ThemeCompass

Start with constraints, then compare ideas

A theme works when it gives guests something enjoyable to do within the time, space and money available. ThemeCompass compares a small set of seven built-in formats and returns five ranked options. It is useful before invitations, purchases or elaborate story writing, when changing direction is still inexpensive.

The recommendations include activities, a three-part schedule, suggested materials, staffing, preparation tasks and a budget split. They are planning starting points. A high score does not establish venue suitability, guest enthusiasm or the availability of supplies. Read the constraints beneath a suggestion before committing to its title.

Tell the tool what matters

Enter guest count, total budget, available minutes and start time. Choose indoor or outdoor, the intended atmosphere and the event type. Theme / setting and Interests accept words that help match the built-in themes. Venue is a description, not a booking search: words such as library, garden, studio or hall can influence the comparison.

Guest count affects spending per person, helper suggestions and team quantities. Budget affects whether a format meets its internal per-person planning threshold. Duration is compared with each format’s suggested minimum. These thresholds are illustrative planning rules, not current market prices. Increasing the budget does not buy anything or fetch quotations.

Why one option rises above another

The rule-based comparison gives weight to atmosphere, indoor/outdoor fit, event type and recognized interest words. Budget and duration add further adjustments; recognized venue descriptions can help. All seven options are considered before the first five are shown. Equal scores retain a fixed source order rather than proving one option is objectively better.

The reasons list highlights certain matches, but it is not a complete explanation of every score adjustment. The schedule divides the entered duration approximately 15%, 65% and the remainder across the format’s three activities. The budget outline allocates 25% to venue, 40% to food, 20% to materials and 15% to reserve. Neither split is a supplier quote or an optimized allocation.

Three fictional briefs, three different priorities

For a twelve-person tea at 15:00, enter 240 budget units, 90 minutes, outdoor, calm, Tea gathering, garden/tea/poetry interests and Garden terrace as venue. Sage Garden Tea leads: its atmosphere, setting, format and interests align. At 20 units per guest, its internal cost threshold is also met. The host still checks actual seating, drinks and access.

For an eight-person mystery, use 160 units, 100 minutes from 18:00, indoor, mysterious, Mystery, detective/puzzle interests and Library room. The Missing Observatory Key leads. Its evidence-based format suits the brief; a private role briefing must still be organized before dinner conversation begins.

For eighteen people making things together, try 360 units, 90 minutes from 14:00, indoor, playful, Creative, art/costume interests and Studio. Studio of Many Worlds leads. The helper outline calls for two facilitators and three teams. These are suggested planning quantities, not staff bookings. Comparing these briefs shows why a single favorite theme is not always the most practical choice.

Make the recommendation your own

Change one constraint at a time and compare the reasons, constraints and activity outline. If an outdoor tea remains attractive after moving indoors, use the adaptation note rather than pretending the setting mismatch disappeared. Keep a seated alternative for activities that otherwise require movement.

Once a direction is chosen, refine real costs in BudgetBeacon and replace broad activity blocks with a detailed TimeWeave schedule. Save the version you intend to use; regenerating after changing inputs produces a new draft. Export a project backup before clearing browser data. ThemeCompass does not check weather, venue calendars, allergies or participant availability.