When your guests have grown accustomed to the yearly charity ball, and particularly if you’re offered scaled Event Ticket pricing, those holding more expensive tickets should receive some unexpected bonus beyond having their name writ in large letters upon the program or newsletter.

For instance, a local botanical garden holds a yearly dinner dance, which happens to roughly coincide with the beginning of two features: their unusual plant sale, and their seasonal butterfly garden. The organisers create an event that is thematically linked with these two other events, using butterflies and unusual plants in their promotional materials, decorations, and naming. But they offer some added incentive: those attending the ball are given early access to the unusual plant sale, and have first choice of the plants, before other members or the general public.

That’s for the price of the basic Event Ticket. Donate a bit more, however, and your ticket entitles you to a behind-the-scenes tour of the plant sale, with botanists on hand to discuss the mechanics of collecting and transporting plants, answer questions, and add value to the affair. Remember, the guests are all members of the botanic gardens, so an evening with a botanist is quite a treat. But for an even greater incentive, at the highest level of donation, a ticket entitles the holder to a behind-the-scenes tour of the butterfly exhibit, with, of course, lepidopterists available to educate visitors.

Does your organisation have any backstage secrets? Have you a warehouse or other offices that are normally closed to the public? Are your administrators normally unavailable to members? Museums often have rooms of uncataloged or undisplayed materials that may pique members’ interests; schools can offer tours of off-limits area of the physical plant. Most groups have their own inner workings, and your supporters are interested in seeing them! Use those hidden details as a behind-the-scenes bonus for your loyal supporters.

You shan’t be alone. The vast majority of your neighbors plan to watch the game: 71% of everyone in the UK, according to some surveys, will be glued to the proceedings. And of those fans, 87% plan to watch straight through the end, regardless of whether England make the final or not. So start gathering your mates and celebrate in style!

What do your guests want? Of course, you can guess the easy ones:

• A BIG TV
• A comfortable seat
• Barbecue or buffet
• Plenty of cold drinks

Another consideration is a bit of outdoors: a place where they can step away if they need a smoke or a private moment to grieve a particularly bad play.

The BBC also suggest having a few additional activities to ease the tension: computer football games, target practice in a garden goal, table football, or Subbuteo. You can set the mood by decorating your home with the flags of many nations, or perhaps by dressing your dog in a red and white shirt. Your guests will most likely bring their own enthusiasm with them, no event ticket required.

Now, you’ve done all you can. The rest is up to England!

Your advance publicity materials, including your Event Ticket, are visual cues to your guests. A proper image helps define your group, your mission, and the theme of your gathering both to returning supporters as well as potential new members.

Are your guests interested in design? The environment? Beauty? Appeal to them on the appropriate level by choosing imagery that speaks to their desires. Choose from 100s of Event Ticket templates and find the one that is most likely to capture the imagination of those who are considering attending your event, supporting your efforts, and aligning themselves with your cause.

There exists a wide gulf between a simple printed messages and a brilliant design. Even the most staid academics will appreciate the draw of a stunning calligraphic font on a coloured background. Athletes prefer athletic themes.

Don’t settle for something plain and unremarkable. When you’re hosting an event, you want supporters to remark upon your Event Tickets and other advance print publicity. Consider your audience. Make it special. Make it lovely.

Last Friday, ticket in hand, I found my way to the hotel where the event was to be held, and indeed, it was an intimate event. The tree was trimmed, drinks flowed freely, and a table of delicious appetizers was refreshed every few minutes. I was fortunate to mingle with the president of the organisation, along with the founder, and other ranking members of the group, all of whom were happy to see me and welcomed me warmly into the fold.

After the introductions, we all sat down for a delicious meal, our choice of chicken, fish, or steak, followed by ice cream and cookies. The president made his speeches, thanking all of us for our contributions. The drinks continued to flow, and before I knew it, we were all singing Christmas carols with our arms around each other. I can only imagine what the other hotel guests thought of our gathering, but the spirit moved us, and a good time was had by all.

