Bonkers Bingo
Experience
Bonkers Bingo is the first event that has been fully planned and executed by myself and my team, it was a crazy/rave bingo for students that took place on the 19th of May 2022 at the Hideout Derby. Most of the roles were shared between the four of us and we all assisted with all aspects of the event, however my main role was Finance Manager.
The planning process:
- We started the process by discussing ideas for our event, thinking of names, and researching venues. In this initial meeting we also created a team contract and allocated roles to each member, which included creating a RAM and RACI.
- Meetings were held every week; notes were made, and actions required before the next meeting were discussed and shared in our teams’ group. A gantt chart was created to ensure we each understood our tasks and when they needed to be completed by.
- Contacting venues was a problem that we had to overcome, due to the short planning period, some venues did not have availability or simply did not reply, but we found a great venue and booked it.
- We then created some social media pages to enable us to gain interest in the event even if we didn’t have all the details yet and started to design posts to attract attention to the pages, also started to design our website. (https://www.bonkersravebingo.com/)
- We decided that, to make it accessible for everyone, we would create three ticket packages starting from £5 and going up to £10. I then started the budget sheet to ensure that the sale of these packages would be enough to cover our expenses. We received a £500 budget and collated a list of items that would need to be ordered for the event.
- The venue visit enabled us to ask the manager any questions we had and allowed us to discuss the terms of us using the space, including areas such as a minimum bar spend that we needed to reach and what AV equipment they had. We then created our risk assessment.
- The website was updated with a seating plan and launched for ticket sales, while also creating more marketing materials to be posted on social media, as well as flyers to be given out at university and in the city.
- We made sure to create an itinerary for not only the event, but also for the set up on the day and the shutdown to ensure the day ran smoothly.
During the event:
- We arrived at the venue around two hours before the doors were set to open to set up, this included blowing up the inflatable decorations and I was able to rearrange the seating plan to the outside area. We also had a test run of the bingo caller and tested the sound system and microphones.
- When guests started to arrive, we greeted them, scanned their tickets, gave them their wristbands and I directed them to their seats.
- We took it in turns to be on the different sections, which were the bingo caller app, the music, and assisting Sam (the Host) in the main area, being on hand to help any attendees if needed.
After the event:
- We followed our event shutdown plan, clearing away all our decorations, paying the final bill and saying thank you to all the attendees and staff.
- The following day we sent out a thank you email to all the attendees, as well as posting on social media thanking the guests and the staff at the Hideout.
- We are planning on reviewing the event by reading the feedback sheets and then writing an event report.
I am very proud of how this event turned out, we ended up having over 50 attendees and reaching our break-even point, it was clear on the night that the attendees enjoyed their experience and we worked brilliantly as a team, overcoming any issues that arose. As expected, there were a few problems that we had to overcome, the first being lack of ticket sales. Unfortunately, when the event was drawing closer, we were not on as many sales as we were expecting, however we were not going to let this stop us, so we contacted the venue and decided to use their garden area as our venue, which held half the amount of people, and therefore decreased our spend obligations. This turned out to be such a good decision, it made the event a lot more personal and enabled us to reach the new minimum bar spend. When completing the ordering there was an issue that we missed, meaning that we did not have enough bingo tickets for all the attendees. To resolve this, myself and my colleague had to run to the centre of Derby searching for tickets, with only 15 minutes until the event started and the shops closed, luckily, we managed to find some and get them back in time, but I have now learnt to double check orders before they are sent off and ensure all products are accounted for before the event.
If I were to plan this event again, I would first start the planning process further in advance to reduce the overlap of tasks that needed to be completed. This would also therefore open more venue options, such as using a smaller venue, or planning the event initially in the smaller garden area. I would also ensure that all orders are double checked, and stock is counted before the day of the event. Another improvement that could be made would be to set a theme, this would then enable more specific advertisements, a clearer vision for attendees and would get people discussing the event more.
Skills
After learning so much from all the events I have had a role in, I decided to use Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle (1974) for each of the skills to ensure I can use this knowledge to improve the planning and outcomes of this event. Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle has four areas that progress over and over, these areas are Concrete Experience, Reflective Observation, Abstract Conceptualisation and Active Experimentation (as cited in McLeod, 2017).
Event Design.
Concrete Experience- CBI Event
Manager Shadowing; worked within a team
to create the table design and amended the
seating plan where needed.
