Everybody loves a party—unless it’s so crowded nobody can move. The best thing to do, in fact, is beat the crowd. “Arrive 10 minutes after the start of the party so you can greet the host, get a cocktail, and get situated,” says Letitia Baldrige, author of Letitia Baldrige’s New Manners for New Times: A Complete Guide to Etiquette, www.barnesandnoble.com,(Scribner, $35). That way, you can chat with new arrivals one by one. (Hold your drink in your left hand so your handshake isn’t clammy.) When alone, stand near the buffet or the bar to meet people, says Lara Shriftman, co-president of the publicity and marketing company Harrison & Shriftman and a coauthor of the Fête Accompli! Workbook (Clarkson-Potter, $24.50, out July 2005). If there’s someone you want to talk to, follow him to the bar. “A lot of people go up to the bar by themselves,” says Shriftman. “It’s a good time to catch them alone.” When you’re ready to mingle again, says Shriftman, retreat politely by saying something like “It was great to see you, but I have to tell the host something.” Then do it.