Long Buckby Club Fundraising Summer Ball

Who are you, and what was your position in planning the event?

Katherine Barratt, wife of the Chairperson of the Youth Section of Long Buckby Club, and parent of a child who has played rugby for the club for 6 years.

My husband and I came up with the idea of a fundraising ball as the changing rooms of our club house need refurbishing. The club held a summer ball 3 years ago which was a great success and raised much needed monies at that time. We felt sufficient time had lapsed to run another and get the interest needed.

The club is a not-for-profit organisation so we have to look at other methods when work is needed at the club. Small regular events are held as a matter of course for either sections of the club, but this was going to involve the whole club so was a massive task. 

What was the event, how many people was it for, and what brief were you given to plan it?

A Fundraising Summer Ball to raise monies to improve changing room facilities at the club house. This was the first event for the Youth Section and Senior Sections of the club together, and we aimed for over 300 guests.

The brief was to firstly find a location that could hold this amount of guests, and choose a date that was suitable for both sections of the club that didn't coincide with rugby matches, so we chose June after the season had ended.

We knew we wanted a sit down three course meal, live corporate entertainment, an auction, and raffle prizes to help raise the funds needed to make a start on the project. The location had to suit people's travel distance too. Our own club house is not big enough to house this many guests, and we wanted the location and event to warrant the purchase of ball gowns.

What was the format/time line for the day from start to finish?

The decision to hold a Ball was made in January. We originally wanted a May Ball to allow us the time to make arrangements with prizes etc, but we could not get a date that was convenient for all sections of the club so chose Friday 10th June and changed it to a “Summer Ball”. My husband is the Chair of the Youth Section and hands over his tenure in July 2011. We wanted a Ball to end his tenure on a positive note, and to drive forward the club and its plans for development in the future. He plans on heading up a development team to raise the funds for the project in the future.

What was the venue, and why did you choose that venue?

We chose the Barceló Hotel in Daventry. It was the only local hotel that could accommodate up to 340 guests, and offered a specific charity package where we could have a percentage of the bar takings for our cause, and they would offer a prize for our auction.

We were also impressed with their literature. Upon viewing the hotel we were impressed with the convenient location, the beautiful reception area and fantastic suite in which to hold the Ball. We felt it offered the perfect setting to impress the guests.

The event coordinator at the hotel took a genuine interest in our cause and supported our decisions and made suggestions where necessary. She was always on hand for any questions throughout the planning.

Please tell us about the entertainment you booked through Alive Network, and why you chose that artist?

A guest who was coming to the Ball suggested Alive Network as they had had a solo artist for their wedding, and spoke very highly of the singer and Alive Network. I was nervous about booking someone I hadn't heard, but this was alleviated when advised that Alive Network’s web site allows you to listen to a selection of artists and check their availability and booking costs. I found the web site to be very user friendly.

As we wanted to sell 300 tickets across a variety of age ranges we wanted someone that could offer versatility and a good range of songs to suit all tastes. I listened to Sophie and the Exciters, then through some more bands, and felt that she and the band would be perfect for the occasion.

We decided to book the whole 5 piece band as the room and stage were going to be so big that we needed a band that wouldn’t be lost within that space, and make an impact. This was the biggest expense, however, we felt it was worth the cost for the impact we wanted. Alive Network did offer a fantastic range of genre of bands suitable for any occasion.

We were thrilled that we chose Sophie and the Exciters. The fact that they were conveniently located to get to our location was a bonus, as our Ball was a Friday night I was concerned about a band travelling a great distance and then getting stuck in traffic.

Guests recommended other bands known to them but I wanted peace of mind that should anything happen and they could not turn up we were protected. Alive Network offered everything I wanted.

Whilst listening to the vast selection of artists available through Alive Network, this has given us other ideas for smaller future events and costs that would be more suited to a smaller event.

Please tell us about their performance, and how they impacted on the event

Sophie and the Exciters are particularly skilled at reading their audience and knew instinctively what songs would get the best reaction. From the first song right through to the last song, the dance floor was packed. In fact the dance floor was not big enough for the amount of people on there. It was great to see big burly rugby players dancing, which I never expected to see.

When they finished the crowd was reluctant to let them leave and called for more. We had guests aged from 18 through to 70 so this was a great sign that they had been perfect for our occasion and the crowd had appreciated them.

The feedback from all the guests on the night and since was that the band were fantastic, and that it made for a perfect evening. We are delighted that they made a good evening a fantastic evening. The band engaged well with the guests and commented that they had had a rewarding evening and had got a lot out of it.

We would definitely use the band again should the occasion allow it, and definitely consider Alive Network for other fundraisers if needed in the future. Many guests asked where we had booked the band and I can recommend Alive Network wholeheartedly.

What other suppliers/services did you use, and please provide commentary on any you feel were particularly notable?

We also hired a saxophonist to entertain guests during pre-dinner drinks, so only for an hour in the reception area. I actually found him busking and approached him in the street. He arrived around the same time as the band and listened to their warm up and was very complimentary. They then listened to his warm up and were supportive. This was a lovely aspect of the night, as the artists were keen to get involved.

I also arranged a photographer, Ian Walker from Melbourne Photography, for the night. He is somebody I have hired in the past. He kindly offered a prize for our raffle and offered a cash back incentive for photos purchased on the evening.

In your own words please describe the stand-out moments of the whole event

During the evening we held an auction which was a great success. We held a heads and tails game for an iPod touch, table raffle prizes and spot prizes. The guests really threw themselves into it all and there was a great buzz. The band were just outstanding and the real highlight of the night!

Any pearls of wisdom you would like to extend to other event planners?

One of the profit making ideas was to ask for local businesses to sponsor tables for £50 per table, and in return we designed table cards featuring the company logo and marketed the company accordingly. We used £30 of their donation to buy a decent prize for each table (bottles of champagne etc) then sold tickets at £5 per head. Tickets numbered one to ten were placed on each table and 1 number picked out. On this occasion number 6 was picked, therefore every guest that was number 6 won the table prize. This meant one guest on each table won a prize and it made them more willing to get involved in the main auction and blind auction.

We had 29 tables making on average £70 profit per table for the prize drawer of £2030. This did involve a team of organisers contacting local businesses to get the £50 which was a time consuming job, but well worth it.

The parents of children at the club donated fantastic prizes for the auction, these included helicopter lessons and holidays. The evening helped raise £11,800 to start our project.

Sometimes when a lot of people are involved in a project like this, decisions do not get made as there are arguments about suitable venues, dates, bands, food etc. If you are decisive and know exactly what you want and actually book the main items yourself, then ask for a team of volunteers who you can give specific roles to, e.g. ticket sales, auction coordination, prize getting, sponsor finding, printing, etc. This makes life a lot easier.

I had a great team of volunteers to help make the evening a success. From the start, we had a clear idea of what we wanted to achieve and succeeded in this. I actually found the arranging of the Ball more nerve wracking than arranging my own wedding, however Alive Network really alleviated a lot of my anxiety and instilled me with confidence and trust. Therefore I could relax about this aspect of the Ball and just worry about coordinating everything else. I highly recommend Alive Network.