Planning Your Chicago Prom Event

As the spring semester of high school resumes in Chicago, many students begin to have prom on their minds.  Prom committees have usually formed at this point and a lot of the necessary steps to plan the event have already taken place.  Planning a Chicago prom can be quite a task and can often go unrecognized and unrewarded.  Often times if the prom dance is a flop the members of the committee will take a lot of the heat.  So to help avoid some of those unnecessary negative comments we’ve created a step by step guide to help aid you in the planning of your Chicago Prom.

So where do we begin?  When is the right time to start thinking prom?  The correct answer would one year prior to the date. There are several things that will need to be taken care of that time.  Listed below are a few steps you’ll want to take one year prior to your Chicago Prom event……

• Choose prom committee members and create sub-committees.  Without the prom committee there would be no prom, so having the right leaders on the committee can often make or break your event.  Your Chicago Prom committee should be made up of advisors and various student volunteers.
• Set a realistic budget.  Creating a realistic budget is a very important step in planning a prom.  You’ll want to begin by collecting the most detailed information on how much each element will cost.  This will give you a good idea for how much to budget for.  You’ll then want to take things into account like how much money will be coming from fundraising and from sponsors.   From there you can then determine how many tickets you’ll need to sell to break even for the event.
• Set the date.  Setting a date for your event can be very difficult.  You’ll want to take things into account like holidays, school activities, sporting events, and even neighboring school’s prom dates.  You’ll want to choose a date that coincides with all of those things.  Nine times out of ten you probably you won’t be able to please everyone with the selected date. 
• Choose you location/venue.  You’ve successfully created a budget and selected a date now it’s time to book a venue.  When choosing a venue you’ll want to find a facility that will be able to hold your crowd comfortably.  You’ll also want to look into food and catering options at those venues.  If you’re planning on having entertainment and dancing, will the venue be able to accommodate those needs?  As you search for venues you’ll notice a lot of reception halls prefer not to host school proms on Saturday evenings because they can conflict with their high priority wedding dates.  Make sure you confirm your venue early as the longer you wait the harder it’ll be to settle on the right place.

After you’ve done all the steps above you’re well on your way to creating a successful Chicago prom, you can now relax and have the next couple months off before the next batch of planning begins.  Around 8 months before your prom you’ll want to pick up with the committee meetings again and begin the next stages.

• Choose a theme.  Choosing a prom theme often can be one of the most important decisions your prom committee will make.  Choosing the right theme can make your prom stand out from others in the past and can be that key component in creating a memorable night.  When choosing a theme you’ll want to think of the mood you’d like to portray that night.  You’ll want to take into consideration whether you’d like to portray a fun mood, romantic mood, or even a mysterious mood.  A good Chicago prom theme should revolve around an innovative title, unique decorations, and a treasured song.  This is when you’ll want a lot of input from your committee members.
• Discuss fundraising opportunities.   Fundraising is very important in planning a Chicago prom and should never be overlooked.  After adding up the total expenses and dividing it by the number of students attending the event the cost per ticket can many times be rather expensive.  Students are usually aware that prom isn’t cheap so fundraisers are often appreciated.  There are hundreds of fundraising ideas available on the internet and you should utilized them when planning your event.
• Book your Disc Jockey.  This is another crucial and overlooked step that many don’t spend a lot of time on.  The success of your event a lot of times rides on the music that’s to be played and the DJ that’s playing it.  There are hundreds of Chicago DJ companies and only a handful of good ones.  Make sure you spend some time when selecting your entertainment.  Prices can vary greatly; most Chicago Prom DJs are priced around $1,000 and go up from there.  You’ll want to hire an experienced disc jockey that specializes in prom entertainment, not just your average wedding DJ.
• Begin discussing decoration ideas.   Now is the time when you’ll want to start talking decorations.  You’ll want to choose decorations that revolve around your theme for the evening.  As you plan for you Chicago Prom you’ll be surprised as to all the decorations available out there.  You can always buy pre-assembled decorations, but they’ll cost you.  Talk with your committee members and see what they can come up with on their own.  This can help save on the decoration costs.  A lot of schools in Chicago have actually cut back on their decorations and have invested their money into the dinner and the entertainment.  This may be an route you’d like to take.

You’ve now completed most of the important steps towards planning your Chicago Prom.  We recommend waiting about 2 or 3 months prior to your prom before you begin with the next steps. 

• Order invitations, programs, party items, and tickets.  Now is the time when you’ll want to send out for these important items.  It can sometimes take a few weeks to get things printed so be sure to get your final work to the printers before it’s too late.  You’ll also want to order your royalty party items like crowns, sashes, tiaras, and etc.
• Begin your advertising campaign.   You’ll want to start hyping the excitement of your Chicago prom.  You may want to consider hanging posters, placing ads in the school newspapers, hand our flyers, and/or even run commercials on your student radio station.
• Book a photographer.  At this time you’ll want to finalize your photographer.  You’ll want to decide how pictures will be taken that night and where in the venue will they run their operation.  Often times schools will use their yearbook photographers for the miscellaneous photos and then hire another professional photographer for portraits.  You’ll want to consider several options with your prom committee.

The time has finally arrived and it’s now 2 weeks prior to your event.  It’s crunch time and there are a few other details that’ll need to be taken care of….

• Send out your invitations and start selling your tickets.  Choose a central location in your school to setup a ticket sales booth.  Make sure the kids are aware of this location.  You may want to sell tickets at normal prices for the first week and then raise the price as the event draws nearer.  This will encourage immediate ticket sales and will prevent students from holding off until the last day to purchase their tickets.
• Confirm your vendors.  Now is the time when you should finalize all the details with your venue, DJ, caterer, and photographer.  You’ll want to make sure everyone’s timeline is laid out the same and there aren’t any conflicting schedules.  You’ll also want to confirm your theme song with your Chicago Prom DJ.  Don’t forget to call your chaperones as too!
• Setup a schedule for decorating your venue.  You’ll want to assign committee members the task of decorating the venue.  Make sure you confirm times with the venue and they are ok with you hanging decorations.  You’ll want to take time and read through any instructions kits that came with your decorations.  Make sure all the pieces are included in your kits and figure out the estimated time it’ll take to set them all up.
• Hold nominations for prom court.  This job usually falls under your job description as well.  You’ll want to decide how nominations will be made and who will conduct them at the event.

After you’ve completed the above steps you should be well on your way to create a successful Chicago Prom.  As you can see a lot of work and time goes into planning a big event like this.  When it’s all said in done though, the students you work with will remember this night for the rest of their lives.

About the Author

Stevie Dee is Owner and General Manager for Operation Getdown DJs. His team provides DJs and lighting for Chicago wedding receptions. Visit the following links for more info check out Chicago DJ Blogor Chicago Prom DJs.

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