Party planning

Hosting your own prom event can seem like a big challenge: there’s the venue, funding, rules and regulations… But don’t stress! If you plan ahead, and follow our simple guide, you can cover all the boring details, and get on to the fun part.

Venue

For smaller parties, you can hold them at somebody’s house. A back-yard, basement, or even living room can be a great party venue with some imagination and decoration. But if you want to throw a larger event, you’ll need to find a venue – with a license to hold music/dance events. Some places can charge hefty deposits, so see if they’ll donate the space for free (especially if the event is raising funds for a charity), or be willing to take a cut of ticket sales afterwards, rather than charging you up-front.

Bigger events need to comply with local rules and regulations, so find a parent or teacher to help you deal with the venue owners, and take legal responsibility for things. Present them with business plans, and let them know you’ll be in control of things on the night.

Sponsorship

Holding an anti-prom event can involve all kinds of costs: advertising the event, hiring a venue, buying refreshments and decorations… With some imagination, you can keep the $ low, but try also looking for sponsorship to help out with things. Local business might donate money or cut you a break on expenses, eg, printing flyers, in exchange for their logo on materials. If you’re raising money for charity, they’ll be even more willing to pitch in. You get the things you need, AND donate for a good cause – everybody wins!

Safety

All parties can get out of hand, so make sure you have back-up plans to keep things running smoothly on the big night. Your event is meant to be an inclusive, safe space for everyone to have fun, so recruit some friendly parents or older siblings to man the door and act as security, and make it clear that bad or abusive behaviour won’t be tolerated. Alcohol or drugs will get the party shut down in a flash, so make sure everyone knows not to bring any. Notify your neighbours that you’re planning a party, and try to keep the noise levels down. Be respectful, and safe, and you’re sure to have a good time.