Written by Madeline Irvin
While at uni and in life, I’ve attended plenty of events, but I never really stopped to consider how long they take to plan or how much effort goes into making them successful. Behind all the lights, balloons, music and dresses are months of preparation, budgeting, and countless emails.
This year I had the opportunity to organise the End of Year Uni Ball on behalf of the Charles Sturt Albury-Wodonga Run Club. I was so unprepared for how many stages in the process, and I couldn’t have done any of it without the support of the Run Club committee.
Venue
The first step was finding the right space, there’s no ball without a venue. We were lucky enough to secure a beautiful location with natural lighting for photos, a big dance floor, and a relaxing garden area. Even better, the venue also provided catering, which simplified a huge part of the planning.
Entertainment
One of the most time-consuming parts of organising the ball was gathering quotes from entertainment and transport companies. Contacting businesses is one thing, but waiting for replies, following up, and negotiating prices is a whole other challenge. Now imagine doing that across five different services – DJ, balloons, photographer, photobooth and bus hire. It took patience, persistence, and a lot of inbox refreshing.
Budget
Managing quotes and expenses over several months meant staying organised. Using an Excel spreadsheet helped keep all projected and confirmed costs in one place. It also allowed me to calculate ticket prices in a way that ensured we’d break even without leaving the Run Club out of pocket, and ensure the tickets were within a price range that was attainable for as many students as possible.
Tickets
Promotion was essential to make sure students actually knew the ball was happening. We started with a giveaway on our Instagram to grab attention and get people talking. The event was also posted to other uni social media pages to reach a broader audience. Once ticket sales opened, it quickly turned into a nervous waiting game, hoping enough people would purchase tickets so the event would both pay for itself and create a memorable night for everyone.
Road bumps
Our biggest road bump was hitting maximum ticket capacity much earlier than expected. While it sounds like a good problem to have, it also meant a lot of people missed out on buying tickets. We knew we needed a solution.
So to combat this we quickly rushed into town on a Saturday to chat with the venue. We were able to expand the booking across two rooms, allowing us to increase capacity from 160 to 230 attendees. This adjustment not only solved the issue but also made the night even bigger and better.
All that being said, I really did enjoy organising the ball, and it was absolutely worth every email, spreadsheet and late-night message when I saw everyone enjoying themselves on the night. Watching people arrive dressed up, taking photos, dancing, laughing and celebrating the end of the year made all the behind-the-scenes work feel meaningful. In the end, seeing the night come to life was the most rewarding part of the entire experience.
I can’t wait to support the club next year in hosting similar events that are even bigger and better.
Charlie blog is a SSAF funded initiative.
