Important Tips For A Successful Post-Prom Or Grad Party
Compiled By Comedy Hypnotist Devin Knight
Each year, parent volunteers and school administrators spend a great deal of time, money, and energy planning annual school events in order to keep their students safe and entertained. Of course, the ultimate goal following the school’s annual post-prom or graduation party is to ensure the students have a night to remember while keeping them safe.
Devin Knight understands the overall goal of these types of events and works with schools in providing event consultation and hypnotic entertainment for these events. The following are helpful tips collected from my experience in working with schools to ensure a successful Post-Prom and/or Post-Graduation party!
What You Need To Know For A Successful “Lock-In” Party!
Evaluate And Optimize Your Party Space. Ensure that your students are enthused and active during these events by trying to maximize your space. Whether your event is taking place in your school's gymnasium, a community center, the local YMCA, or another venue – ensure there is enough activity to engage your students throughout the entire night.
Make It A Night Your Students Will Always Remember! Make sure there is plenty of activity and entertainment to engage and energize your students! Successful events limit down-time, which can allow students to get tired and groggy.
Plan Ahead! The best structured events start planning well in advance, often having their first meeting a year prior to the event. The earlier you are able to plan some of the major aspects of the night such as renting a facility or purchasing entertainment – the better for you and your students. By doing this, you’ll have the best selection of entertainment and often are able to get “block” savings by collaborating with other events within the area. Use this typical planning schedule to assist in your efforts:
Devin Knight understands the overall goal of these types of events and works with schools in providing event consultation and hypnotic entertainment for these events. The following are helpful tips collected from my experience in working with schools to ensure a successful Post-Prom and/or Post-Graduation party!
What You Need To Know For A Successful “Lock-In” Party!
Evaluate And Optimize Your Party Space. Ensure that your students are enthused and active during these events by trying to maximize your space. Whether your event is taking place in your school's gymnasium, a community center, the local YMCA, or another venue – ensure there is enough activity to engage your students throughout the entire night.
Make It A Night Your Students Will Always Remember! Make sure there is plenty of activity and entertainment to engage and energize your students! Successful events limit down-time, which can allow students to get tired and groggy.
Plan Ahead! The best structured events start planning well in advance, often having their first meeting a year prior to the event. The earlier you are able to plan some of the major aspects of the night such as renting a facility or purchasing entertainment – the better for you and your students. By doing this, you’ll have the best selection of entertainment and often are able to get “block” savings by collaborating with other events within the area. Use this typical planning schedule to assist in your efforts:
- 1 Year To 9 Months Prior To Your Event: Schedule your “main entertainment,” whether that’s a hypnotist, magician, comedian, game show, band, etc. The most popular entertainers get re-booked and scheduled for the following year approximately 9-15 months in advance.
- Special Note Regarding Hypnotists: Hypnotists are still the most popular choice for the main entertainment of the event. Many times, schools will contact me 2-3 months prior asking if I am available for their event. These schools are usually very adamant that they “want a comedy hypnotist”. Most post-prom and post-graduation events occur on weekends in May and June and since those dates are limited, so are your opportunities to find a quality & experienced hypnotist (unless one is already scheduled in your area). If you do end up booking these types of entertainers late – try to have flexibility. While your first choice of a hypnotist may not be available; perhaps another type of entertainer, such as a great magician, comedian, or ventriloquist, might be available and they may be just as successful for your event.
- 7 – 5 Months Prior To The Event: Work on the other large aspects of your event – such as inflatable games, laser tag, mechanical bull, game/trivia shows, photo booths, caricature artists, *face painting, glitter tattoos, airbrush artist, etc. While these are often considered “secondary” entertainment options for the event, they typically are the longest scheduled portion of your event (typically 3-5 hours of your event, while the “main entertainer” is only 1 hour). Do not downplay the importance of these aspects. The earlier you plan these portions, the better options you will have.
$$$ GREAT WAYS TO SAVE MONEY $$$
Post-prom and post-grad events are often funded entirely by donations and sponsors from the community. Many times budgets can be tight! It is extremely important to fund raise throughout the year for this event. The graduating class student council must be involved with and help organize the fundraising activities. Do a post-prom campaign at the beginning of the year where parents, from all grades in the school, are solicited to donate. The requested fee is lower for underclassmen and higher for seniors. Restaurant nights are an easy way to raise money and the kids enjoy the social aspect of it. You even did a yard sale where you could rent a table to sell your items or donate items to the senior class for them to sell. A raffle with "money" prizes is done before the holidays and tickets are sent home with students with a request to sell them to family or friends. Remember the more money that you raise the better the party will be. I would highly recommend is to charge $1.00 entrance fee to anyone that comes for the walk through. You can get hundreds of people to come to see this event so why not raise some money. Here are some helpful ways to save money and ease the burden on your budget:
- Have Flexibility In Your Schedule- If you want some type of entertainer (hypnotist, magician, comedian, etc.), you can often times save money by collaborating with another school in the area bringing in the same entertainer. One may need to have the entertainer at the beginning of the night and the other at the end of the night… then maybe next year it switches!
- Explore Package Discounts- Discounts are usually offered by packaging options together. This is typically accomplished with the interactive & novelty attractions (inflatable games, laser tag, caricature artists, face painters, airbrush tattoos, etc.)
End The Night Together- End the event on a positive note; hopefully with an activity that has built community amongst the students. Rather than just saying “time is up” and letting the students leave, plan on distributing your prizes, gifts, and awards at the end of the party. Preferably in a space where everyone can see each other and see who is winning what prize. This is usually best accomplished on a stage with the students in the audience – perhaps immediately following the main entertainment.
Choose The Right Entertainment! If you provide your students with good entertainment and a high-energy event, they will come to the party looking forward to the show, no matter what you have chosen. By the same token, if you get mediocre performer on stage, they will be looking to run away at the first chance they get.
Have One Person Act As The Main Contact. Even if you have a committee selecting entertainment, have only one person act as a contact for the entertainer prior to the day of performance and the night of the performance. Things tend to get mixed up when five different people are telling the performer three different things.
Choose The Right Entertainment! If you provide your students with good entertainment and a high-energy event, they will come to the party looking forward to the show, no matter what you have chosen. By the same token, if you get mediocre performer on stage, they will be looking to run away at the first chance they get.
Have One Person Act As The Main Contact. Even if you have a committee selecting entertainment, have only one person act as a contact for the entertainer prior to the day of performance and the night of the performance. Things tend to get mixed up when five different people are telling the performer three different things.
Additional Resources:
If your school is located in central Florida and you are looking for secondary entertainment, then I highly recommend that you visit Glitter Designs On You by Becky. She is great for providing glitter face painting post-prom and graduation parties. She is one of the best in the business. You can visit her website by clicking below:
If your school is located in central Florida and you are looking for secondary entertainment, then I highly recommend that you visit Glitter Designs On You by Becky. She is great for providing glitter face painting post-prom and graduation parties. She is one of the best in the business. You can visit her website by clicking below: