How to Organise a Formal Melbourne 2010

8/8/2019 How to Organise a Formal Melbourne 2010

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How to

organise

a formalMELBOURNE

2010

highschoolormals.com.auAustralia’s premier resource or those

organising and attending ormals.


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EDITOR

Mandy Stevens

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contents

2010 how to organise a formal

Editorial

Your essential ormal event checklist

Getting your ormal organised

The rst meeting

Organising an organising committee!

Choosing a date and a venue

Budget

Themes

We must not orget…

1. Permission Forms

2. Security

3. Ocial guests

4. Photography

5. Student liaison

6. Thank youHave we thought about…?

1. Linen and chair covers

2. Balloons

3. Flowers

4. Menus and place cards

5. Props

6. Lighting7. Sound

8. Favours

Handling the guest list

Sponsorship

Fundraising

Post-ormal activities

Search or ormal suppliers

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editorial

A night to remember How to organise your ormalIn America they are called ‘proms’. In the UK, they’re the ‘gradballs’. Here in Australia, the ‘ormal’ is a word on the mind o mosthigh school seniors. It’s a lavish celebration o the end o 12 years’

schooling.

But magical nights like this – ull o great hopes and expectations–don’t just happen. It is an important night and we at

HighSchoolFormals.com.au want it to be just right: ater all, this isa once-in-a-lietime night to remember!

There’s a lot o organising involved. That’s where this guide comes

in. A night to remember – how to organise your ormal providesthe essential checklist that will ensure you have every aspectcovered of and can relax and get on with enjoying your abulousevent.

Enjoy!

Direct Digital



Your essential formalevent checklistOrganising a ormal is not a one-person job. This is a major event.

It requires a dedicated, motivatedgroup o people to pull it of becauseit’s not just about nding a place,

going there and having a good

time.

Look at this list o things to

organise!

• Venue

• Music

• Food

• Theme

• Invitations

• Menu/placecards

• Seatingplan

• Entertainment

• Sponsorship

• Fundraising

• Security

• Permissionforms

• Guestlist

• Ocialguests

• Afterpartyactivities

• Thank-you

• Studentliaison

Getting your formalorganisedSome schools have a protocol inplace regarding who is involved

in the organisation. It may be theresponsibility o the preects, orsenior leadership team; you may

elect a committee; or the school may

appoint a committee.

Volunteer if you can! Chances

are you’ll learn heaps o useul

organisational skills, have un andmake lielong riends along the way.

The first meetingYou need to know who’s doingwhat. Now is the time to appoint

your key committee members and

sub-committees. Read on or moredetails about these roles.

You need a venue and you need

a date. Perhaps that’s already

determined. Some schools havecreated a tradition o having their

ormal on a particular Friday or

Saturday o a particular month,at the same venue, booked a year

(at least) in advance. Your school

representative will be able to adviseyou.

You need a budget too. Work out

roughly how many people are



going to attend. How much are you

willing to pay or a ticket? Multiplythat and you have a rough budget

within which to organise the whole

event. And remember – that’s not

just the venue. That’s ood, drinks,entertainment, decorations… Read

more about how to set your budget.

Drat up a timeline, workingbackwards rom the date o your

event, listing everything that needs

to be organised, by when. Our

checklist will help you.

Organising anorganising committee!A committee usually has a mixture

o student and staf representatives.

Decide straight up who makes whatdecisions: what the committee candecide and what is up to the school.

Appoint a chairperson, secretary and

treasurer. You’ll also need a school

representative (a staf member).

Your chairperson is the chie •

coordinator. This person needs

to be mature and responsible,

willing to take on a lot o work. The chairperson is ultimately

responsible or the nal decisions

and has to keep everyone ontrack.

Your secretary needs to be•

extremely organised. The secretaryhandles all correspondence, takes

minutes o meetings, keeps all

inormation led and in a older

or handover to next year’scommittee. Preerably a whiz with

Excel.

Job#1 Compile a list of all

committee members with:

• homephonenumber

• mobilephonenumber• emailaddress.

Distribute this list to all committee

members.

