Planning a school ball can be a challenging task, especially if you’re still a high school student, busy with academics and exams as you near the end of your high school journey. Despite the challenge, it can be very fun and rewarding as the planning comes to an end and you see all your classmates enjoying such an excellent ball at Markovina Estate that you’ve helped put together. While your school and teachers will be there to guide you through the challenges you may face, it's also an excellent opportunity to develop skills that will be highly useful as you near the end of adolescence and enter adulthood.
What are some things you should consider when planning your Auckland school ball at Markovina Estate in Kumeu?
Guest Numbers & Capacity for Your Auckland School Ball
Considering capacity planning is crucial when organising your school ball, as it requires estimating the number of people expected to attend. The last thing you want is to book and confirm a venue only to discover that your estimated numbers differ significantly from the confirmed numbers. There are a few things to think about when estimating guest numbers:
Previous years' school ball guest numbers
Size of your cohort
Your school’s plus one policy
How many people in your cohort are likely to bring a plus one
Your school ball’s date and any potential clashes
All of these factors should be taken into consideration to determine a suitable guest list range and used when evaluating how they will fit into your reception area and what table configuration is required
Choosing the Right Date & Time for Your School Ball
The date of your school ball is significant, as you want it to accommodate everyone who wants to attend. Working with your school and teachers to check out the school calendar is very useful. Consider when your exams and mocks are, as well as any school trips, sporting competitions, or other extracurricular activities and commitments that some of your peers may have. Then choose the date that ideally doesn’t clash with any of these.
Supervision & Alcohol-Free Policies for School Balls
These are policies that your school is likely to follow every year. Discussing this with them is essential, not just to understand how it will impact your planning of the school ball, but also to ensure effective communication to all students in attendance about the expectations.
Choosing a School Ball Theme and Decor
Every school ball needs a theme, and then decorations to match that theme and bring it to life. While the theming idea is entirely up to you, there are a few ways to find inspiration and decide on a final theme:
Social media
Googling ideas for inspiration
Polling & asking fellow peers
Student voting on a theme
Asking teachers for inspiration and ideas
Looking at previous school ball themes
Once you’ve got your theme, then it's time to decorate and consider how you will bring this theme to life. At Markovina Estate, you can explore and utilise any of the décor in our storage area to help bring your theme to life in a cost-effective way.
School Ball Vendors to Consider
Vendors are an essential part of your school ball and will bring it to life outside the venue. Two key vendors are necessary for your school ball:
Photographer
They will capture all the fun moments throughout your school ball, allowing everyone to look back and reminisce about the fun and funny moments that took place during the night, from silly group photos to interesting dance moves.
DJ
Another vital vendor that will bring the dance floor to life when it's dark.
Catering for Your School Ball, Including Dietary Requirements
Choosing your buffet menu for your school ball is one of the fun activities, but it’s essential to take into consideration dietary requirements that your peers may have. Therefore, it's important to ask students if they have any dietary needs when selling ball tickets. At Markovina Estate in Kumeu, Auckland, we can help with any of these nutritional requirements and will provide separate meals if necessary to meet these needs.
Event Flow & Run Sheet for Your Auckland School Ball
This is the order of events during your school ball, from arrival time to dinner, dessert, and party time. When planning your school ball with our team, we will work with you to create the perfect run sheet for your school's ball, taking into account your vision for how it should run.
Final Thoughts
Overall, enjoy planning your school ball. While it may present challenges and tricky decisions, at the end of the day, you and your peers will have a fantastic night, as you get the opportunity to dress up in suits and dresses and have a good time. If you are interested in booking your school ball at Markovina Estate, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team and book a private viewing of our Kumeu estate and see how we can make your dream school ball a reality.
