16 Ways to Throw a Hot Party AND Make Money
Throwing a party is about having fun. But what isn't fun is how much they cost: alcohol is not cheap. With a little foresight, however, your party can not only break-even. It can make a profit.
Following all these ideas would be crazy and mean a crappy party. But in isolation they can be ways to offset the cost.
1) Have an entrance fee
This is one of the most basic ideas. Good when you have a surplus of people coming, and is a guaranteed source of revenue. For every person in the party, you get some money.
2) Drinks cost $
Another basic and can be done with or without an entrance fee.
3) The "Out of Alcohol" trick
In the middle of the party, announce that you're almost out of booze, and ask everyone to donate some money to keep the party going. What you don't mention is that you already have the extra drinks.
4) Convert money to points
As soon as possible, get visitors to exchange their money for some sort of points system (like raffle tickets or something). Once they get the points, they'll spend them a lot faster. Extra evil points if it's non-refundable.
5) Ask for a deal
You've got to buy the alcohol from somewhere. If you're buying in bulk, perhaps you can negotiate some sort of deal. You may earn a discount if you promise to do some promotional work.
6) Have limited gambling
Blackjack or other events aren't particularly hard to organize and can be quite profitable. They are also fun. Of course, this only applies where gambling is legal.
7) Sell glowsticks
8) Sell water or food
9) Sell bodyart
10) Have a t-shirt event
You can sell the t-shirts, the paint or whatever for the shirt, and possibly even entrance into the event itself!
11) Invest in a projector because...
12) You can play music videos for a local DJ and then sell their CDs, making a cut.
13) You can play 'viral' ads for bigger companies. Think funny enough that you'd watch, but still promoting something. This would take a lot of organization, and probably require a lot of people, but could be quite fun.
14) Choose a local DJ
Try to find a local DJ or someone small who wants the promotion to do the music for free. Having a DJ is a nice draw.
15) Branding!
Boring old party cups miss out on a huge opportunity for branding. Ask a local coffee shop or someone if they'd donate a hundred of their branded cups for you to use. If they want to build a hip image, they may not only give it for free - they may give you some free product.
16) Work with the Taxis
As a public service announcement, let people know the # of a taxi company they can call. What they don't know is that you get a small commission for everyone who uses their taxis.
17) Have promotional fliers
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