It would be nice to think that planning a gala dinner event is easy, after all, attending one is pretty straightforward. Unfortunately, the fact is that it takes a lot of planning to put a gala event together, and you need to know how to do it properly.
This will help to ensure it’s a success and you’ll be planning many more gala dinners.
Get The Right Support
The first stage is to find your help. This means getting people to volunteer their time to help you plan and put together the gala. Volunteers can help you to plan or simply do the designated jobs you give them. But, you need to be clear what their role is when they volunteer and you need to remember that they are volunteers.
You also need to locate some companies that are willing to sponsor your event, usually in exchange for some free advertisement.
But, in order to do this, you should also prepare an outline of your purpose. Whether you’re fundraising for a specific event, or for a cause, you need to be clear as this will help attract volunteers and sponsorship.
Sub-Contract
You can control the overall detail of a gala dinner but you can’t manage all the different procedures. You need professional help. From setting up the music, to doing the lights, or even creating the right look, you’ll need to rely on professional help, such as a specialist wedding decor Sydney.
Budget
Don’t forget that these firms may not be giving you the time or products for free. Before you can really start organizing your gala dinner you need to set yourself a budget, this will dictate the level of sponsorship you need and how much you can spend on specific elements of your dinner.
It’s also a good idea to keep a record of all the finances, spending and receipts, you’ll need these to ensure you stay in budget and to show how you’ve reached your donation figure to your specific cause.
Having a budget will help you to decide the ticket price for your guests. It can also dictate the size of the space you need and the maximum number of guests. In turn, this will ensure you pick the right venue.
Food & Drink
Your guests are going to expect food and drink and these will need to be in keeping with your event. For example, if you’re raising funds to improve the quality of life in third world countries, you may want to consider using FairTrade food and drinks.
But, don’t forget that you want your guests to enjoy themselves and potentially part with money, all the food and drink you offer must be first class.
Extra Fundraising
The gala dinner is about raising funds. This means that once you’ve planned the food and drink you’ll need to look at other ways of extracting money from your guests. Raffles, silent auctions and even advertising space can all increase the revenue of your event, effectively increasing your contribution to the cause.
Don’t forget you’ll need an array of entertainment to keep your guests happy throughout the night.