Reflective Observation- This was my first business event, so I had a lot to learn from the team, I had never considered the affect of the way guests faced in a room before, however this does connect with stakeholder partnerships at events that I have learnt about at university.
Abstract Conceptualisation- When working with sponsors, or different ticket packages it is important to design the event layout in accordance with this.
Active Experimentation- Bonkers Bingo had three ticket packages available, meaning this needed to be considered when designing the floor plan. We made sure that the more expensive tickets got the better seats, they were both comfier and had a better view of
the main area. From feedback gathered at the
event this had a positive affect on those
attendees who paid more for their tickets
as they were likely to return and pay
the same amount for
another event.
Setting and monitoring
group and individual tasks.
Concrete Experience- Event and Kit
Secretary- Spookabout; I was responsible
for monitoring all the tasks that the dance
team needed to complete, as well as completing
my own tasks.
Reflective Observation- I found it difficult to keep track of the tasks each person needed to complete and whether it had been done.
Abstract Conceptualisation- To ensure no tasks get forgotten about it is important to make a note of what needs to be done, by when and who needed to complete it. Using a project management tool such as a gantt chart would be useful, as it can be shared with the whole team, and it enables who ever is in charge to have a quick overview of all the tasks.
Active Experimentation- A gantt chart was one of the first aspects that was completed for the Bonkers Bingo event. We used it to organise a list of tasks that needed to be completed, which then enabled us to develop a timeline of events that could be seen by
all team members to ensure we all kept on track.
It was definitely a very useful tool to have,
and if I were to develop it further,
I would include who needs to complete
each task, and a column to indicate
how complete it is.
Health and Safety.
Concrete Experience- Event and Kit
Secretary- Spookabout; created a risk
assessment for the event, considered the risk
and likelihood and how to prevent the incidents occurring.
Reflective Observation- It was good that I was
thorough in the risk assessment and that this was communicated with the staff at the venue, as it was a drinking event and the risk assessment ensured that there were security guards in the case that anything did occur.
Abstract Conceptualisation- Completing a second likelihood and risk section after the extra precautions are added will enable us to discuss whether the risk is still too high to continue, or if anything else can be changed to accommodate this risk.
Active Experimentation- When completing the risk assessment for Bonkers Bingo we made sure to consider the likelihood and risk factors after the extra precautions to discover whether the risk needed
to be managed in another way. We ended up
having a security guard for the event in
the case of an incident, and any issues that
arose with customers not linked to our
event were also delt
with by him.
Event Shutdown.
Concrete Experience- Logistics
and Supply Chain conference; the event
shutdown included taking down signage and
disposing of them properly. We also had to
communicate with both the estates and catering teams
to organise their roles in the shutdown, and when this would take place.
Reflective Observation- Since this event I have learnt a lot more about what an event shut down entails, and I now understand why communicating with suppliers after the event is just as important as before. Contacting the estates and catering teams was a good introduction to communicating with other suppliers in the future as I learnt what areas needed to be covered when speaking with them.
Abstract Conceptualisation- Communicating with suppliers after the event isn’t necessarily something that I would have thought of before having this experience, but I now understand that it is important to keep a good relationship and a small thank you can go a long way in building a reputation.
Active Experimentation- When planning Bonkers
Bingo, the event shutdown was an area we made
sure to focus on. We created a plan with
tasks that needed to be completed and by
who, and I believe that this will
establish a positive view
of our team.
Measuring customer
satisfaction.
Concrete Experience- Pizza Express
Waitress; we use a service called ‘How did
we dough?’ at Pizza Express to collect feedback,
we mention it to customers and there are details
of it on every receipt.
Reflective Observation- When ever I ask customers to leave feedback there are two aspects that seem to get them interested, these being, the offer of free food/ winning a prize and the name of the service that we use, this name ensures that customers remember what website to visit. I also see that when I discuss the feedback service with a customer, they are more likely to make a comment than if I am just to leave the receipt with the details on the table.
Abstract Conceptualisation- From my experience a feedback service must catch a customer’s attention, and they will not just do it off their own backs, you must explain it to them or there must be an incentive.
Active Experimentation- When planning Bonkers Bingo feedback was very carefully considered and designed, with our experiences in mind. We developed the idea of making the feedback more interesting and personal to the event, by having the attendees use their bingo dabbers to answer a set of questions. We also made
sure to mention the feedback in the breaks
from games to give all attendees a chance
to fill in the forms. These ideas worked
as we got almost all the responses
back by the end of the
event.