Your treasurer must be responsible•

or preparing and overseeing a

budget or the event, and recording

money received and spent. It’sbest that this role is shared with

the school. The school will usually

handle the money. As a protocol– and a security measure – always

have two committee members

authorise a payment. Your schoolrepresentative will help you with

money matters.

Your school representative is a•

member o the teaching or adminstaf who will ensure the school’s

principles and ethics are complied

with.



Let’s look at what sub-

committees need to do.

Venue sub-committee – locates a

number o suitable venues, liaiseswith the unctions managers, and

presents a shortlist to the committee.

Your committee may want to inspectthe short listed venues or you may

want your subcommittee to do this

as part o their assessment.

Music sub-committee – sources asuitable DJ, band or jukebox or the

night, and makes a music selection

that’s appropriate or the evening.Entertainment sub-committee –

sources entertainment in addition to

your music (like a roving entertainersor a un sideshow).

Food sub-committee – works withthe chosen venue to select a menu. They will need to pay particular

attention to any special dietary

needs o guests.

Theme sub-committee – choosesa theme and then sources the

decorations or a proessionaltheming company to transorm the

venue. Theming is ultra-popular.

Read about some o the hottestthemes around.

Invitations sub-committee – designs

the invitations, gets printing quotes

and chooses a printer. This committee

alsokeepstrackoftheRSVPs.

Menu and Place Cards sub-committee – designs and produces

the menu and place cards. This group

works closely with the Foodies and

the Invitation sub-committees.

Seating Plan sub-committee –

decides who sits where. It’s not easytrying to ensure everybody sits with

riends or at the table they want!

Student liaison committee – inorms

your Year group about what’splanned (without giving away any

secrets) and whips up enthusiasm so

everyone’s really looking orward tothe event.

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Choosing a date anda venueThe date and venue will run prettymuch hand-in-hand because you

can’t have one without the other.

Review your school calendar or

events. Avoid the beginning o examblock! And the night o the ooty

nals!!

Keep your minds open to alternatives.

Does it have to be an end-o-yearextravaganza?

Date will also be dependent on

what’s available as a venue. Again,

keep your minds open.

Most cities have large hotels andconvention centres that handle these

events all the time, but you may wishto go or something completelydiferent. Our High School Formals

website suggests lots o great

places.

Consider some o these venues:

• cityhotels

• ballrooms

• receptioncentres

• conventioncentres

• themeparks

• cruiseboats

• museums

• artgalleries

• warehouses

• zoo

• aquarium

• historicbuildings• RSLandotherclubs

• marquees

• restaurants

• golfclubs

The ve-star city hotel may be

everybody’s rst choice, but you

may nd the local RSL club can oferthe same acilities at a raction o the

cost.

And don’t rule out your own schoolhall! What you save on hiring a

city ballroom, you can spend on

proessional theming.

Get your committee members

talking: throw around ideas. A

marquee might be nice, but do youhave a suitable place to erect it?

How many people are you likely to

be catering or? Would a river cruisebe practical?





Your venue sub-committee can draw

up a short-list o possible venues andthen approach them to nd out:

• availabledates

• cost

You might be blown away by the

look o a place but how much will itcost each person? Think about it. Is

it afordable? Everyone – well, mostpeople! – will want to be a part o this

night o nights. Don’t choose a place

that makes it exclusive to a ew, rightrom the start. The ticket price is not

the only cost involved in a ormal!

Tip: Make an initial online enquiry,

requesting information about

availability, pricing and menu.

THEN actually visit the places on

your shortlist. Talk to the functions

manager. As a sub-committee,

narrow your list down to three

venues.

Remember your school is on show.

Your choice o venue will be a

refection o your school. Run your

shortlist past your school liaisoncommittee member (the teacher or

principal).

When you have made the naldecision, the venue’s unctions

manager will be the point o contact

for your DJ/band, decorators etc.

Add the unction manager’s contact

details to your master list.

I you are lucky enough to nd an

unusual venue, such as an aquariumor theme park, this can set the theme

or your event.

