When my cousin got married, she decided she’d have a small intimate wedding and follow up a few weeks later with a larger reception. My uncle said it was great because he got to pay for two different weddings. Okay, he is very sarcastic, and it was less than ideal for him (but my cousin was so happy and got to wear her dress twice, plus she is still married with a beautiful family).
As you consider planning a Hybrid Gala, you might be feeling like my uncle. Oh, YAY! Now we get to pay for 2 events!
Well, I have some good news and bad news for you.
The Bad News is that your expenses will go up a little bit depending on HOW you approach your Hybrid event.
The Good News is that you are opening up your event to new donors and ways to bring in revenue for your event.
Here is how you will make money at your Hybrid Event
Ticket Sales
Unlike the strictly virtual events we experienced throughout 2020, you can start charging ticket prices. Because the events will be more exclusive, you might even want to raise the ticket prices a bit. If you’re not sure how to price your tickets, make sure you check out this post. They Virtual portion of your event can still be free, which will open you up to new donors.
Sponsorships
You get to involve sponsors in your event, and with your Hybrid event you can offer them MORE opportunities for exposure. There are so many ways to engage them, and if you are not sure what levels should include what perks for your donors, I have this sponsorship guide below for you. Previously this has only been available to the students in my DIY Virtual Gala Course, but I know it will help you so I’m going to give it to you for free. This will break down different sponsorship levels and include recommended offerings for each level. You can copy this directly or add to it add to it as needed based on what your organization ha to offer.
Silent Auction
Did you know that in 2020 silent auction items were consistently selling at 150% retail value with my clients. This is a huge increase in what the average was at live in-person events just a few years ago (60% retail value). Why did this happen? With virtual events, more people were able to attend and bid which quickly drove up the auction prices. The mobile bidding technology made it so easy to automate those bids and the push notifications made sure they didn’t miss out on the things they wanted. As we move into hybrid events, I recommend keeping the silent auction open to both the live audience and virtual audience and open the auction about 3-5 days prior to the event to create hype.
Live Auction
One thing that did not do well with virtual galas was the Live Auction. Those large ticket items that normally go far above and beyond retail value were selling for value could not gain the momentum they normally do in a live crowd. Partially because during most of 2020 people were hesitant to bid on travel or group experiences when they didn’t know if they could use them, but also because there is no perfect way to reproduce that energy in a live event. So the exciting thing about Hybrid events is that we’re anticipating seeing the silent auction items stay high due to the broader audience reach while the Live Auction revenue will be increasing again. Make sure you check out this post to see what 5 auction items you should be having on your Live Auction
Fund-A-Need (Open Donations)
This is likely going to be your largest revenue generator of the night. This is the moment your event is working towards. Your whole program should crescendo to this moment. The speakers you choose. The stories you tell. All your pre-event marketing materials will be designed to set this moment up for success. In the live portion of your Hybrid Event, you can go back to a traditional paddle raise OR opt to have your live audience enter their bids through their mobile device with the at-home audience. My preference is the traditional paddle raise with a live audience because it creates an unbeatable energy and holds donors accountable and allows for public recognition among their peers. While the live audience is raising your paddles, your auctioneer can also recognize donors who are giving from the comfort of their homes.
Revenue Generating Activities
Now that we’re going back to in-person events, we can bring back in-person activities like the Wine Pull, Raffles (check your local laws about how to integrate these with the at home audience), Golden Ticket, Heads & Tails and other games and activities that will boost revenue at your in-person event. With the smaller head count, I recommend picking one or two activities rather than stacking the night with games. Remember, we want most of the focus to build up to your fund-a-need.
In summary
You’ll have lots of great ways to bring in revenue at your event, and when you add the virtual option to your in-person event it opens up your event to new donors or out-of-towners who attend and are able to give.
