The biggest social event of most teens’ high school careers is the Prom. Indeed, the Prom has become so important over the years that it has become a mini-industry of its own. With almost $1.8 billion spent on prom-related purchases and regular reporting on the industry from Wall Street analysts, the Prom is indeed the paramount high school social event.
With respect to planning, a typical Prom breaks down into the following areas that require attention.
Venue
The venue is by far the first thing you want to take care of. All other things flow from the choice of venue. You cannot set the date, hire entertainment, hire security, or plan a budget until your venue is set.
Décor
The décor choices you make have only one major limiting factor: finances. If your budget allows you to create a virtual movie studio, then by all means go for it. If your budget is more limited, then you must figure out what part of your budget you can spend on decorations and make sure you do not exceed this amount.
Food
Food as with décor, your limitations are primarily financial, with special consideration being given to nutritional concerns. Local custom usually dictates your choice in this area. In areas where most people favor restaurant dining before the Prom, it doesn’t make sense to spend the money to serve dinner.
Entertainment
The subject of entertainment is greatly misunderstood when it comes to budgetary planning. The mistake some groups make is to blow their budget on the venue, décor, and food, and not have enough left for quality entertainment. This is a big mistake that a Prom committee can make, as the choice of entertainment will determine the quality of the evening.
If your Prom DJ is great, people will say they had a great time. If the entertainment is bad, your teens will remember the event as a dud. I’ve seen plenty of Proms where the food was poor but the attendees still considered it a success because of the quality of the entertainment. The trick is to find a DJ company that specializes in high-end events. You wouldn’t hire “McDonalds” to cater your prom. You would leave that to an experienced caterer. You should pick your entertainment the same way. Find an experienced DJ company that will provide you with the world-class prom entertainment that you require. Don’t settle for less when you deserve the best.
Finances
The major overriding concern of every planning decision you make will be whether you can afford to do it. After fundraising efforts by your class, the major source of revenue for Prom expenses is your ticket sales. When making decisions about cost, you need to decide whether or not the incremental increase in the price of the ticket is worth the expense.
For example, let’s say you have 200 people coming to your Prom. You have a choice of an okay DJ company for $200 for the night or an amazing DJ company for $750. Your incremental ticket price for the okay company is $200/200 = $1.00 per ticket, and for the amazing DJ company it would be $750/200 = $3.75 per ticket. Base your decision on whether the increase from one cost per ticket to the next is the best decision for your group.
Call Extreme Tunz today to talk about the entertainment alternative.
Office: (701)770.4313
