Member rolls increase with non-members/guests joining. Labo

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Planning a Successful Banquet

• NABC Summit, Chatfield, MN
• April 19 20, 2008
• Lou Compton
• Maryland Bowhunters Society

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What Kind of Banquet Do You Want?

• Camaraderie building social event
• Fundraising focused only
• Combination of both

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Pros and Cons
Consider using this one slide to replace the six
that follow. The information appears as you click
the mouse or advance the slide during the
slideshow. I moved the next six slides to the end
of the presentation.

• Social
• Fun focus
• Camaradarie
• Family feeling
• Labor intensive
• Still need fundraiser
• Financial liability if low attendance

• Fundraiser
• Can be profitable
• Develop benefactors
• Build membership rolls if ticket includes
  membership
• Labor intensive
• Cost of items for raffle auction
• vs. members
• Need the right venue

• Combination
• Can be profitable
• People will want to attend
• Member rolls increase with non-members/guests
  joining
• Labor intensive
• Cost of items for raffle auction
• Need the right venue

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Banquet vs. Convention
Consider using this one slide to replace the six
that follow. The information appears as you click
the mouse or advance the slide during the
slideshow. I moved the next six slides to the end
of the presentation.

• Banquet
• more economical
• smaller organizations better served by a 4-6 hour
  banquet
• still requires fair amount of planning and
  volunteers
• adaptable to a wide array of halls (fire hall,
  community center)
• Compressed schedule Good MC becomes critical
• avoid a broken floor plan where communication is
  difficult

• Convention
• more expensive to stage
• may be best venue for a large club with 500
  attendees
• labor intensive and requires many volunteers
• usually requires hotel/conference center/civic
  center
• multiple rooms can offer a wide variety of
  entertainment, auctions, dinners, etc.
• usually offers lodging package for attendees who
  have to travel

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A Successful Banquet

• A Good Location
• Some Good Planning
• A Mix of Donations
• A Variety of Fundraisers
• Effective Coordination
• _____________________
• A Successful Banquet

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Location Your First Key Decision

• Your venue should
• Be centrally located
• Near the majority of your members
• Provide a quality caterer with an attractive
  menu and affordable prices
• Have the capability to grow as your attendance
  grows
• Dont just look at hotels or conference
  facilities check out caterers halls

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Planning Getting Started

• Start small if this is your first event
• Learn what works from successful organizations
• NABC
• RMEF
• NWTF
• DU
• Name a Banquet Chairperson and a Committee

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Planning Budgeting

• Establish a Working Budget
• Cost of hall/caterer
• Advertising
• Prizes/games
• Cost of speaker/entertainment if used
• Event insurance
• Supplies (duct tape, raffle tickets, poster
  board, etc.)

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Planning Setting Ticket Prices

• Keep Prices Affordable
• Offer Early Bird Specials that offer raffle
  tickets and/or membership renewal
• Avoid making membership fee a mandatory part of
  ticket price
• Ticket price should cover cost of hall/caterer
• Make purchasing tickets easy (PayPal on your
  clubs website)

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Planning Get Sponsors

• Table Sponsorships
• Local businesses get a sponsors
  poster/centerpiece at table
• Raffle Sponsorship
• Pro-shop could donate a raffle prize, etc.
• Adult Beverage Sponsor
• Local beverage distributors

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Planning Advertising

• ADVERTISE-ADVERTISE-ADVERTISE
• Your organizations newsletter at least 2 issues
  prior
• Posters/flyers in pro-shops and stores
• Web sites (Your own as well as other local
  hunting sites with potential attendees)
• Calendar of Events boards, newspapers, etc.
• Hunter friendly radio shows
• Public access cable ads (usually free)
• Mass mailing to membership

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Planning Speaker or No Speaker

• Must be entertaining and interesting!
• Is cost justified by increased attendance/profits?
  
• Will your speaker detract from fundraising
  efforts?
• Would the time devoted to the speaker be better
  spent with fundraising events?
• It may be better to not have a speaker.

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Donations Soliciting Donations

• Face to face from local sources
• National sources such as Cabelas, Dicks
  Sporting Goods, Gander Mt., etc. via solicitation
  letter on organization letterhead
• Phone solicitation to above sources
• Solicit membership via your newsletter and website

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Donations Making Money Sometimes Takes Money

• Dont be Afraid to Spend Money to Make Money!!!!
• Purchase Prizes at greatly reduced prices
• End of season sales
• Closeouts
• Offers from previously solicited vendors
• Be prepared to spend some money to get decent
  hunt packages

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Donations Build a Database

• Start early building an extensive database of
  outfitters and guides
• Web sites
• Magazine ads
• State/Provincial outfitter organizations
• Send out solicitation letters well in advance of
  event
• Dont forget local guides AND members who may
  have access to great hunting areas. Not all hunts
  have to be guided

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Donations Dont Refuse Anything

• Remember no donated prize is too small or
  insignificant. Small items can be combined to
  make a good package
• Dont forget DVDs, Books, releases, scents,
  packs, camo clothing, raingear, etc. Be
  creative!!!!
• Ladies and youth prizes should be obtained for
  women and children attending

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Donations Think Outside of the Box

• Jewelry, artwork, vacation packages, weekend
  get-a-ways, Diner gift certificates, spa/resort
  certificates all have a broad appeal EVEN to
  bowhunters
• Consider leasing a tract of prime private
  property, local or out of state, and then auction
  off a series of week long packages.
• This was recently done in MD and netted a
  6000.00 profit.

