Winter ILD is firmly behind us, as is the one I organised
the week after the official date.
I know that there are lolitas out there who dream of being able to attend some
bigger events, but know that unless they do it, it won’t happen. Putting
together a bigger tea party can be quite scary, there’s a lot involved in doing
it, depending on how many extras you want to do. Now that my first tea party
(and one with a twist at that) is firmly behind me, I can offer some little
pearls of wisdom I picked up along the way. Hopefully these will help some of
you!
Build It and They Will Come
This is definitely the biggest lesson of them all. We have
these amazing, wonderful meet and tea party ideas that we keep in our heads.
But while fear of rejection is understandable, experience has shown me that
once you put it out there, there will be people excited and wanting to attend.
So don’t be afraid to put yourself forward and organise it. If you need help,
there will be someone available: a mod to aid you with the practical stuff, a
friend willing to set up with you, a comm member you’ve not met yet happy to
donate something to the raffle… Don’t let the size of the event daunt you or
put you off.
Do the Research
I am naturally the planning type, but with a bigger event
you need to get into that midset. For your own peace of mind, as well as for
the benefit of the event. Depending on what is it you want to do, there will be
different things you’ll have to consider. In my case, the research focused
namely on the workshop itself (finding someone to do it and for how much), the
food and venue (preferably a combo deal) and how much did past ILD events cost
in my comm (so I know what people might be willing to pay). But there were
loads of minor things to look into along the way, like checking with attendees
if they wanted any extras (raffle, Secret Santa gift exchange etc.) or health
and safety things (allergies, both food and to anything involved in perfume
making, protective clothing etc.).
Find a planning style that works for you. I do spreadsheets, but maybe oldschool pen and notebook works better for you? |
Accept the Maths
Most of the above will involve a great deal of calculating,
so if that’s not your forte, get friendly with a calculator and/or a
spreadsheet. At the same time, don’t be afraid to ask for discounts or deals
and be open about your budget. Because I asked and we met the number
requirement, we were able to get the workshop at a cheaper rate per person. And
when talking with hotel, I mentioned what my budget was and we negotiated a
compromise that fit the budget better (buffet-style afternoon tea spread
instead of a traditional tiered trays). This extends to being honest with your
participants about costs, e.g. if fewer attendees would mean a price increase,
let them know.
Start as Soon as Possible
Organising a bigger event takes time and the sooner you
start, the better. Venues can be popular, especially around December (both for Christmas
and wedding bookings), people might have other plans already and generally the
more last minute you get with event organising, the more expensive things get.
Also, sometimes it can take a while to meet your minimum numbers. Sometimes
people are forgetful, sometimes they have poor budgeting skills, sometimes
people need some convincing… There’s a whole range of reasons why people might
not put down their deposits straight away, so the more time you have, the more
flexible you’ll be in acting upon it (either drumming up more interest or
talking to the venue/participants about prices and actual numbers). In my case,
we were pretty slow in reaching that minimum number, but then interest spiked
and we ended up exceeding it with plenty of time before the final deadline. Trust
me, the more time you’ll give for everything, the less stressful it’ll be on
you. And as the host, while it’s understandable that you’ll be stressed, you
need to be as calm and composed as possible, no matter what’s happening behind
the scenes.
Get the big things out of the way asap, so you have more time to polish the little ones and the last minute ones. |
It’s Hard Work…
It’s rewarding work, nonetheless it is tiring to organise
something like an ILD tea party. Even if you partner up with someone and spread
the workload. Your job as an organiser is to make sure that what you promised
happens, that things go smoothly/to schedule and that everyone enjoys
themselves – which means you have less time, if any, to sit back and relax
yourself. Just on the day itself you’ll probably be up early, taking your stuff
to the venue, setting up, potentially meeting people elsewhere and herding them
to the venue, running the event and then clearing up anything that can’t be
left. That’s not including the months of keeping track of payments, making sure
everything is paid for, everything arrives/is bought (important if you do a
raffle) and keeping everyone updated as things happen (payment deadlines,
exciting announcements, housekeeping things etc.). That’s not including
anything unexpected you may need to deal with (someone’s dietary requirements not
being met despite giving notice is more common than you think). Expect to work
more and play less, and you’ll be able to prepare yourself better (personal tip:
wear something comfortable, set the next day aside to rest and make sure to eat
and drink yourself).
…But Still Fun
There’s something very contagious about seeing other people
enjoy an event you organised. It’s why people behind big events persevere and
continue to do it, despite whatever tired and stressed-out moans they may have
had in private. Even though you’ll be thinking of what needs to happen next or
when, try to find a moment to enjoy the fruits of your labour. Ask someone to
take your outfit photo in between things, have a chat with a friend during a
quieter moment, sit down and enjoy that cake. You’ve done a great job!
Would I organise another ILD again? Definitely! Probably not
as involved as this one though – just a simple tea party will be enough, I’ve
done my share of unusual activities for now. And I’d love to organise a Summer
ILD one day too, maybe even something bigger… that will have to wait though!
Glass Bottle of Gourmand has brewed for a good year and a half before
happening, so whatever idea might start in my head now needs time to develop.
And my body time to rest.
Thanks for sharing all of this! Honestly, this was really inspiring to read. There's meets I've been daydreaming about and now I'm thinking that maybe it wouldn't be so bad if I tried to make them happen myself...
ReplyDeleteYay, I'm glad you found it inspiring! The two meetups I organised that I was really passionate about (this and the fortune telling one back in November 2016) I was taken aback by how positiely everyone responded to them. You might be surprised how well it turns out. Maybe especially if your comm is not used to having bigger/more unusual meets :)
Delete