A party is the best occasion to see and be seen. But let’s be honest here, it’s mostly to be seen. Otherwise, how are you going to justify the three hours you spent trying to get that French twist just right or the credit card that you melted on a Gieves & Hawkes blazer?

There’s only one problem though. You’re not the only guest at the party (it would be pretty strange if you were) – there are other guests, all elbowing you in the stomach for their share of the limelight. You have to come up with something to rise head and shoulders above them and get noticed.

To stand out at a party, you have to play all your cards right at the intro. It’s useless trying to make a statement in the middle of the party – after all, who can compete with the buffet table or a tray of sushi? And as the party fizzles and falls flat like a glass of bubbly, no one will notice you – no one will notice anything for that matter because hours on the dancefloor and the free drinks have taken their toll.

Never go too early to a party or you’ll end up helping to set the table

So we agree – you need to make a grand entrance. It’s like with a book or a film. It’s the first few lines or the first shots that keep you glued to your sofa. The same goes for parties – it’s the first impression that you make that counts and determines whether you’ll be the star of the party or get mistaken for a waiter and advised to get more drinks, now.

Here is the cunning plan.

Dress to impress

Yes, you have a great personality and a cracking sense of humour. But those qualities don’t really count when you enter a room full of partying people, especially if most of them don’t know you. In those first few minutes, what really counts is what you’re wearing.

So make sure that you’re dressed appropriately for the occasion. Add head-turning power to your wardrobe by investing in a statement piece: a pair of Dolce & Gabbana Mary Jane pumps for him, a green velvet, slim-fit tuxedo jacket for him. That will get the tongues a-wagging.

Be prepared

You don’t go to a party unprepared. You need to rehearse your conversation and anticipate certain contexts. Just imagine that the host will introduce you to someone you don’t know. How will you meet and greet? Will you say who you are or what you do? Will you just hand out a business card and move on to the next circle? Whatever you do will have an effect, so plan carefully.

Go fashionably late

Never go too early to a party or you’ll end up helping to set the table or calling up guests who didn’t bother to RSVP. And never go too late because one hour into the party and everyone is already too busy dancing or queuing at the bar to notice you.

Half an hour late should do the trick because conversational groups wouldn’t have been already formed and the volume level of the party would still be at tolerable levels.

Make an entrance

There’s an art to walking into a crowded room. Enter too fast and you risk losing your feet and bumping into someone’s drink. Slow down too much and someone will think you’re a gatecrasher. So walk in at an average pace, pause a little, as if you were giving the (imaginary, of course) photographers time to pap you, and head straight to the host to greet them and thank them for having you. Smile and make eye contact with the other guests.

Then do the rounds, making small talk with guests who are on their own or who are in a group of more than three – never interrupt guests who are in pairs because most probably, they’re a couple. Remember that even if it’s called small talk, it can have a big effect.

Where’s the exit?

You might not manage to make an impressive entrance. In that case, try and make a quiet exit.