The Gala Guide

Organizing a gala is an excellent way to raise funds for a good cause. You can draw on the movers and shakers of your local community to get behind a charity you support. They will enjoy a night of fine music, fine dining and fine entertainment while you get positive exposure for your cause.

It takes plenty of preparation to put together a gala that will be the talk of the town. Here are a few things you can do to make your gala go off without a hitch:

Promote it

The best way to get as many people involved as possible is to spare no effort in promoting a gala. Send press releases to the local media announcing the gala. Line up interviews with local TV stations to get stories done on it. The more people know about your gala, the better your chances are at having a high turnout.

Recruit Reliable Volunteers

Event planning is much easier when you have an army of volunteers who can get even the smallest details right. You need people who can do everything from marketing the event to planning entertainment to securing the right gala venues. This will keep important details from being ignored or forgotten until the last minute.

Book Good Entertainment

The right music creates a fun atmosphere for your gala. Hire a live band to provide songs that will set a festive mood for the entire night. Many bands will love the chance to be connected with a good cause while promoting their music. And your guests will have a enjoyable experience if there is plenty of good music to dance to all night long.

Use Social Media

Generate buzz for your gala by advertising it through social media channels. You can set up a Facebook page for the event and have attendees RSVP to the gala page. You can also create custom hashtags for the event on Twitter to let everyone talk about it before and after the gala.

Serve Good Food

The best way to a person's wallet is through their stomach. Serving a high quality meal is a sure ticket to creating a venue filled with happy and generous guests.

Step by Step Guide to Packing the House

Planning an event can make you feel like a professional juggler. You find yourself juggling all sorts of details from reserving the right venue to lining up entertainment. It  is not simply enough to plan out the event. You also need to do all the right things to promote it.

Putting time and energy into event promotions is necessary to generate buzz. You know you have done your job right when the event sells out. Your path to increasing ticket sales to sellout levels starts with incorporating these marketing strategies:

1. Create Media Partnerships

One effective way to garner immediate attention is to partner up with a prominent magazine or website that falls within a niche relevant to the event. Offer free tickets they can give away to their readers in exchange for promoting your event. It will earn your event instant credibility with their audience if they get involved.

2. Offer Early Bird Specials

Reward people who buy tickets to your event in advance. Structure ticket packages so that advance purchases can be made at a discount. That will bring a nice boost to selling tickets ahead of the event because people are always searching for good deals.

3. Advertise on Social Media

Use Facebook ad campaign and LinkedIn ad campaigns to promote the event to people within your industry. Create targeted ads for these social media channels that link directly to the event registration page. Keep your pages on these sites updated with information related to the event. You can also create a hashtag for Twitter that includes the event name and post tweets about the upcoming event with that hastag.

4. Promote Fun Features

Will a famous celebrity be headlining your event? Get the word out. Promote the entertainment you will be featuring at the event. Whether it is a famous athlete or a popular musician, good entertainment makes it easier selling tickets and creating a positive buzz.

5. Give Away Prizes

People love getting free swag. That's a fact of life. You can make your event a hit simply by offering tons of free swag to people who show up. Leverage sponsorships and partnerships to give away prizes and free goodies at your event.

Tasting Event in Miami

During November 8, 9, and 10, Soho Studios will host a tasting event in Miami where fine crafted spirits and beers will be available to taste, while having the opportunity to educate and enjoy the fine art of how these drinks came to be. Jennifer Massolo is the founder of The Liquid Projects and is the former executive director of the Miami International Wine Fair. If your interested in attending the best tasting event in Miami then click here to purchase tickets. Tickets start as low as $25. There's also the opportunity in tasting the finest American Craft Whisky and Dinner with host Chuck Cowdery. Don't hesitate, book now for the ultimate tasting event in Miami.

Jennifer has explored the world of craft spirits and will bring what she has learned to Miami through a rare and common selection of drinks during this tasting event in Miami. Jennifer has a hope of bringing women together with a desire to educate and empower them so they have a better understanding of where, how and why these craft drinks are made. This tasting event in Miami should not be missed!

Interviewed on Comcast News Makers, Jennifer explains the importance of tasting white wines and wines that she would like to introduce to people that are different from the rest.

You may ask why women? Jennifer explains;

"Historically, the world of making and appreciating spirits, especially darker spirits - whisky, rum, brandy etc. - has been populated by men. That is changing, as more and more, women are sharing that same appreciation, not only due to our refined palates, but also because we are interested in a unique and sophisticated experience. Craft spirits are increasingly present in our restaurant experiences, our shopping choices and in the many unique cocktail bars we like to visit. It's hard to know what's what sometimes. Why craft spirits? Let's consider the farm-to-table food movement we have watched grow over the past decade. Why is it so appealing? It's appealing because we care about taste, supporting the smaller producer and the quality of what we put in our bodies. There are passionate individuals involved and traditional methods practiced at the core of craft spirits. That's worth supporting!"

Want to find out more information then check out regularly for updates. You can also keep in touch with Jennifer's updates through her Spirited Sirens Blog.

If you are interested in becoming sponsor or want to contact Jennifer for the tasting event in Miami you can email info@craftspiritsandbeer.com

Life and Death WMC Event in Miami

 

On Friday March 22nd, Life and Death will be transporting their crew alongside a curated list of impressive guest artists to create their own take on the classic Miami showcase. Alongside partners PL0T & The Electric Pickle, the Life and Death crew will be once again bringing the heat to Miami as they transform a beautiful all new space (The Electric Pickle Pop-Up Factory) to the same high standards that they have been holding themselves to since their very auspicious beginnings.

With both outdoor and indoor areas accompanied by a custom light and sound setup and some premier live performances alongside some of the best DJs currently traversing the musical edge of the underground, this event will surely be one not to be missed. Expect once again an emotional journey that will deliver the goods and more, as well as a few special surprises along the way.