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Hunting Lease Prize

• Secure annual lease to a QUALITY hunting property
• Break the year (season) down into week to 10-day
  blocks and allow a rest period between weeks
• Auction off the hunting blocks to a group of 3-4
  hunters
• Prime periods (rut) should have the highest
  minimum bid
• Name a lease coordinator / hunt master

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Fundraisers Bucket Raffles

• Consider Having Two Levels
• Lower Tier (1 tickets)
• Mostly small items such as knives, broadheads,
  sights, etc. Do put a few better prizes in Lower
  tier to keep interest and ticket sales high.
• Upper Tier (5 tickets)
• Better items such as GPSs, Optics, Scent Loc
  clothing, youth bow, a 3-D target, smaller
  artwork, etc.

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Fundraisers Silent Auctions

• Better quality items such as framed prints, local
  and/or out of state hunts, traditional or custom
  bows, custom arrows, etc.
• Set minimum initial bids and minimum increments
  e.g. - start at 120 with 5 increments
• Avoid duplicate items if you have two bear
  hunts, make one a silent auction and one a live
  auction

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Fundraisers Live Auctions

• Higher value items
• Get a professional auctioneer. Some donate their
  services pay for a good one if not
• Find someone who knows bowhunting and the
  members!!!
• Have him help decide which items gets auctioned
  first, second, etc.
• Collect payment immediately after close of
  auction item

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Fundraisers Card Raffle

• A standard 52 card deck of playing cards used at
  10 a card
• Raffle off a single prize such as a bow, hunt, or
  package
• Limited number of tickets improves the odds for
  those buying cards/tickets
• Call these throughout the event

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Fundraisers Dart Throw

• Set up safe backstop in secure area
• Participants pay 5 for 5 darts to throw at a 3-D
  target.
• Score is based on standard 3-D scoring and
  tickets awarded for prizes such as a custom bow,
  game camera, scent loc, optics etc.

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Fundraisers Glass or T-Shirt Raffle

• Raffle off a medium value item selling a club
  T-shirt or Banquet Glass for 5 or 10 with a
  raffle ticket attached.
• Banquet Glasses can be obtained for as little as
  2 ea. Attendees like to buy these as they get an
  instant memento and a shot at winning a prize.
• Remember if youre serving adult beverages many
  folks want a souvenir glass anyway

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Coordination Make a Schedule

• Six hours goes by in a flash
• Use the schedule to
• List all activities
• Estimate how much time each activity will take
• Determine how many things you can do
• Determine what you can do concurrently
• Use an MC to keep things running smoothly

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Coordination The Value of a Good MC

• Can serve as your stage manager and keeps banquet
  on schedule
• Should be personable and a decent public speaker
• A MC with a good sense of humor could eliminate
  need and expense of guest speaker

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Coordination Keep Records and Gather Information

• Keep Detailed Records and Receipts
• Collect and Maintain Names/Addresses From Each
  Attendee
• Survey Attendees for Suggestions to Improve the
  Event
• Build on Each Years Success

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General Words of Wisdom

• Remember the Average Joe member. Be careful to
  appeal to those on a family budget as well as
  those with deeper pockets.
• Avoid a broken floor plan that detracts from
  ability to communicate to all attendees at the
  same time.
• A good MC is a MUST!

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General Words of Wisdom cont

• Be very detailed in explaining all the small
  details about hunts being offered. Let potential
  bidders/winners know about license fees, travel
  expenses, trophy fees, etc. right up front.
  Auction items should be detailed in your banquet
  program with ALL details.
• You want hunt winners returning next year and
  telling their friends what a great hunt they had.
• Keep very detailed records.

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General Words of Wisdom contd

• Set ticket price cost per person for lowest
  expected attendance, then consider adding a few
  dollars profit. If you get more people then your
  price point goes down and you make more money on
  each ticket.
• Consider having packages with raffle tickets for
  early purchasers or a discounted membership

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General Words of Wisdom contd

• Outfitters fill their books in the first quarter
  so they know what they can donate in the second
  quarter
• Many attendees will already have their Fall
  hunts already booked, so for out of state hunts
  try to get the option to use it the next year
  (banquet in Spring of 2008, ask to use hunt in
  Fall of 2008 or 2009).

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General Words of Wisdom contd

• Pick a venue that looks nice, has good food at a
  good price, and can handle your event as it gets
  bigger each year.
• Start working on the next banquet right after
  this years is over. Dont try to cram it all
  into a few months before the next banquet.
• A full year to get good hunts and merchandise
  donations,
• Enough time to plan well, and
• Enough time to get the volunteers you will need.

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General Words of Wisdom contd

• Track what works well and what things cost
• Where did people hear about the event (what
  advertising works and what doesnt)
• When did they place their order for tickets (when
  to expect orders and when to panic)
• How many orders did you get each week (tells you
  what to expect next year in terms of ticket
  sales)
• How much each kind of raffle or auction item
  brought in (what things are worth having and what
  are not)
• Build a database/list of attendees with name,
  address, email, and phone number

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Questions????