EVENTS – Comedy night
Becs Kent and Jen Brister's top tips for a successful event
Three weeks before Plan your raffle and decide who will announce the
winners. Make a list of jobs and start recruiting volunteers. Ask your designer to make a programme for the event.
Two weeks before Contact all the comedians to make sure that they
can still attend. Check in with the venue. Let everyone know the order of events. Finalise the programme and get it printed.
One week before It’s getting close – finalise arrangements with the venue
and confirm the number of ticket
sales. If there are any unsold, do one last promotional push.
On the day Get to the venue early to set up, meet the comedians and
answer any questions. Bring drinks and snacks for the comics as a thank you.
After the event Tally your takings and update the parents with the grand
total. Tell them what the money will be spent on – if they can see where their donation is going, they are more likely to support you in future. Take time to gather feedback from audience members, volunteers and comedians to help you improve next time. Send thank you cards to the comics.
l TIMING: Hold your event on a Monday. Not because Monday has become the new Friday, but because comedians are less likely to already have paid commitments. l TICKETS: Estimate your costs as accurately as possible and keep things reasonable for attendees. If your event is too expensive, you will put people off; if it's too cheap, you won't make a profit. l BOOST PROFITS: Ticket sales need not be the only source of revenue. Organise a raffle or plan interval games to supplement your ticket takings. Reach out to local businesses to ask if they will donate prizes – it gives them promotion too. l VENUE: A suitable venue goes a long way to making a successful comedy night. If a commercial venue isn't a possibility, hold it at the school. Members of the public are less likely to attend, but you won't have to pay hire costs. If you do decide to hire an external space, mention that you are holding a fundraiser and ask if they offer any charity discounts. The worst that can happen is they say no. l COMEDIANS: Not every school will have a comedian as a parent. If you don't have any contacts, ask people on the local comedy circuit what they charge and see if you can still make a profit. Aim to speak to people directly rather than through agents. l VOLUNTEERS: You may be surprised by the skills your parent community can offer. Tap into what the parents can do. Could you combine comedy with a magic show or balloon modelling?
pta.co.uk AUTUMN 2022 45
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