Fashion shows
Events, functions and fundraising activities
Fashion shows are a great opportunity for your club to gather together members of your community, to showcase your local clothing stores/boutiques and to gain revenue in a number of different ways. Clubs can showcase the latest fashions to a ticketed crowd, hold raffles and set up accessory stalls for merchandise and other product sales, all with a view to generating income for the club.
This event will require a high quality MC. Scripting the parade and promoting the sales of the day is a crucial part of making the event fun, engaging and to raise revenue.
This is an event that requires a large amount of Volunteer time including for catering, setup, serving, modelling and running raffles.
The revenue opportunities that can come from this event when combined with sponsorship agreements can be substantial and only limited by your imagination. You club could look to raise up to $5,000 – $10,000?
Why a Fashion Show?
A fashion show is great for clubs who have an audience that likes fashion and likes to shop. It can also be easily held in conjunction with other fundraising ideas such as raffles and auctions.
While this fundraiser does call on your club community to donate it also offers the opportunity for your club to gain sponsors. One of the benefits of a fashion show is that your audience spending money on the day receive good for their fundraising dollars. Your members and community might also look to invite friends and family along for the show which helps maximise the money your club can raise.
When should I hold this fundraiser?
A fashion show can be held at anytime during the year but linking it to a change in season (for fashion) is a great idea as people will often be looking to update or refresh their wardrobe.
Key Activities
These are the tasks you will need to consider assigning to volunteers at your club:
Before the Day
- Decide a date for the fashion show.
- Promote the fundraiser.
- Organise the venue and runway.
- Organise ticketing arrangements.
- Organise volunteers to help.
- Book an MC or organise a microphone and sound system.
- Organise any food and beverages that will be for sale.
- Organise any raffles or auctions that might run at the same time.
- Source fashion businesses who would like to showcase their products.
- Organise models for the show.
- Sell tickets.
On the Day
- Ensure the room, runway and microphone are set up and ready to go.
- Brief Volunteers of their roles.
- Enjoy the show!
- Monitor the event.
- Take lots of photos.
After the day
- Publicly thank everyone involved
- Announce the amount of money raised in club newsletters, on social media, website and around the club.
Who can help?
It is important to engage your members to help in the running of your fundraiser.
For a fashion show you could approach them to help:
- Promote and sell the tickets
- Source businesses to showcase their products
- Be models for the runway show
- Help logistically on the day
You could also approach current club Sponsors for any prizes you plan to use.
Recruiting your people
It is important to create a culture of volunteering at your club to help not only with fundraising but also across the day to day running of your club. For more on how to create this at your club, click here.
Using technology to making it easier
You may like to consider using technology to reduce the workload on your volunteers and increase your fundraising dollars. For an event like this, you may like to sell tickets using a platform like TryBooking.
TryBooking lets you sell tickets, take payments and donations for events online.
This takes care of a great deal of the work that is usually left to volunteers and automates the ticket selling process.
You can set up and customise your own event page and a unique URL in minutes. This lets you easily share the event online and engage members and supporters. Your club may also like to use social media, email newsletters and your club website to promote the event.
Financial Considerations
This event can be heavy on upfront expenses but keep in mind that well-run and attended fashion parade could recoup anywhere between $500 – $10,000 for a club.
Three main ways your club can look to raise funds are:
- Charging a price for entry into the event. This could include finger food and a glass of bubbly.
- Charging boutiques and businesses to be part of the fashion show. Providing up to 150 keen shoppers at the event to spend money is a very attractive opportunity that many will pay money to be part of.
- Asking for businesses to donate a percentage of sales from the night.
Upfront costs of the venue, stage setting, runways, change facilities and seating may already be available in your club otherwise these will need to be hired. An experienced and strong MC is also a must to run the event to ensure it’s success.
The more costs your club can cover the greater the profit to the club. Asking Volunteers to help in the planning, setup, food and drink sales, raffles, backstage help, modelling, supplier and sponsor management are needed if costs are to be kept to a minimum.
Promotion
Club fashion shows are best promoted using:
- Club website
- Newsletter
- Noticeboard
- Signs around the club (especially the canteen)
- Blackboards
- Club Facebook and Twitter.
It is a great idea to encourage your club community to bring their friends for a fun night out! The more people that attend the greater the opportunity to raise even more fundraising dollars for your club.
This is an event that can be bigger than just a club event. If this is your goal it is important to promote community wide, not just to club members. It is a great idea to enlist the help of your local radio and newspaper to provide a community announcement promoting your fashion show event.
You can also ask someone at your club to produce a flyer that can be printed and copies left in community centres like shops and schools.
Communication considerations
As a fashion show may also double as a social event at your club, you can use social media to build excitement. You can use social media to sell tickets and countdown to the day. You can also live stream parts of the event on the day so that those in your community that can’t attend can still be part of the event.
Social, Moral and Ethical Considerations
Supply of Alcohol
As this event could include alcohol it is important to consider whether there will be limits or restrictions set in advance. Clubs need to consider how they will manage the risks of binge drinking as well as the Responsible Service of Alcohol.
What can go wrong? (Risk Management)
Financial Risks
There are obvious financial risks if enough tickets aren’t sold and set up costs more than is made.
Participant Safety
The health and wellbeing of those who attend your event should be a focus at all times. It is important that your club takes time to consider all possible risks and how to minimise these.
Licenses and Permits
Food handling and service laws need to be considered. Liquor licencing and RSA requirements for serving drinks also need to be adhered to. If in doubt, check with the liquor licensing and food safety authority in your state or territory. Your club should also consider security to promote legal and responsible drinking.
Clubs need to check with their state or territory regulatory body to make sure they have all the required permissions to run an fashion show.
It is also important to contact your insurance company to ensure your public liability insurance policies cover the event.
Additional Factors to consider
Allergies
When catering food ensure you cater for those with allergies and these are clearly labeled. Allergies can be life threatening and need to be considered seriously.
Additional Revenue Opportunities
A fashion show provides an opportunity to run a raffle or silent auction to help build your club’s fundraising dollars. Clubs may consider an entry-fee participation fashion parade or a best-dressed competition if the event is themed. However it is important not to take away from the show by overdoing it on the extra fundraising activities.
Suppliers/Links
Any specific suppliers or links for this particular fundraiser. Could be used for 3rd party advertising in the future.
Disclaimer
This procedure should be treated as a guide only. Your club should seek advice specific to the needs of your club and event. Seek further details from authorities and service providers; especially in regards to insurance, licences, permits, spectator and participant safety.