On a fateful day in July 2013, Instaparty Co-Creators Liam Hayden and David Restiano met with Launchpad (www.launchrightnow.com), a company that evaluates, nurtures, and develops great ideas for useful consumer products. When they pitched their idea for their groundbreaking party planning app, Launchpad jumped on board to help make Hayden and Restiano’s dream a reality. We spoke to Minihan and Newman to find out about that initial meeting, what makes Instaparty stand out in a sea of “make-life-easier” apps, and how by working together, Instaparty just might revolutionize the nightlife industry.
What initially drew you to Instaparty, and why did you want to get involved with the launch?
Newman: Launchpad held a pitch meeting in NYC last July. We set a day and invited several groups to come down and pitch their ideas to us. Picture “Shark Tank,” but without the TV cameras and producers. The first thing that drew us to Instaparty was the aesthetics of what David and Liam presented. It was clear to me right away that they had put a lot of effort into how Instaparty would look, and also into the thought process of how it would work. David is a very talented artist and designer. That’s a great resource to have when developing a mobile app. Launching a product that looks good is a definite advantage. Think about when you scroll through the app store: The things that catch your eye usually have a clean, inviting, modern design. At the start of their presentation they showed some animation David had assembled to introduce the concept. This to me further demonstrated their creativity as well as artistic talent. Plus, they’re both really nice guys.
How would you describe Instaparty’s mission in a nutshell?
Minihan: Instaparty is a win-win for both patrons and establishments. It takes the back-and-forth logistics out of parties. It makes it way more simple to book a large party or a night out, and on the venue side, the Instaparty app streamlines a bar owner’s operations.
Has Launchpad worked with any nightlife businesses before?
Newman: Launchpad didn’t have much experience in the bar industry, and Liam’s experience would be critical. As a bar owner, Liam knows what bar owners are looking for and what tools will be useful to them. Liam also has many contacts in the industry which have been useful to gain feedback, as well as become early adopters and users of Instaparty.
What does Instaparty bring to the marketplace that no other app offers? In a sea of “make-life-easier” apps, why does Instaparty stand out?
Newman: The thing that makes Instaparty stand out is the “Insta.” Instaparty is really pushing the urgency in party planning. No more missed calls or emails. You can plan full events without ever talking to anyone. This is great if you’re a bar manager, and a truckload of supplies just arrived and you don’t have time to take a call to plan an event. It’s also great for social introverts who want to plan parties. Aesthetics also come into play here. Party planning can be a hassle, and even stressful at times. When you’re making all of those critical decisions, the information must be presented cleanly and in a logical fashion. The Instaparty app looks great. The custom icons are clean and really add to the User experience. I especially like the custom martini glass we use as a location marker in our maps feature — it’s really cool.
Minihan: If I want to book a vacation, I’ll go to a travel website like Expedia. If I need a ride, I’ll use Uber or Lyft. But if I want to book a party, chances are, I still need to make a bunch of calls to several places, wait for a response, figure out a menu, price per head, type of drinks, and so on. It’s a headache, not to mention a massive time suck. With Instaparty, it’s not just about launching a new app, it’s about introducing a new way to do business for the bar and restaurant industry.
How or why do you think Instaparty will revolutionize the nightlife industry?
Newman: For Users, I haven’t seen any other apps that allow you to have full control over the event details, including the date, time, venue location, venue type, party duration, and what you’ll be eating or drinking. The urgency allows you to book parties on the spur of the moment or far in advance. For Venue Partners, the app is free to download and start using. Instaparty only takes a small percentage of parties booked. There are no monthly fees to be part of the network, and Instaparty only makes money if they do. Basically, there’s no risk. There are a bunch of other features included in Instaparty too: Instaparty Deals will increase the number of people who find out about weekly events and promotions. Bar owners will have the ability to push these deals out to the Instaparty network; they no longer have to do things the old fashioned way, like posting flyers in the bathroom. If they’re having a slow night, they can create and push a deal to the network right then and there. That urgency is so powerful. We’re thrilled that our partnership with Instaparty even caught the attention of Forbes.
Minihan: Like Mike said, Instaparty will revolutionize the industry in two ways. Not only will Instaparty improve business operations for bars and restaurants with the party planning feature, it will allow them to reach larger swaths of patrons through the Deals feature. The Deals that a bar creates have the potential to draw in completely new customers. Bored on a Wednesday? Rather than checking individual bar or club websites for specials, the Instaparty app will show you, in an instant, which places are offering a promotion that night.
