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How to
organise
a formalSYDNEY
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
ThemesWe 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
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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.
We service all
Sydney and suburban venues.
Whether it be a school hall, cruise
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your decorating needs from balloons to chaircovers.
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The first meeting You need to know who’s doing
what. 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 alreadydetermined. Some schools have
created 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 schoolrepresentative will be able to advise
you.
You need a budget too. Work outroughly how many people are
going to attend. How much are youwilling to pay or a ticket? Multiplythat and you have a rough budget
within which to organise the whole
event. And remember – that’s notjust 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. Ourchecklist will help you.
Organising anorganising committee!A committee usually has a mixtureo student and staf representatives.
Decide straight up who makes what
decisions: what the committee can
decide and what is up to the school.
Appoint a chairperson, secretary andtreasurer. You’ll also need a school
representative (a staf member).
Your chairperson is the chie •
coordinator. This person needsto be mature and responsible,
willing to take on a lot o work.
The chairperson is ultimatelyresponsible or the nal decisions
and has to keep everyone on
track.Your secretary needs to be•
extremely organised. The secretary
handles all correspondence, takes
minutes o meetings, keeps all
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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 committeemembers.
Your treasurer must be responsible•
or preparing and overseeing abudget or the event, and recording
money received and spent. It’s
best that this role is shared withthe school. The school will usually
handle the money. As a protocol
– and a security measure – alwayshave two committee members
authorise a payment. Your school
representative will help you withmoney matters.
Your school representative is a•
member o the teaching or admin
staf who will ensure the school’sprinciples and ethics are complied
with.
Let’s look at what sub-
committees need to do.
Venue sub-committee – locates a
number o suitable venues, liaises
with the unctions managers, and
presents a shortlist to the committee.Your committee may want to inspect
the short listed venues or you may
want your subcommittee to do this
as part o their assessment.Music sub-committee – sources a
suitable DJ, band or jukebox or thenight, 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.
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They will need to pay particular
attention to any special dietaryneeds o guests.
Theme sub-committee – chooses
a theme and then sources the
decorations or a proessionaltheming company to transorm the
venue. Theming is ultra-popular.Read about some o the hottest
themes around.
Invitations sub-committee – designs
the invitations, gets printing quotes
and chooses a printer. This committeealsokeepstrackoftheRSVPs.
Menu and Place Cards sub-committee – designs and produces
the menu and place cards. This group
works closely with the Foodies andthe Invitation sub-committees.
Seating Plan sub-committee –
decides who sits where. It’s not easy
trying to ensure everybody sits withriends or at the table they want!
Student liaison committee – inorms
your Year group about what’s
planned (without giving away anysecrets) and whips up enthusiasm so
everyone’s really looking orward tothe event.
Choosing a date anda venue
The 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.
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Most cities have large hotels and
convention centres that handle theseevents all the time, but you may wish
to go or something completely
diferent. Our High School Formals
website suggests lots o greatplaces.
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 beeverybody’s rst choice, but you
may nd the local RSL club can ofer
the same acilities at a raction o thecost.
And don’t rule out your own school
hall! What you save on hiring a
city ballroom, you can spend on
proessional theming.
Get your committee memberstalking: throw around ideas. A
marquee might be nice, but do you
have a suitable place to erect it?How many people are you likely to
be catering or? Would a river cruise
be practical?
Your venue sub-committee can drawup a short-list o possible venues and
then approach them to nd out:
• availabledates
• cost
You might be blown away by the
look o a place but how much will it
www.fundraisingdirectory.com.au
Save timedoing your
fundraisingresearch
- each supplier
has a full page
of information on our website
FUNDRAISING FOR YOUR
SCHOOL FORMAL
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cost 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, right
rom the start. The ticket price is notthe 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 liaison
committee member (the teacher or
principal).
When you have made the nal
decision, the venue’s unctions
manager will be the point o contactfor your DJ/band, decorators etc.
Add the unction manager’s contact
details to your master list.
I you are lucky enough to nd anunusual venue, such as an aquarium
or theme park, this can set the theme
or your event.
