5 things to remember when planning a school fete
Planning a school fete can take up a lot of time. Most of the people organising the fete are dedicated parents giving up some of their spare time to create a fabulous event for the whole school. This can often mean meetings are hard to come by (to find a date that works with everyone). Less meetings means the process in confirming things such as the date, time and all the other bits and pieces takes a little bit longer than usual. While we can’t do much about this, we have come up with 5 important things to take into consideration when planning a school fete or event. Check out our ultimate guide for organizing a school event.
1. The budget
This one is an important one, remember it is also referring to the time spent planning all of the logistics, not just the available funds. Once you have a date put in place (making sure that no other school fete or public event is clashing), this is to ensure the maximum number of potential people who might be interested in coming do not choose something over your school event.
Depending on the date you choose and the season it is in, it might be worth having a rain plan as well. What if it does start pouring and you have to move all the stalls or close them altogether? If you divide the responsibilities to each person in the committee then one person will not be stuck with the task of planning the whole thing. Once you have a figure put in place you can start allocating the funds to different aspects like food, entertainment etc. This way each person looking after their own department has an individual figure to work with in making that section successful. If at the end of the planning you find you have some spare funds either allocate it to another department or keep it for any future events the committee plans on having.
2. Sponsorship/ Opening stalls to the public
Will you be opening your potential stalls to the public? We’d recommend sending out an expression of interest to the parents in the school (perhaps through the newsletter) to see if any of the parents have a local business they’d like to share with the community. Hopefully you receive an overwhelming response. Another great way to get local businesses involved is requesting a small donation in the form of a physical prize or a voucher to utilise their services. You can then use these prizes to run a raffle and sell the tickets to continue the fundraising efforts. Running a cake stall has been an all time favourite and if you get each family to bake something different there is sure to be a sugary treat to suit all taste pallets. Another important thing to remember is that you need to PROMOTE, PROMOTE and PROMOTE. Keep building up the event in the weekly newsletter, Facebook posts and even printed flyers. Make sure the word is being spread to as many people as possible. The goal is to raise money for the benefit of the school so the more people present, the better for you.
3. Entertainment
How will you keep the school kids and their siblings busy? You need something to attract the crowds. There is usually one or two main items to use as a drawcard to get people in. We would suggest giant inflatables! Whether your event is in summer, autumn, winter, or spring there is an inflatable for you.
If you have a bigger budget then we will get straight to the point and suggest one of the longest inflatable obstacle courses in WA. We’re talking about the Monster Ultimate Challenge measuring a huge 60m long and made up of 5 different units all put together. This one can be used wet or dry and is such a great way to get a large amount of kids through in a short amount of time. It could be set up on the school oval and if you need power Monsterball Amusements & Hire are able to supply generators for hire.
They will do everything from setting it up, supervising the unit and pack up when the event is over. Alternatively they provide good old bouncy castles which will also do the trick. They have one of the biggest ranges of bouncy castle hire in Perth. It would be worth giving them a call on 93355109 to see what kind of package deal and discounts they may be able to offer.
4. A mud map
Never underestimate the importance of a mud map. It may take some time to create and plan, but trust us it will do you a whole lot of good the day of the event when you have different companies coming through at the same time.
If you can work out a specific bump in and out time for each vendor then you won’t have too many cars driving in and out of the school at the same time.
This will also minimise any risk with people walking around. Sending through the mud map before the event to your vendors also allows them to familiarise themselves with the school grounds and the location they are expected to set up in. It is important to also include things like amenities, power or water points if this is needed by the vendor. The map will ultimately help to ensure the first part of the fete runs smoothly. If things aren’t set up on time then the school will miss out on potential extra funds that could’ve been made in that time.
5. Event time
How many hours will the fete run for? Will it just be for a few hours or for the whole day? This will depend on the budget available and how long the little stalls would like to stay open for. The longer you run for the more money can be raised. If people know the money they are spending is going towards a good cause there is a higher chance they will spend more. If you include little extras like fairy floss and popcorn machines this will all add to the ‘fairground’ atmosphere and families will want to get involved (even if it means giving the kids a bit of extra sugar for the day).
Once the day finally arrives, we hope everything runs as smooth as possible. However if there are any hiccups then it is worth noting them down and passing it onto the following years planning committee. Even if nothing goes wrong it is still worth passing on your advice and how you ran things to ensure the success of all future school events.
