and play, willing to come. Those people who are uncertain could then ask you questions about it, and this gives you a chance to change those "Maybe" people to "Yes! I want to shout Suck It Down Monkey Boy when I rail someone!!" If it turns out that they don’t want to, even though they have registered, it gives you a chance to open that seat up to people who want to go but couldn’t due to lack of space. A reserve list is also handy in this case.
Talking to the people beforehand also gives a chance to get any extra problems out of the way before the event takes place. A few people want a Dance Dance Revolution tourney? Take your PSX in with a few dance mats ready. Someone’s a vegan? Get a dictionary, find out what it means, and accommodate their food habits by telling them what is available that they can eat and what they should steer clear of. This early communication gives you time to prepare last minute things instead of rushing around when you really should be fragging.
After the party, send out Thank You e-mails and messages, and ask for reports or photos for the website. People like to see themselves on the internet. Dunno why. Use this as an opportunity to advertise the next event, and get these people ready long before it happens. You’ll also learn what you could change for the next time from any feedback you get. ("Maybe putting that collection of Digimon Porn on the walls wasn’t a good idea after all")

The Guests – During
Keep these people happy! If you don’t understand that….
Welcome the attendees when they arrive. Show them where they will sit, where their power socket is, and where to plug in on the hub. Tell them their IP number, and if they need assistance with setting up their machine, be it bringing it in from the car, or getting their games to run on the network, help them or get someone who knows about it to help. The guests are always right (except when they are cheating, breaking the law/rules, or completely wrong by sanity’s standards) and thus they must be served. Gamers may need little attention once they have been shown where to sit, where to eat and where to (for want of a better phrase) "poop", but when they need assistance, give it to them. If someone wants a Counterstrike server up, or someone wants the toilet unblocked, then go and do it. If they are not happy, they won’t come back for the next time.
It is always handy to welcome the guys/gals with some sort of welcome pack. Something that tells them any information that they need to know, what’s going to be happening when, where the nearest shops are, and who to get hold of when in trouble. This not only tells them most things that they need to know, but also goes a long way to making them feel loved.

Closing the Party
Make sure everyone knows when the party ends, and when they all have to be out of the building and on their way home. If they don’t know, they will carry on playing, and then a huge rush of realisation hits them when suddenly the hub is turned off and put into it’s box. A mad dash to get things to the car then ensues, usually causing breakages (possibly where YOU are liable to cough up for).
Try and make the closing a big thing. Get everyone involved, so they all know it’s ending. Try and get some sort of closing ceremony ready. Present prizes to winners of tourneys, comment on strange goings on, and read off the list of people who should be sent to the local asylum for their strange doings. Do anything, just make people know the thing is going to end in the next few minutes.
Oh, and get volunteers to help people pack stuff away. Always helps speed things along.

Security
Make sure that there is someone looking at who comes in and leaves. This makes sure that undesirables stay out and only those who have a need to be there get in. Try and make sure that someone watches the flow of the crowd and the equipment to make sure it suddenly doesn’t go missing. Ask that people do not leave their cases off unless it is an absolute necessity (e.g. installing a card), as case internals are small, and when a case is open, the parts can be taken pretty easily and quickly.
Name tags for everyone and security stickers could be handy. Ask everyone to label their equipment with a sticker with their name and phone number on, so that in the event of the item going missing, it can be sent back to them with little worry. If someone isn’t wearing a nametag, ask him or her to leave. (A side point – Nametags are extremely helpful when people are meeting for the first time. Put both their real name and their pseudonym on the tag, so people can stop asking the immortal question "And you are…?" all the time)

Remember
If there are any problems, Do Not Panic! There is a solution to almost everything that can go wrong.
If power goes out, check the breakers and power sockets. It’s usually too many computers on one circuit, or someone daisy chaining power strips.
If someone is stealing stuff, find out whom and retrieve the items. If the person involved does not cooperate, call the police and book their sorry ass.
If someone is upset, not having fun or has a problem, then help them and cheer them up. Find out the source of the problem, and deal with it.
If someone is being unruly, tell them to refrain from doing it. If they persist, warn them and threaten them with expulsion from the event and a ban. If they continue, even after all of this, throw them out and make a note never to allow them back in again.
If there is not enough room for everyone, get people to bunch together more, or get more desks. Get people to put their machines on the floor to save space.
If there are areas of the venue that are expensive or do not belong to the party, board them off, and label with keep out signs. Tell everyone that it is out of bounds. If anyone is copying files over the network that are unauthorised or illegal (Porn, programs, games, etc), then do as you would for the unruly guests. This practice slows the network down for everyone, and you, as the host, may be liable for any prosecution if any crimes are committed.

And the most important thing of all… HAVE FUN!