It truly was a memorable event. And it’s not too late for your organisation to create the same spirit of goodwill. Just print your own Event Tickets online and start gathering a crowd for your own Christmas party!

Sure, we talked about club promotions last week, but we’re not done talking about it!

You can issue boring, generic tickets, or you can print your own club tickets online. Personalise them with the name of your club, the name of the event, the names of musicians or DJs. Put your Event Tickets to work for you. Let them create publicity where you can’t go: into the kitchens, bedrooms, and wallets of your faithful fans.

Consider your options.

• Funky: With a matching Event Kit, the Purple Nightclub General Admission Ticket communicates a serious sense of fun!

• Fancy: If a sense of sophistication is what you’re after, the Gala General Admission Ticket turns an ordinary night into a soiree.

• Fun: Ready for a blast from the past? Summon up the 70s with the bold colours of the Disco General Admission Ticket.

When you’re promoting your club or musical event, the possibilities just go on and on! Find the right design to suit your tastes and keep your club hopping until the wee hours.

Why have I not been invited to the following parties?

• Hawaiian Luau A party on the beach, complete with roasted pig, drumming, and fire dancing. Required attire includes grass skirts, coconut bras, and flower leis. Drinks to be served inside of hollowed-out pineapples, with tiny umbrellas and fresh fruit skewered on plastic sword.
• The Caravan Modern nomads turn up for an impromptu festival in the forest under the full moon. Tarot is thrown, palms are read, and dancing is accomplished with abandon, around a well-tended campfire.
• The Ultimate Pub Quiz Grab a pint and prepare to test your knowledge of all things trivial. But this is no ordinary pub quiz! Dance-off, sudden death rounds, and mandatory shots for high scorers transform an ordinary night with friends into a night to remember.
• Fancy Dress Charity Ball I long to dress up in an outrageous costume, don a fancy mask, and dance the entire night to live music. A mysterious stranger spins and dips me under the starlit sky, all while supporting a worthy cause.
• The Scavenger Hunt Armed with a list of improbable settings and a camera-phone, teams of young people run madly through the town. Their mission: be the first to photograph team members with local icons, landmarks, or in any other funny situations you dream up.

So, quick! While there’s still time! Begin planning your end-of-summer party so you can print out Event Tickets, Posters, and Invitations. And please send mine, care of your fabulous ticket girl, The Event Ticket Blog.

• Children’s parties Let your Event Tickets double as Event Invitations. Add the date, time, and location of the party, along with the words “You’re Invited” and other pertinent details and your tickets can do double duty while delighting the kids.
• Incentives Perforated stub tickets have individual numbers printed on the body and the stub. Why not reward customers with a ticket when they spend a certain amount of money? Then, they can redeem tickets for goods or services, and you can prevent fraud by keeping track of the stubs!
• Fair share If the cost of admission includes extras like lunch or gift bags, Tickets with stubs can work twice at one event. Tear off the stub when your guest enters, then have them turn over the body of the ticket in exchange for food or prizes.
• Vanity Use the upload an image feature to make custom souvenirs for parties, graduations, and other memorable event. Just add a head shot of the guest of honor along with the important information and you have a keepsake worth saving.

These are just a few ideas. Keep visiting the Event Ticket Printing blog for more tips on getting the most out of your order. Remember, when you print your own Event Tickets, you’re the boss. Put your tickets to work for you!

My man is looking fit in his tuxedo. (Who doesn’t look fit in a tux? Although I really ought to go straighten his bow tie.) I love any excuse to don that slinky black gown, strap on the towering heels (ooo…now I can look at his chin!), and carry that little beaded bag my mum found in Gran’s things. A real vintage item!

The event tickets have been teasing me for weeks, just sitting there on the cork board reminding me of the fun to be had tonight. Even a limousine couldn’t transport me so quickly, in so much style. We can’t afford a limo anyway. And besides, the ride only lasts a few minutes. The tickets are forever. When we’re old and gray, we’ll look back on the stubs in my scrap album and remember they nights we stayed out dancing ’til dawn.