I hosted a dinner party last night, and while I only had a dozen guests, I believe the principals of entertaining are the same for large groups as they are for small ones. Organisation is merely a matter of forethought. Consider your needs beforehand and your event will be a success.

You can’t do it all.

I knew I couldn’t possibly clean the house and cook dinner at the same time, so I had my boyfriend do the mopping and scrubbing while I was in the kitchen. Don’t be afraid to delegate some tasks so you can focus on your strengths.

Make a list.

Some can do this in their heads, others must write it down. Either way, stay organised by knowing what you must do and what items or conditions you need to do them. Keep checking things off, keep checking your list. Then you won’t forget anything.

Rest later.

You’ve got a schedule, now stick to it! Of course, you ought to schedule in breaks, extra time to clean up disasters and catastrophes, and a quarter of an hour for a shower. However, you need to plow through and take care of all the prep work before you take a break.

The last minute isn’t too late.

Originally I had planned to serve wine and beer, but at the last moment, I realised there wouldn’t be any beer, and I only had enough wineglasses for half my guests. A quick call to a friend who deals in wine glasses solved the problem in the nick of time!

Seriously, you can’t do it all.

I cooked dinner for twelve. I did not do the washing up! My party was just as fabulous with dirty dishes in the sink as it would have been with a spotless kitchen. Consider what is important and don’t worry about the rest.

Make a success of events large and small!

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How do you define your organisation? How do you define your event?

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.

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When you are selling tickets for an upcoming event, it helps to add some extra value. Particularly if you are a charitable organization, while you may hope that your guests will support you in any circumstance, you know that providing draws like food and drinks can boost the attendance for even the most boring meeting.

So, if you want to sell Event Tickets for any occasion, consider spicing up the evening with some live music.

Music helps provide atmosphere, keeps conversation lively, and helps people relax. If you’re not sure what kind of music your supporters would prefer, ask them! Whether you ring up a few helpful donors or send out and informal internet survey, you can easily learn what’s expected.

If you have a budget, you may choose to hire a popular band, orchestra, or even a string quartet, depending on everyone’s tastes. A live pianist and a vocalist can provide a lovely setting. A rock band creates a completely different event.

Even if you haven’t much money, you should be able to find a group who is willing to support you. Look around on the Internet, and local musician message boards. Perhaps there is a school group that would be happy to attend for the experience. New groups will be happy to get their first gig for a small fee, or even for the exposure and publicity of appearing at your event. A member of your organisation most likely has a teenager in a new band, and they may be quite good.

Of course, you can always hook an MP3 player up to a stereo, but don’t give up on the idea of live music. Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Ask around and you’ll be surprised at how much entertainment is available for the asking.

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Spring approaches, and while grey skies and a light drizzle may not motivate you to think of fresh beginnings and change, it’s a brilliant time to start publicising upcoming event your organisation has been planning for the last few months. Of course, it’s never to early to start designing, ordering, and printing your own Event Tickets, but there are other ways you can generate buzz and create a demand for admission to any theatrical, musical, or charity event.

• Research online markets

What kind of presence does your organisation have online? These days, its not enough to have your own web page. Without a weekly blog, or email newsletter, no one will know what you’re up to. Creating a FaceBook or Twitter account is another excellent way to reach out to your audience.

• View the competition

What is everyone else doing? Don’t just research! Get off your bum and attend performances and events. Visit other venues and make lists of changes, improvements, and innovations others have implemented. Consider whether you can top your rivals and do them one better.

• A fresh coat of pain

Even if you’re doing everything right, don’t rest on your laurels. Update your home page or logo. When you print your own Event Tickets, you can showcase your new look by adding personalised details to the ticket. If you’ve never seriously considered branding your organisation, now is the time, and if your branding starts to look old and worn-out, consider updating it for a modern appearance.

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One of the nicest sorts of parties one can throw is a celebration in thanks or appreciation of an individual or group of people. Of course, we have all attended office parties when a co-worker leaves or retires, and these tend to be mirthful experiences, but for whom else can we express our appreciation through cake and ice cream?

How about:

• Educators
• Church volunteers
• Administrative assistants
• Helpful children
• Kindly neighbors

For any good deed, a celebration is in order!

If the object of your gratitude has helped a good many people, you may find that it’s possible to cover the cost of the celebration by selling tickets to the event. Use social networking or word-of-mouth to determine whether there is interest in a group recognition of your guest of honor. If so, print some Event Ticket and start selling! Determine how much your guests are willing to spend per ticket to determine your budget (or your own contribution).

Then, plan a party to say thank you! Be certain to order the cake, with an appropriate message, in advance. Ask close friends of the celebrant to prepare speeches. Obtain some photographs (choosing a selection from throughout the guest’s life can be fun) and have them blown up into Posters, or turned into a slide show or Power Point Presentation. Make sure everyone knows about your honoree’s contribution, and why they deserve this celebration.

Finally, decorate the venue, lay out the food and drinks, and toast (or roast!) the guest of honor in high style.

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Has your organisation acquired its own logo?

Your logo–a distinct design that encapsulates both the name and mission of your group–is an instant way to achieve brand recognition. The image should be striking, memorable, and often amusing. Think of it this way: have you ever seen a small child, one who has not yet learned to read, decode the McDonald’s or Coca-Cola logo (and then beg for the product)? While we can’t all hope for this degree of success, we can all develop a logo that is easily recognisable and visually describes something about our mission.

Have you any amateur artists on your staff? People who doodle in the margins of their memos? Perhaps they already have some ideas for you. If not, you may want to hire a professional artist or graphic designer. Prices will vary, but if you haven’t much money, perhaps you can barter goods or services, or else find a young artist just starting out. Perhaps you know an art student, or a colleague’s teenager with a talent for art.