Last year's showcase (as well as the more recent Art Basel showcase) were just the beginning, come join in as Life and Death once again raises the bar. Together, let's have an adventure…

To buy tickets click here

Featured Artisits are;

Tale of Us WMC EXCLUSIVE EXTENDED 3 HR SET Clockwork No Regular Play Thugfucker Dj Tennis Mano Le Tough Midland Miami Debut !!! The/Das EXCLUSIVE Miami / USA Debut !!! Job Jobse EXCLUSIVE Miami / USA Debut Alejandro Sab

What every event website should have

Promoting your event online takes more than just a Facebook page. Each event should have its own website and what it includes can be critical in the success of your event. If you are into event planning, knowing what should be included can empower you.

Ease of Use

Keep all of the important information upfront and visible. If your event is more complicated break it down into segments with easy to read click-thru buttons.

Sell the Location and Atmosphere

Each venue has its own style and assets. If you’ve chosen your venue properly, you’ll want to explain the benefits of it to your potential attendees. Include information about the location, atmosphere, parking, and acoustics. Selling the atmosphere can be a big plus that some event websites don’t take full advantage of.

Online Ticket Sales

Security issues can make selling tickets online more complicated that it may at first seem. That’s why dealing with an off-site vendor like TicketWeb is a great option. TicketWeb is a safe, easy way for promoters to offer online ticket sales to potential customers easily.

Videos

Video is becoming the most popular way to sell on the internet. It is also a great way to show attendees what they can expect. Keep in mind YouTube is a powerful search engine, and videos placed on YouTube and shown on your site can gain you valuable viewers.

Social Media

WordPress has an easy to use plug-ins that can help you spread the word through social media. These including Twitter, Google Plus, and Facebook. Winter Music Conference swears by social media when promoting their events, as has been said in past WMC panel discussions.

Valuable Event Plug-Ins

Other valuable plug-ins available for websites include:

For contact forms Gravity forms has a nice plug-in.

If your event includes speakers, TopQuark has an efficient way to get them listed on one web page, including a link to their bios and other info.

Want to live chat with site visitors while getting real time stats on where they are coming from? Check out Woopra.

At Soho Studios our experience in marketing events on the web can be an asset for you. We are pleased to help you in any way we can in making your event a success.

Winter Party Festival

The Winter Party Festival offers party goers the opportunity to dance with thousands of other people from around the world. It is considered one of the hottest winter parties in the world and eagerly anticipated by those who enjoy Miami’s nightlife each year.

The Winter Party Festival is designed to benefit the National Gay and Lesbian Task force as well as local Miami non-profit organizations that are dedicated to serving the LGBT community. This year the festivities will last six exciting and action filled days from March 6 to 11, 2013. Those who enjoy supporting these causes find this a fantastic way to have fun while helping these organizations.

Guests have the option of purchasing one of a variety of passes and tickets allowing them access to several of the anticipated events. There are seven categories of passes, which allow party goers access to several of the events. The Climax Pass offers access to three events for $170, the New Generation 21-25 Pass also offers access to three events for $125, the Women’s Pass gives access to four events for $80, the Florida Resident Pass has access to three events for $150, the Gold Pass has access to 5 events for $275, the Platinum Pass offers access to seven events for $375, and the Titanium VIP pass has access to 9 events for $595. Interested participants can also buy tickets for individual events such as various dance parties, pool parties, brunches, and other opportunities. The event organizers even have a variety of special offers such as VIP and private party tents, shuttle rides, and exclusive access passes for sale. All tickets and passes are available for pick up at the Shelborne South Beach Hotel, located at 1801 Collins Avenue. Starting on Sunday March 10, Will Call will be moved to the entrance of the Beach Party, located at Lummus Park, which is near 12th Street.

Those who support the LGBT causes will find few more exciting ways to do so than by attending the Winter Party Festival. It is a fantastic way to beat the winter blues and enjoy some time in the sun for residents and tourists alike.

How to increase ticket sales for events

If you want to maximize ticket sales for your next event, start by choosing a venue that is known for staging events that are similar to yours. It is also important to pick a venue that has a great reputation for putting on sizzling events send a statement, right at the outset, that yours is a must attend event.

Once your event is set, intelligent marketing can push sales of tickets, while keeping your promotional costs to a minimum.

Social media, email blasts, Google AdWords, contests, press releases, ticket barters, submission to online event calendars and more are all inexpensive ways to move tickets.

Using Google AdWords

Everyone has, at one time or another, used Google to search for something. Using Google AdWords can be of enormous help if you use the keywords correctly and target properly. This laser pointed marketing can help ticket sales soar.

Social Media

Get people talking about your event with an event page on Facebook. Enlist the help of everyone involved with the event. They probably have pages and a long list of friends already, and this is a great inexpensive way to start a fire. Word-of-mouth can be one of the best tools to insure that people will show up to your event, and Facebook is a great word-of-mouth tool.

Contests

Holding a contest that people can enter to win free tickets is a great way to get a lot of people involved and word out about your event. You can combine social media and contests to create a buzz about your event. Consider creating a VIP package that can only be won through your contest, perhaps including limo service and dinner.

E-mail Blasts

Almost everyone has an e-mail. Most companies create an e-mail list that they have accumulated through the years. This could potentially be a gold mine of prospective attendees. You may consider offering email members a discount to encourage quick action and set an “order by” date.

Press Release

Create a news-worthy press release detailing your event and distribute it to area media and websites whose readers would have an interest in your event. Any exposure in the media can be valuable.

All of these sources can boost sales of tickets and income. There are affordable resources available for the promotion of your event. Get a team together and get working on your own creative ideas as well.