Posts tagged Planning

Step 1 – Establish a Budget

Casino Party Budgets range from $25. to $100. per person, depending on location, food and beverage, and décor. Food will often comprise 40% of the budget, with 40% allocated to the Casino Vendor, and the additional 20% allocated to facility rental, entertainment, prizes, and decorations. These amounts will vary depending on your organization’s preferences.

Step 2 – Vendor Selection

This first step is critical to the success of your event. You want to make sure your casino party vendor carries professional looking equipment and not just table toppers (laydowns that sit on top of a banquet table). In addition, the vendor should have at least 8 – 10 years experience and should own their equipment. Many agencies and event companies misrepresent the fact that they own their equipment, when they just subcontract to a casino rental company. Some agencies have been known to double the rental fee when they subcontract. There are many newcomers to the industry that just imitate their competitors, and don’t have the experience to run a proper event. Also, a qualified vendor will be able to give advice on table and prize selection. Some vendors will give a few choices in renting the equipment, such as full service (providing everything, including the dealers), limited service (providing the tables and a Pit Boss, and they would train your volunteer dealers), and table rental only.

Step 3 – Date & Time Selection

The date of your event may be determined on the facility and vendor availability. Often this step is planned months in advance, especially if it’s a popular time of the year (such as the first two weeks in December). Fundraising event planners should check the local social calendar, to see that there are no major conflicts. Most casino parties will last for about four hours, with about 3 hours of actual gambling time and the rest for food serving, cashing out at the end of the night, and prize giveaways.

Step 4 – Location Selection

The location you select should be easily accessible to your attendees. The facility should also be able to accommodate the casino tables, food and beverage, entertainment and your attendees comfortably. Some facilities, such as hotels, will not allow you to bring in outside food vendors.

Step 5 – Table Selection

The number of tables you select should be based on the number of attendees expected. Most casino planners expect 75% of guests playing at any given time. The other 25% will be either watching, eating, enjoying the entertainment, or schmoozing. Your casino vendor will be able to make a recommendation on the types of tables needed for your sized event.

Step 6 – Theme Selection

While it’s not necessary to have a theme, it does create excitement about your event.

Here are some of the most popular casino themes:

Mardi Gras Theme

Riverboat Gambler Theme

Disco Party Theme

Wild Wild West Theme

1920’s Speakeasy Theme

Caribbean Theme

Arabian Nights Theme

Camelot Party Theme

Hollywood Stars Theme

Sci-Fi Party Theme

Roman Theme

Southern Plantation Theme

Casablanca Party Theme

When you’ve decided on the theme for your casino party it’s time to get creative. Invitations, decorations, costumes, food, party favors, and entertainment should all fit the theme chosen. Even the play money handed out to guests should match the theme of your event.

Step 7 – Food/Beverage Selection

Most often, the food at casino parties is served buffet style. Some events will have a sit-down dinner, and then move to the casino party area. Space is often a consideration when planning the food and beverage selections. You need to plan for lines (sometimes long) at the buffet and bars. The bar may be either an open or a cash bar. Many events will supply one or two drink tickets to all attendees, and then have them pay for any additional drinks. Often, the casino vendor will be able to recommend a good caterer, if needed.

Step 8 – Entertainment

The most popular entertainers at casino parties include DJ’s, Magicians, Fortune Tellers, and Caricature Artists. A DJ, while not necessary, will be able to make any necessary announcements. Magicians will often be able to perform strolling magic, and demonstrate gambling sleights. Fortune Tellers are always a popular choice of entertainment. The Caricature Artist will provide a keepsake for your attendees.

Step 9 – Decorations/Party Favors/Invitation

A theme makes it easy to choose all of your decorations, party favors and invitations. A sit-down dinner will often have themed centerpieces, as will cocktail tables. Some events will have red, black and white balloon trees scattered about. Party stores will often carry a selection of these items.

Step 10 – Prizes/Giveaways

The number of prizes to be given away is often based on the number of attendees, in addition to the budget supplied. Often, many organizations may have donated prizes from their vendors or members. Many of your attendees will be very competitive at the gambling tables, competing for the best prizes. A nice Grand Prize will attract more attendees to your event. There are two ways that prizes are given away at casino parties – raffles and auctions. With the raffle method, typically, attendees are given one raffle ticket for a certain amount (such as $20,000.) in either chips or play money held by the gambler. For example, if a gambler has $100,000 in chips at the end of the night, they would receive 5 raffle tickets with the example above. The auction method would have the dealers add up the total amount won by each gambler, and then an auctioneer would then begin to “sell” the prizes.

Since 1985, Funtastic Events Inc. has been providing entertainment and putting on parties of all types of organizations. So, when you’re looking for a casino party idea, make your next event a Funtastic one!

http://www.funtastic-events.com/Casino-Parties.html

Casino night parties are among the most popular themed parties for adults. They allow for the use of your creative “juices” and for your imagination to run wild! Casino nights can be very elaborate, or quite simple depending on your available resources and budget. Should you decide on a large and elaborate affair, consider hiring a company to stage it. This article will focus on helping individuals plan and stage a successful casino night on their own.

The first consideration is where you will hold the party and how many guests you will invite. Your home bar area,(if you have one), is generally the best place. If you do not have a home bar area, a den or family room is just fine. The best possible scenario is if you own a gaming bar. These are beautiful pieces of furniture which also are equipped with gaming tools and accessories. Invite the number of guests that correlates with the games you want to play, and the space available. A good policy is to invite a few extra guests, as you know that some guests will not be able to attend. Be creative with your invitations. Party stores will have invitations geared toward casino nights. A cute idea is to place a poker chip inside the invitations to set the “mood.” It is perfectly appropriate to ask a few guests to bring extra poker chips and playing cards. As far as gaming tables or equipment, consult the Yellow Pages for companies that rent them.

It is always fun to pick a theme for your casino night. A popular theme would entail having male guests dress as “high rollers,” and female guests dressing as gaudily as possible. For the guys, suggest tuxedos or suits with shiny shoes. Top hats or mobster hats look cool on the guys, too. Have the ladies wear plenty of sequins and ornate costume jewelry. A really neat touch is to play “Viva Las Vegas,”( by Elvis,of course!), as your guests enter!

Find a few of your friends who have experience, and ask them to be dealers,etc. Make sure that you have plenty of volunteers, so you can rotate them. You want everyone to have a chance to have fun. Distribute an equal amount of play money to each guest. At the end of the evening, present a “gag” prize to the most successful gambler!

A couple of final tips. Food should be served buffet style. You might want to select music by popular Las Vegas performers, such as Elvis or Frank Sinatra. Hopefully these tips and suggestions have helped. A casino night party takes quite a bit of planning, but when planned properly, the results will help you become a “hit” with your friends!

Michael Hutchins is a highly successful business analyst and entrepreneur with 30 years of experience. His company, “Rapid Results Marketing” helps small businesses creates winning business strategies. Michael was recently awarded an industry “scholar” status with The Gerson Lehrman Group of N.Y.City, N.Y. For a free business evaluation, and to find out what makes Michael “tick”, GO HERE http://www.whoismikehutchinsllc.com