Once you have your logo, you can add it to everything. Fortunately, many Event Kits allow you to upload your logo onto predesigned ticket templates, so you can customise everything associated with your organisation and your event. With proper use, your logo will soon become well-known, perhaps even popular. With the proper logo, you may even develop a side business, selling stickers of your clever logo!

If you have a logo, its easy to print it on your own Event Kits, branding all your events. Everyone will know your group is sponsoring the big event. You’ll look smart, and your print products will shine!

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Looking to drum up some new interest for your annual events? Time to go viral! Viral marketing is the hottest way to expend your popularity and your donor list, and, amazingly, it’s the least expensive form of advertising you can imagine. All you need is one good idea and a lot of word-of-mouth publicity.

Viral marketing depends on hot, authentic concepts and works best for groups with a real message. Some commercial groups may hit upon campaigns that go viral because they’re creative and catchy, but the best viral campaigns are the ones that hit folks in the heart. Your supporters will pass on your message because it’s believable as well as interesting.

Viral video is a smart way to start. You’ll want to capture something endearing, amazing, or eye-catching. Just grab a video camera and start shooting footage of your events. If you film something you just can’t stop laughing at, add your organisation’s information to the video, post it on your website, on YouTube, or another video-sharing site, and email the links to everyone you know. If it’s worth watching, others will pass it on and your big event will receive plenty of free publicity.

If you can create an interesting printed image, this could become viral as well. Whether your organisation is popular or unknown, an eye-catching design that communicates your message can be the ticket to underground success. Print your design on stickers, distribute them to supporters, or stick them around town (make sure you are not breaking any vandalism laws). When you print up other publicity material, such as Event Posters, include your logo for instant recognition.

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Odds are, decisions about event publicity and ticket printing are not entirely up to you. You may be among the lucky few who can make their own choices without answering to anyone, but most of us must muddle through layers of bureaucracy and consensus building before anything ever gets accomplished!

Well, your printed materials are a big deal. You print company knows this; that’s why any company worth its ink will offer you a 100% satisfaction guarantee and work to make things right if they’re not right to begin with. You should be able to get exactly what you want. But what do you want?

Perhaps you have an idea about appropriate designs, or perhaps you are starting at the beginning. Here is a good checklist for event planners working with large groups to make decisions about publicity:

• Brainstorm session: let everyone share ideas
• Reality check: what’s available? What can you afford
• Debate: Everyone gets to share their opinion
• Democracy: put it to a vote
• Repeat, if necessary, until everyone agrees on your course of action

If you want to maintain an element of control over the process, do your research in advance. If you already know what’s available and what you can afford, it’s much easier to steer others toward your choice. Well-thought-out arguments are better received.

Working in groups is simple for some, complicated for others. When you are discussing how to hype your upcoming event, the choices you make can have great impact on attendance and fundraising. With a little extra effort, you can make it work!

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Here’s a time-saver. Think you’re ready to print your own Event Tickets online? Don’t waste your time until you’re sure!

While it’s always fun to look at designs and debate which ones you’d choose, it’s simply quite disappointing when you start to mock up your ticket proofs and realize that you’re not certain about some of the details that should appear on the ticket.

Here’s what you’ll need to know:

• Sponsor names (your organisation as well as other sponsors)
• Event name (you’d be surprised at how long it may take to decide!)
• Event date and time (double check–you don’t want to get this wrong!)
• Event location (should be easy, but again, double check)
• Ticket price (especially if your price structure reflects different levels)
• Numbering (this can be a security feature to prevent ticket fraud)
• Other security features (determine in advance whether you need to watch for fraud)
• Images (if your Event Tickets are to include custom images, be sure they are chosen and available in a standard format, like a .jpg; it’s also helpful if they are already cropped to be square)
• Paper (there are a few types to choose from; do the research first)
• Shipping (when do you need your tickets and will you pay extra for fast shipping?
• Payment (this can be the hardest decision of all in some organisations)

Once you’ve sorted all these matters out, you’re ready! Select the design that appeals to you. Enter your event details and relax while your Event Tickets are printed and shipped to you.

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Charity fundraisers can be among the most glamourous and fabulous type of event, but there are certain expectations to consider. Especially if you plan to hold a black-tie affair, its imperative that everything fall into place and run according to plan. The last thing you want is to lose money, or worse, to disappoint your guests. Most organisers hope to create events that become yearly celebrations.

What should you consider in advance?

• Location, location, location: Where will you hold your event? Is it suitably fancy? Is the venue equipped to host large events? Have they successfully hosted this type of fundraiser in the past? You may also have to check to see if your event requires permits.
• Publicity: How will you attract your guests? Do you have access to a mailing list? Will you advertise outside your organisation?
• Sales: Consider how you will sell Event Tickets. Do you already have a box office or a phone number? Are there people in your group already authorised to handle cash? Set up good record keeping and you’ll save trouble down the line.
• Decorations: While the venue or caterer may be counted on for some part, you’ll have to double-check. Will you need flowers or balloons? Will tables and place setting be your responsibility? Does your organisation have banners or other resources you should use?
• Food and drink: Even if you plan on hiring a caterer and professional bartenders, you still need to do the legwork on this.
• Music and Entertainment: Book them in advance. Make sure you have contracts signed and know how you will pay everyone.
• Other staff and facilites: Who will set up? Who will tear down? Do you have staff to work the event? Do you have sufficient trash cans and lavatories for the number of guest you anticipate? Someone will probably have to work the door. You may need staff to man parts of your event. You may need security or first aid.

These are merely the basics that anyone will have to consider for any large event. Only you know the specific needs of your organisation and your event. Create checklists, and delegate responsibility where you can.

You can plan the event of the season. Just make sure you consider all your options!

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