Crazy about catering, love the buzz of hosting large scale events, or more comfortable with keeping things low-key with simple food and good conversation?
Find out what type of event you should host this October, and sign up to host a Girls’ Night In.
No matter the size of your event, by hosting a Girls’ Night In during October and fundraising for Cancer Council Queensland, you’ll be helping fund vital research to develop better treatments and cures, continue education programs and provide support for the families affected by women’s cancers.
QUESTIONNAIRE
You decide to throw a party. What’s the first thing you’d do?
- A. Message my closest friends to see who’s free.
- B. Text my best friend to see if she’ll help me host.
- C. Check my calendar and what other local events are on.
It’s a few days before the event. What can you see yourself doing?
- A. Doing a quick clean of the house.
- B. Confirming with everyone who has RSVP’d.
- C. Updating the Facebook event and calling the paper to make sure their photographer is coming.
What springs to mind when you read ‘BYO’?
- A. Yes! The more people bring, the less I have to do.
- B. People can bring snacks and drinks to complement the main.
- C. No need. I am/know an amazing caterer, so the food will be sorted.
What type of activities would you like to do?
- A. Movie night, clothes swap or dinner party.
- B. Trivia night, restaurant feast or fancy dress party.
- C. Gala ball, concert, or auction evening.
How long do you want to be planning?
- A. One week to a month – it’s not a lot of effort to text the girls.
- B. At least a month – my friends are busy, so I’ll give them notice.
- C. Two months or more – I love planning and little details!
MOSTLY A’S – HOST AN INTIMATE EVENT
A small event with a few friends will take the pressure off while still putting a smile on your friend’s faces. Why not keep things simple with these tips?
- Cook dinner for your friends and have a flat entry fee of $10 to keep fundraising super simple.
- Don’t worry about cleaning. Pack a picnic and head to your local park or head out to the cinema for a no fuss, fun night.
- If your friends are all mums and finding a babysitter is a challenge, why not opt for a group booking, or organise for the men in your life and the kids to go on an outing together, or hold a family fundraiser during the day?
MOSTLY B’S – HOST A MEDIUM SIZED EVENT
If you’re eager to make your Girls’ Night In stand out from your regular catch up, these tips may come in handy!
- Choose a theme. Whether it’s a simple rustic table setting or over-the-top casino royale theme, a few extra touches will ensure people remember the night.
- Create a Facebook event or send a Paperless Post invite to keep costs down and so you can keep track of RSVPs.
- To extend the invite beyond your inner circle, why not ask your besties to all bring a plus one?
- Ask local businesses for raffle prizes and get everyone who attends to buy tickets to raise more funds.
MOSTLY C’S – HOST A LARGE SCALE EVENT
If your dream team of friends is prepared to become an organising committee, these tips could be up your ally!
- Get organised by locking in a venue and date early. Finding a suitable venue is already hard by itself and it will not get any easier with a limited budget or by incurring any extra, last minute booking costs. Also, watch out for other large events happening in your community when scheduling. Check the calendar, so it doesn’t clash or align with popular holiday times.
- Keep track of all expenses, including the very small ones because they add up. With that in mind, you want to budget costs per person under the lowest projected attendance figure. Try to find donated raffle prizes or a business to sponsor your event.
- Start promotion early. Create a digital presence through a Facebook event and listing your event on events websites. You can also reach out to your local newspaper or popular bloggers in the area to see if they want to be involved.
- Seek sponsorship. Remember, the less you spend towards the event, seeking sponsorship for venue costs, printing, audio visual, food and beverage sponsors and those alike, the more profit you will generate from ticket sales.