Budget
Running a large event will encountera lot more expenses than the cost o thevenuehireandfood/beverages.
These are some o the other itemsyou need to pay or:
• bandhire
• DJhire
• anyotherentertainment• pre-dinnerdrinkswithparents
• roomdecorations
• tablecentrepieces
• linen
• chocolates
In the heart of Sydney, overlooking Wynyard Park,
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end of year school formal.
The impressive Ballroom, with views through tall
French windows, creates the perfect ambience for
school formal celebrations.
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14 Carrington Street
Sydney NSW 2000
02 9299 1000
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• 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.
Themes Thedaysofputtingabowlofowers
in the centre o the table are long
gone: themed events are increasinglypopular.
Theming adds excitement andcolour to your evening. It can be as
conservative or as over-the-top as
you wish.
A group o students can get together
to decorate the venue – or you may
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
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choose a proessional theming
company. They’re experts in settingthe 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 Forms
Your school will probably seek signedparental 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 Parentsand Citizens (P&C) group to volunteer
some adults.
Also check on cloakroom acilities.
Your guests need someone sae to
leave handbags, cameras and coatsduring the unction.
3. Ocial guests
Ocial guests – not paying attendees– are people like your school
principal. Your committee’s school
representative needs to provide thecommittee 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 your
ticket price.
“Innovative design, exceptional delivery”
(02) 9211 [email protected]
Stylishly appointed, elegantly designed and offeringbreathtaking views, Harbours Edge is the ideal venue foryour Formal.
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5. Student liaison
Keep your Year group inormed and
interested. Make sure there’s an earlydate claimer. Whip up excitement
and support or ormal and makesurethoseRSVPsrollinontime!
6. Thank you
When the ormal is over, yourcommittee needs to write thank-you
letters to all played a part in makingthe 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 diferencethis makes to your event. Yes it will
add to your ticket price but there are
some 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 upat the hairdressers!) Allow at least
20 minutes per table o ten. For
an 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 balloonsoverthedanceoororanetdropto
nish the night.
For more dramatic efects, use giant
90cm 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. Flowers
Flowers are a classic table decoration.
Aoralcentrepieceissimple,clean
and timeless. For something a little
moreupbeat,useexoticowersand
cane.
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4. Menus and place cards
The Menu and Place cards sub-committee can unleash their creative
skills to make these, continuing
with the night’s theme. Hand-made
cards and scrapbooking takes timebut 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. Props
Props can be hired to complementany 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 a
proessional lighting company or
advice and help.7. Sound
Your evening’s entertainment
determines your sound needs.Proessional DJs will provide their
own sound systems, as will bands.
But there are inevitably ocial
moments – like speeches – and you
will need a good PA system or that.
Are you showing a Powerpoint –
like a retrospective o your years atthe school? Have you organised the
equipment or that?
8. FavoursA avour is a little git given to
each guest. It may be as simple as
a heart or star shaped chocolate oras beautiul as a hand-crated glass
ornament 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 managebusinesses that may be helpul?
Think oce supplies, caterers, party
hire, even venues.
Could they supply goods orproducts 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, icecreameries, pizza parlours, ashion
Your school formal is certain to be a truly
memorable and magical experience at Stamford
Plaza Sydney Airport. Our luxurious ballroom
gliers under the shimmering light of three
chandeliers, sea�ng 270 in comfort and style.
www.stamford.com.au
Contact our events team on
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boutiques, bike shops, ast ood
outlets, petrol stations; the list goeson.
You want to ask them in the nicest
way 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 mentionin the night’s program; mention in
speeches; and signage.
Remember: sponsorships alsoreectonyourschool.Workclosely
with the school representative to
make sure sponsors t with theschool’s image and belies.
FundraisingFundraising is another way to ofsetyour 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 activities This is a contentious issue. Students
want to party on – but many schoolshave laid down the law and said ‘no’.
The committee’s schrepresentative will be able to tellyou what the school policy is. The
committee is obliged to work closely
with the school to ensure all guestsknow what that stand is.
Have a great time! The most important thing toremember is to have a wonderul
time! Feel abulous and enjoy your
event!
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