Posted by Sean Lukasik on Mon, Aug 09, 2010 @ 10:48 AM
Many times, parent organizations try to create activities and raise money at the same time for their elementary or middle schools. Usually, accomplishing both goals is very difficult. The most painful fundraisers seem to be those selling wrapping paper or greeting cards or those boxes of candy bars.
Planning a family activity that will generate interest and have large attendance is also a challenge. For years, school carnivals have been a fun way for parents and children to interact, but the work involved is immense and the financial rewards minimal.
A school carnival that is held in partnership with an entertainment company can take a lot of the work out of the event while creating something that will be heavily attended and reap financial rewards for all involved!
Some entertainment companies are willing to create special packages with schools during their off season and partner to create a successful event. Three to four inflatables and a few carnival games can be the base needed to get children and their families to attend a school carnival. Add food, music and some other activities and you have a successful event.
Instead of paying lots of money for inflatables, get a company that will train your volunteers to operate the inflatables while they provide trained supervision. You'll cut the company’s expense considerably. Then work out a split after a fair guarantee so everyone makes money.
By charging an admission fee for unlimited rides, you create an easily tracked income stream that can be used to pay for the main attraction, the inflatables. All other money made from sponsorships, food sales, crafts, or flea markets can be kept by the organization.
With a partnership in place, it is in everyone’s interest to get lots of people to attend - resulting in a successful event... and a profitable one too!
Posted by Sean Lukasik on Mon, Jun 21, 2010 @ 02:39 PM
When choosing a TV Style game show for your next corporate or college event, don’t just take an “off the shelf” version. For a little more money, you can customize your game show to represent your company or the theme you are presenting.
Writing custom questions for any game show does take some time and will require a bit of programming, but it can make the difference when you are presenting the game show to an involved and dedicated audience. As an example, Bobby K Entertainment has created several versions of our Hot Seat game show to incorporate different themes.
The basic concept of Hot Seat is that contestants compete against 24 other players and try not to get eliminated by selecting an incorrect answer from four possible answers for each question. There are four different rounds with a winner in each round.
In customizing the show, we have created themes for Black History Month, Green (environmental), Latino History, and Pop Culture. The possibilities are endless as you can create questions around a corporate philosophy, sales and product information, or employee information One could even create a special show for Class or Family Reunions.
For more information on customization or the types of game shows available, go to www.bobbykgameshows.com.
Posted by Bob Kramarik on Tue, Jun 15, 2010 @ 03:14 PM
Everyone loves a good TV style game show! There is even a cable TV channel that plays nothing but game shows. In recent years, among the top rated network shows has been Deal, No Deal, Are you Smarter than A Fifth Grader? And now the resurgence of The Price is Right with Drew Carey.
While everyone loves to watch, they would all love an opportunity to play. Unfortunately, seldom do we have a chance to play a TV game show much less win exciting prizes. By combining the excitement of a professional TV Style Game show and the chance to win great prizes, you have just created a wonderful Fundraising Idea!
Sponsorships and Ticket Sales are the key to raising significant money. You should search out an overall sponsor at a higher dollar figure and then sponsors for individual rounds AND the prizes you hope to give away. Tickets should be affordable and the admission should include some snacks, background music (which can be provided by the game show hosts), and a cash bar.
There are many games to choose from including versions of popular TV shows as well as customized game shows created especially for the group seeking funds or the corporation sponsoring the event. Take a game that asks several questions and you can sponsor the entire night, the prizes that are given away, each round of questions, the categories of questions, the game podiums, the ticket printing, the snacks, the emcee and even the location of the party! Tie in a media sponsor (usually radio) and your advertising can be free as well.
Bobby K Entertainment has experienced event consultants ready to help you create a successful
game show fundraising event!