BudgetRunning a large event will encounter

a lot more expenses than the cost o

thevenuehireandfood/beverages.

These are some o the other items

you need to pay or:

• bandhirewww.fundraisingdirectory.com.au

Save timedoing your

fundraising

research- each supplier

has a full page

of information

on our website

FUNDRAISING FOR YOUR

SCHOOL FORMAL

http://www.fundraisingdirectory.com.au/























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• DJhire

• anyotherentertainment

• pre-dinnerdrinkswithparents

• roomdecorations

• tablecentrepieces

• linen

• chocolates

• owers

• specialinvitedguests

• gifts

• printing

Each sub-committee will need tosubmit an estimate o their costs.

These rough estimates totaled

together are then divided by thenumber o anticipated paying

attendees. That’s your ticket price.

It looks too expensive? Look at

ways to ofset the costs. Be creative!Can you undraise? Can you seek

sponsorships? This guide explains

how. Done well, they’ll dramaticallyreduce your costs.

Tip: The school administration

usually handles the money. Its business department will have

suitable accounting software.

ww

w .h i gh

s c h o ol f or m al s . c om . a u

Schoolormal

comingup?

High

SchoolFormalsA to Z

Accessories

Catering

DJs

Dressmakers

Entertainment

Fabrics

Formal dressesHairdressers

Jewellery

Make-up artists

Photography

Suit hire

Venues

http://highschoolformals.com.au/




















































ThemesThedaysofputtingabowlofowers

in the centre o the table are longgone: themed events are increasingly

popular.Theming adds excitement and

colour to your evening. It can be as

conservative or as over-the-top asyou wish.

A group o students can get together

to decorate the venue – or you may

choose a proessional themingcompany. They’re experts in setting

the scene.

What’s hot now?

Winter Wonderland•

Casino•

Hollywood Nights•

Retro•

A themed colour – pink, purple,•

blue, etc.

Jungle Boogie•

Butteries•

We must not forget…1. Permission FormsYour school will probably seek signed

parental permission to attend the

ormal. It provides the school withsome legal protection in case o

accidents.

2. Security

Check that your venue includessecurity staf. You may need some

extras. Don’t want the cost? Think

about asking your school’s Parents

and Citizens (P&C) group to volunteersome adults.

Also check on cloakroom acilities.

Your guests need someone sae toleave handbags, cameras and coats

during the unction.

3. Ocial guestsOcial guests – not paying attendees

– are people like your school

principal. Your committee’s schoolrepresentative needs to provide the

committee with a comprehensive

list to ensure no-one is orgotten.

4. PhotographyYes, there’ll be a lot o happy snaps

taken but your committee really

needs an ocial photographer tocapture this big event. The cost

o photos will be an extra; not

something that’s included in yourticket price.

5. Student liaison

Keep your Year group inormed andinterested. Make sure there’s an early

date claimer. Whip up excitement

and support or ormal and makesurethoseRSVPsrollinontime!



For all supplier

inormation visit

highschoolormals.com.au

6. Thank you

When the ormal is over, yourcommittee needs to write thank-you

letters to all played a part in making

the event a success.

Have we thoughtabout…?1. Linen and chair coversYou only have to look at a photograph

o a table set without chair covers or

overlays to see the huge diference

this makes to your event. Yes it willadd to your ticket price but there aresome ways to bring the cost down:

Hire the chair covers and sashes•

and get a group o volunteers to t

them. (This may be a job to ask o parents since you may be tied up

at the hairdressers!) Allow at least20 minutes per table o ten. Foran event with 40 tables, that’s 14

hours’ work – or seven volunteersworkingatoutfortwohours.

Disposable chair covers are new•

to the market. They cost around$3 each and are not as time-

consuming to t.

2. Balloons

Balloons are a great way to ll alarge space economically and you

have heaps o creative options: roma simple bunch o balloons on each

table to a scatter o loose balloons

overthedanceoororanetdropto

nish the night.

For more dramatic efects, use giant90cm balloons, exploding balloons

and exploding balloon walls.

