As the event was American themed we invited all of our guests to come in American fancy dress, or wear their favourite stars and stripes themed get-up. I had liaised with the Student Union events management team in order to create the most fun filled (and alcohol fuelled) night for our guests, to raise money for our showcase. I decided to offer the following things to make it appealing for students to attend:
- DJ playing club hits into the early hours
- Raffle with some boozey and foodie prizes for skint/hungry students
- Beer Pong Tournaments for the societies to get involved in
- Prize for the best fancy dress costume
- Free entry to Fifth nightclub afterwards for anyone who had attended my event - as agreed with Fifth management
I felt that a combination of all these things would make it appealing for students, and for only £2 entry on the door, it made it really worth their money.
To begin to market the night I created a Facebook event which I invited everyone from the University I know, and tasked everyone in the class with inviting a minimum of 3 guests each. This was a really great way to spread the word as Facebook is a really popular form of communication amongst University students and so became known about really quickly as people invited their friends and course mates.
To spark interest further I would post on the Facebook page regularly with countdowns to the event and lists of what drinks deals and offers to look forward to at the event. This got people involved and encouraged people to click attending who were previously unsure. Creating this excitement around the event really helped to boost the amount of guests, as people didn't want to miss out!
Myself and Jen created a poster for the event on Wordpress to advertise the night which we shared on Facebook and on the student noticeboards. The Salford SU also added this onto their Facebook page and website to further promote the night.
If we were to do this again I think it would be a good idea to have posters printed and handed out to students in the union so we are not totally reliant upon social media.
On the day of the event I arrived at the venue to begin setting the room up. With help from some first years I covered it with American flags, buntings, and posters. This really helped to transform the venue and make it a true American Night!
On the night of the event I had made a rota of 'work' for people in the class, we would take it in turns in pairs to take money on the door and go round selling raffle tickets inside. I felt that this was the fairest way to make sure everyone was able to enjoy the night but still contribute.
Things which I found difficult were keeping up communication with everyone - for example who had the raffle books, where the prizes had been stored, who was next on the door. But I feel that on the night I worked hard to keep everything organised and running smoothly.
The night was a huge success and we managed to raise £381 towards our showcase funds. Lots of people got really involved and dressed up which added to the fun of the night. I feel that it was beneficial to have the theme whereby societies and sports teams could come down together in group fancy dress, and play beer pong for a sporty competitive edge.
Take a look at some of the photos from the night and see for yourself.
Here's to the next one!
Take a look at some of the photos from the night and see for yourself.
Here's to the next one!
Photo credits: Scarlett Meredith, Richard Totton, Mia Clayforth, Phoebe Cowell, Katie Price, Jess Lancashire
Ahhh what lovely pics to showcase your hard work as a group!
ReplyDeleteGreat start to showcase module.
Cannot wait to see your concepts developed on here!