Posted by Sean Lukasik on Wed, May 05, 2010 @ 11:45 AM
We've had an early Spring in Upstate New York and Summer is not far behind. With all the nice weather, who wants to play indoors anymore? Bobby K offers a variety of inflatables and games that are great for company picnics, graduation parties, and outdoor fundraisers. Check out this list of our Top 5 Outdoor Activities:
- Water Balloon Wars
From an inflatable fort, you and your teammate launch water balloons across an open field at your opponents. Built-in slingshots make it fun to spread out across long distances! - Human Foosball
Five people per team are strapped to poles that allow them to move side-to-side but NOT forward or backward. Play ten minute games with a soft soccer ball and see who scores the highest! - Tiki Wall Climb
We have several wall-climbing (or sticky wall) challenges, but none that represent 'fun in the sun' like our Tiki Wall Climb. Check it out! - Drive In Movies
Our giant inflated drive in movie screen comes with rear projection and a great quality sound system. It measures 24 feet wide, 12 feet deep, and 20 feet high - and the actual screen is 18 feet in diameter. Invite your friends to set up blankets and lawn chairs to add enjoyment to a warm summer evening. - Tiki Bar and Mocktails
Our Tiki Bar, complete with umbrella, is the perfect place to walk up and order a non-alcoholic Pina Colada or Strawberry Daiquiri Mocktail garnished with fruit and a tiny umbrella. It's also the perfect addition to your summer-themed party!
Posted by Sean Lukasik on Wed, Jan 13, 2010 @ 01:56 PM
The late 60's and early 70's brought us a psychedelic era that was exemplified by incense, felt posters, and black lights! While the posters may be out of favor, the black lights have never lost their popularity - and in recent years have gotten even more popular!
By being creative with the use of black lights and with the advent of LED black lights, more entertainment options are now available. However, just throwing up a black light does not make a party.
Bobby K Entertainment has found numerous ways to use this new technology to make black lights even more entertaining by integrating their use into traditional games:
- Cosmic Golf is a nine hole miniature golf course with the putters, balls, and every hole UV reactive. By adding 3-D glasses, the balls seem to float in mid-air when trying to putt due to the special surfaces.
- Midnight Volleyball is a darkened room illuminated only with black lights and with the net, ball, and court lines all UV reactive. Players use special makeup and glow necklaces to be seen.
- Glow Racing is the newest rage where four-wheeled, UV reactive pedal racers head down a similarly-lit race course. This creates a special “night time” event.
- Blacklight Dance Parties pull it all together with great music and a full array of black lights. The party is special because each piece of clothing reacts differently and our makeup and glow items allow partiers to stand out.
For more ideas on how to incorporate black lights into your fundraisers, corporate events, parties, weddings, and more, visit
www.bobbyk.com today!
Posted by Sean Lukasik on Tue, Dec 01, 2009 @ 12:12 PM
Everyone loves a personalized gift or party favor, and having fun (or phun) with photos is the place to start. Bobby K offers a photo booth rental for weddings, parties, and corporate events - and once your guests have their pictures taken, the possibilities are endless!
Imagine seeing yourself on the cover of a fantasy magazine, or putting together a puzzle that reveals a picture of you and your friends. You can be in the middle of a blizzard when you shake up a personalized snow globe, or click to your favorite website with your picture on the mouse pad. How about key chains, dry erase boards, clocks, and photo cubes with multiple pictures?
Check out the photo fun products you can add to your next event, and your guests will never forget the great time they had!
Posted by Sean Lukasik on Tue, Oct 06, 2009 @ 03:37 PM
If you're planning on holding a fantasy casino night, either as a fundraiser or social event, there are plenty of cheap ways to "do it right."
- Put together a mix of popular lounge music to rotate throughout the evening. If you are planning on having a DJ, request some artists like Michael Buble, Norah Jones, and Frank Sinatra.
- Dim the lights just enough to create the right mood. You don't have to order anything special - although white holiday lights could also go a long way!
- Ask some volunteers to be your cocktail waiters and waitresses. This could be fun, even if you're only serving pretzels and punch.
- Decorate the room with flashy, but cheap, accessories. It's easy to find garland, mardi gras beads, plastic masks, and more at your local party store. Tell them what you're doing and what your budget is and they might be able to put together a nice package for the evening.
For more tips and fantasy casino information, visit
BobbyK.com/fantasy-casino-index-page.
Posted by Sean Lukasik on Wed, Sep 23, 2009 @ 02:40 PM
If you've run a Fantasy Casino or casino night party before, you know there are some organizational skills required to keep the event running smoothly. Here are some "prize-winning" ideas (no, really... they're ideas for awarding prizes) to help take some of the thought out of event planning and give you more time for creativity!
Top Winners
Award prizes to the top 3-10 finishers in order of money won. Prizes can be simple and local businesses are often supportive in donating them.
