Be prepared! T
Your summer fair might be a long way off, but it’s never too early to start planning. Now’s the time to get ahead, and start thinking themes, attractions and sponsors
he success of your summer fair is often only limited by the number of volunteers you can rally and how much
time you can commit to planning, which is why it pays to start now. By establishing your fair committee and arranging a date (if you haven’t already) you can set things in
motion. Deciding on a theme means you can then think up stall ideas and book attractions and, most crucially, beat other schools to the local sponsorship on offer.
Sponsorship
You can gain sponsorship in a variety of ways and from various sources. Some methods are easier to set up than others, but all are worth investigating and can make a huge difference to your profi ts. If you’re trying to put measures in place to become more eco-friendly, ask a local health or wellbeing company to sponsor a sustainable element of your fair. Could they cover the cost of biodegradable food packaging or a set of reusable cups in return for advertising? Here are fi ve more things you can do now to secure sponsorship in advance:
Estate agent boards: Get paid to promote your fair. Negotiate with local estate agents to decide on a maximum number of boards and a
your programme, or see if they would be willing to cover printing costs in exchange for coverage. Try approaching printers or businesses with printing facilities fi rst. Specifi c attractions: Give
companies the chance to sponsor certain stalls or attractions in exchange for displaying their logo on the stall. Identify businesses with links to that stall, for example a toy shop might sponsor your teddy tombola, or a local bakery could support your tea tent. If you have good links with a local printer then negotiate getting vinyl banners printed, with costs covered by the sponsor.
Match funding: Many companies offer to match the amount their employees raise for charity. Find out which local employers offer match funding and send a list of these out to parents, also
appealing to them to ask their HR department whether this is something the company could offer. Put these volunteers on your most lucrative stalls for maximum profi t.
Raffl es and auctions: Companies often have a set quota of donations to give to charity, so get your requests in early to be in with the best chance. Asking for donations from local day-out attractions
fee (e.g. 50 boards at £25 each). Secure may be more successful than a list of parents who are willing to have the boards up for around a month – typically three weeks before the fair and one week after. Programmes: Offer companies the chance to buy advertising space in
a product donation, because it costs the donor nothing to let
two more people into the grounds.
36 SPRING 2020
pta.co.uk
Stalls and attractions External attractions: Booking external stallholders is a great way to draw visitors to your fair. Charge them a fl at fee and confi rm what equipment is included, and what you will do in the event of poor weather. Avoid stalls that could compete with PTA-run activities. Commercial third parties need their
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