After months of planning, the first ISK Maturaball ever took place in the Kulturquartier Kufstein on February 8th with the title “Risky Business”. Dedicated to bringing across an elegant flair that reminded of spy movies, the ball invited visitors to immerse themselves into a world of special agents, classy criminals and danced pursuits. In the end, it seemed like both, the visitors as well as the students who organised the event, were happy with the result.
But putting that aside for a second, how did the beforehand planning go? As with any event, but especially because it was the first prom, there are some things that might be useful to consider for the next balls, formulated by the previous Maturaball committee for the ones to come.
- Start early
The title might be self-explanatory, but nonetheless, this is really important. Start early – with everything. From an effective distribution of roles within the committee and the classes to approaching sponsors: The earlier you start, the less stressful it is going to be in the last few weeks leading up to the ball, and this will allow you to put all your energy into rehearsals, final errands and issues that might come up unexpectedly.
- Role allocation
Set up a committee with members who are motivated to make this event work and figure out who wants to be responsible for what (finances, location, decoration, catering, entertainment…), but also consider the roles that the whole class/school community will take on during the ball. Who will have to write a speech? Who will work shifts at the bar? Which teacher could supervise the organisation of the ball in case an adult is needed for signing contracts? Consider deciding on a leader together, who has the overview and makes sure everyone does their tasks and fulfils their responsibilities in time.
- Finances
Of course the aim of the ball is to gain money, and, of course, avoid debts at all costs. To do so, establish a plan for expenditures as well as revenues early on during the process, and make sure to keep it up to date at all time (Excel lists might be helpful). Another question that definitely should be discussed with the whole class is what will happen with the revenue. Decide on that early on, and also figure out a transparent system of how the money will be distributed (you might choose to share it equally or establish a point system that corresponds to the hours you spent working on making the event work) so that it is clear in advance.
- Beverage Delivery
This is very specific, but make sure you can get the drinks delivered to your event location. Picking up the beverages and bringing back the bottles after the ball takes up a lot of time, and that can easily be avoided. If you decide to pick up the beverages on your own, make sure you organise the car drivers and cars in advance.
- Responsibilities
One thing that tends to be forgotten is that after the ball, the venue needs to be cleaned up, and it is important to make sure that this is being taken seriously. The more people help with cleaning up, the faster you have it over with. If you fear that it might happen that only 3 people clean up the venue at 5 am in the morning, make it clear that whoever is not willing to help will have to give their share of the revenue a miss – after all, everyone is tired after a long ball night.
stories that keep a school together 