Foil balloons provide an exciting wayo theming your event. Foil stars are a

great complement to any Hollywood

theme.3. FlowersFlowers are a classic table decoration.

Aoralcentrepieceissimple,clean

and timeless. For something a littlemoreupbeat,useexoticowersand

cane.

4. Menus and place cards The Menu and Place cards sub-

committee can unleash their creative

skills to make these, continuingwith the night’s theme. Hand-made

cards and scrapbooking takes time

but the results will be memorable

keepsakes.










Your menu card should also include:

thank-you’s to business sponsors•

space or signatures and well•

wishes

some background inormation on•

the theme.

5. PropsProps can be hired to complement

any theme.

6. Lighting

Your theme may be to die-or buti no one can see it, the efect will

be lost. The right lighting creates

ambience. A proessional themingcompany will be onto this. I you’re

doing your own decorating, ask aproessional lighting company oradvice and help.

7. Sound

Your evening’s entertainmentdetermines your sound needs.

Proessional DJs will provide their

own sound systems, as will bands.

But there are inevitably ocial

moments – like speeches – and youwill need a good PA system or that.

Are you showing a Powerpoint –

like a retrospective o your years at

the school? Have you organised theequipment or that?

8. Favours

A avour is a little git given toeach guest. It may be as simple as

a heart or star shaped chocolate or

as beautiul as a hand-crated glassornament with the school name and

year painted on it.

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Handling the guest listYour school will have rules about

partners (e.g. whether they mustcome rom your own school i it’s co-

ed or have to be school-age).RSVP–respondingtotheinvitation

to attend – is a must.

Accurate records need to be kept o who is coming – and who’s not. The

Invitation sub-committee will need a

complete list o who has been invitedand will need to work closely with

the Treasurer to make sure everyone

pays.

The invitation may also include pre-ormal drinks that include amily

members. Keep track o thesenumbers too.

Sponsorship

Local business sponsorships canofset the cost o holding your

ormal.

They can provide:

• nancialassistance• in-kindhelp.

But remember: i there are other

schools in your area, you won’t be

the only one seeking their support. That means you need to know how

to ask and what to ofer in return.

Start by looking within your

school community.

Whose parents run or manage

businesses that may be helpul?

Think oce supplies, caterers, partyhire, even venues.

Could they supply goods or

products at competitive rates or

better still donate in return or reeadvertising?

Looking urther aeld, think o

businesses that your student group– and amilies -- uses a lot locally:

hairdressers, nail salons, gyms, ice

creameries, pizza parlours, ashionboutiques, bike shops, ast ood

outlets, petrol stations; the list goes

on.

You want to ask them in the nicestway to help subsidise your event

with a small cash donation. In return,

their business can be mentioned.You may want to have a tiered level

o sponsorship: printed mention

in the night’s program; mention in

speeches; and signage.

Remember: sponsorships also

reectonyourschool.Workclosely

with the school representative tomake sure sponsors t with the

school’s image and belies.



FundraisingFundraising is another way to ofset

your costs. Consider a product drive.Visitwww.fundraisingdirectory.com.

au or a huge range o ideas.Some hot tips or teens

• chocolates

• cookiedough

• glowproducts

Post-formal activitiesThis is a contentious issue. Studentswant to party on – but many schoolshave laid down the law and said ‘no’.

The committee’s school

representative will be able to tell

you what the school policy is. Thecommittee is obliged to work closely

with the school to ensure all guests

know what that stand is.

Have a great time!The most important thing to

remember is to have a wonderultime! Feel abulous and enjoy your

event!


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Search for Melbourne Formal Suppliers:

Clicking on a category will perform a

search for Melbourne Suppliers

Beauty Salons / Day Spas•

Caterin• g

Dance Studios•

Decorations & Theming•

DJ’s & Entertainment•

Fabrics & Dressmakers•

Florists•

Formal Dresses•

Formal Suit Hire•

Fundraising•

Hairstyling•

Jewellery & Accessories•

Limousines / Transport•

Lingeri• e

Photography•

Securit•

yShoe• s

Staging & AV•

Venue• s

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How to Organise a Formal Melbourne 2010