Getting the Program at a Nonprofit Event Flowing Smoothly
Getting the Program at a Nonprofit Event Flowing Smoothly
Bryce Sanders, President
Perceptive Business Solutions Inc.
If you are in charge of this year’s charity gala, you have a lot on your plate.? Selling tickets tops the list.? Keeping costs down is important too.? Sometimes you need to spend money to make money.? Spend some time on logistics.
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If your event has bottlenecks, is too noisy or goes on forever, it can leave a bad taste in people’s mouths.? American Airlines has this great announcement at the end of every flight:? “We realize you have a choice in air travel.? Thank you for choosing American Airlines.”? Your gala guests choose which events to attend each year.? Deliver a great experience and they cannot wait to sign up again.? Deliver a bad experience and they will not only skip the next one, they will tell others.? Logistics are important.
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It makes sense to layout a timeline for the evening.? What needs to get done?? In what order?? How much time do we have?? Once that is done, divide the event into segments, set an allocated amount of time and get each activity to fit into the allotted time period.
1.????? Should you have a buffet or white glove service?? Having the meal brought to you is preferable at upscale events.? It eliminates standing in line.? However, the speed of the meal is determined by the number of servers carrying plates to tables.? If you need additional servers to keep service speedy, arrange this with the caterer beforehand.? It might increase costs, but it is money well spent.
2.????? How many courses?? How many are hot?? Serving the meal is an area where delays can occur.? If possible, have an appetizer and dessert course that can be served cold.? This allows you to have the first course plated at the table when guests sit down.? Diners will have food in front of them.? They will not be kept waiting.?
3.????? The cocktail hour.? This allows guests to arrive at staggered times instead of everyone flowing directly into dinner.? It also allows you to get food into them if they are drinking.? This is when guests can catch up and network.? Passed canapes require more staff, but it eliminates the problem of some guests standing alongside the highest priced appetizers and hoovering them up.? You can probably save time by cutting the cocktail hour back to 45 minutes.
4.????? The crowd at the bar.? It is logical everyone will want a drink when they arrive.? This can create a long line at the bar.? On cruise ship receptions they have servers standing with trays or red or white wine.? Guests can take a glass or head to the bar, which should have shorter lines.
5.????? How long should the auction be?? The live auction presents a paradox.? You are raising money, but you must hold audience interest.? Featuring fewer auction items is a good strategy.? If you have a silent auction, you might created a second silent category of Premium items.? Thise could be on a separate table, decorated to drive the luxury theme.? The auctioneer often reads the description aloud for each live auction item.? This information is in everyone’s program plus repeated on the publicity signage around the room. ?Cutting down on the description can save time.? If you allocate 20 minutes to the live auction, you need an auctioneer who can get it done within the time allotted.
6.????? Raffle ticket sales.? This is another revenue source.? You might raffle off one or two items.? There is a logic to the raffle many people might overlook:? Lets assume an item might go into the silent auction and bring in a certain amount.? If you designate it as a raffle prize instead, the same item might bring in more money because the number of raffle tickets sold has no connection to the value of the item.? You need a few people circulating and selling raffle tickets.? You should have a pin or sticker you can give them (Similar to “I gave blood”) so the people selling tickets know who has not been approached yet.
7.????? Speeches: Two minutes is a long time.? People get bored easily.? People like to talk.? When you bring this together at an event, problems can develop.? Your program should be as short as possible.? Limiting people to two minutes or less in speaking time makes sense.? Why are people speaking?? To welcome people?? To tell them how their money is getting spent?? To highlight the mission?? To recognize and thank the committee?? All these reasons make sense.? Try to limit the speaking portion of your program.
8.????? Wine bottles on the tables?? People like to drink, especially if tickets are expensive.? Wine bottles on the table make sense, but you will go through a lot of wine!? The local laws might require alcohol to be served.? You might need extra servers to keep wine glasses filled.? The bar should be kept open for those guests who don’t want to wait.
9.????? Checkout for auction items.? If you use a Smartphone based system for the silent auction bids, paying is not a problem because people have linked their credit cards beforehand.? If people can pay by cash, there will be a bottleneck at the end of the evening.? People do not like standing in line.? Keep the checkout/collection station open throughout the evening for people who want to pay early or leave early.
10.? Valet parking.? This is another bottleneck.? It really cannot be solved.? You can have more runners to bring up cars, but you still are limited to one car at a time pulling up to the door.? One solution might be to have a self-parking option.? People can park their car elsewhere and walk around the building to the entrance.? Consider the self-parking option.
Getting the logistics right can make the difference between a smoothly run event people talk about and an event where guests find fault afterwards.
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Bryce Sanders is president of Perceptive Business Solutions Inc.? He provides HNW client acquisition training for the financial services industry.? His book, “Captivating the Wealthy Investor” is available on Amazon.