Auctions
Give everyone a chance to walk away with something at the end - allow participants to bid on prizes with the money they have won.
Raffle Tickets
Raffle off prizes at the end of the night. Sell raffle tickets to participants for $1,000 to 5,000 each. If someone doesn’t want to participate in the casino, they can still buy tickets with the starting money. If a participant gambles and wins a lot of money, they will obviously get more raffle tickets.
Chinese Auction
Same as above, but participants put their tickets in a different raffle bin in front of each prize. Each winner is then drawn from respective prize bins.
Combinations
Perhaps the top three money-winners get the "big prizes," and everyone else is allowed to compete through raffles or auctions.
NOTE – Sometimes it is important to enforce a “win only once” rule to truly give everyone a chance!
For more suggestions and ideas, visit the Fantasy Casino page at BobbyK.com.
Posted by Bob Kramarik on Tue, May 19, 2009 @ 08:01 PM
Luau parties can be over the top with some creative ideas, especially if you have not budget limitations!
If you read my previous blog on a simple party, you can incorporate many of those most basic items into your extravagant party, but then step it up.
Invitations - How about sending your invitation out in a plastic bottle? The US Postal service allows you to do just that as long as the address is adhered correctly and you have the correct postage (ask at the post office for details). Now you have a custom "message in a bottle" that you can make look like it is handwritten, add some sand and small shells, and a pineapple or coconut scent inside the bottle - talk about catching someone's attention and inexpensively.
Giveaways/Attire - If you have the budget, hand out customized Hawaiian shirts to everyone who attends. Instead of plastic or silk leis, use real flower leis (they can be shipped overnight direct from Hawaii). Hire some beautiful young girls to act as hostesses complete with saris, head dresses and leis.
Decorations - Backdrops of beach scenes and tropical islands lining walls instantly sets the mood, inflated tiki bars or giant inflated palm trees also gain attention (www.bobbyk.com). Lots of fresh fruit and flowers throughout the room add to the authentic theme. Cover the entire floor with sand if allowed and add beach chairs throughout, use thatch and bamboo to accent your decorating.
Entertainment - You have to have frozen tropical drinks to serve your guests and your menu can be a mix of treats found at a luau barbeque (pork, chicken, seafood, fruits). Have guests create their own Live leis by importing flowers and stringing them themselves. Add a live Hawaiian band along with authentic hula dancers and fire dancers and you have a party that will long be remembered.
Activities -Add a volcano climbing wall or a surfing simulator as activities for competition among guests or rent some island themed carnival games (tiki toss, shark toss, etc.).
Posted by Bob Kramarik on Tue, May 19, 2009 @ 08:00 PM
Luau Theme parties are very popular for corporate, college or social events because everyone understands them and loves the beach angle. Here are some ideas on making a simple Luau Theme work.
Many party stores sell island themed invitations or you can download templates from many websites. Throw a couple of silk orchid petals in an envelope or some Hawaiian themed confetti and you are well on your way to a unique invitation.
Giveaways/Attire - Everyone needs a lei at a Luau! You can start with simple poly plastic leis or step up a notch to the fake silk flower leis. All these items are available online (www.bobbyk.makesparties.com) or at party stores. Add grass skirts, flowered headbands or wristbands and coconut bras and you have all the items you need. Ask guests to wear their favorite LOUD Hawaiian shirt and dress your servers/staff in the same. Shorts and sandals round out the dress.
Decorations - Cardboard cutouts are the simple way out but themed balloons look much better. Add some coconuts and pineapples to the mix and buy a few inflated palm trees. Simple lighting with string lights or candles and tiki torches and you have set the mood. Add shells and sand if possible.
Entertainment - The music is essential but don't get caught up in true Hawaiian music if you want a raucous party. There are plenty of upbeat beach tunes you can play. Throw in a few island songs early for background, but then add the Beach Boys, some reggae, surfer tunes and general summer music. Hire a DJ for the best and most flexible approach or use a stereo system with a variety of CDs. Add Pina Coladas and other fruity drinks, alcoholic or virgin, to round out the island experience.
Activities - You have to do the limbo! Hula Hoop contests fit in here or you can ask dancers to show off their actual "hula" skills. The hula dance is actually a story danced to music but don't expect great story tellers here. Another fun activity can be simple carnival games - throw rings around a palm tree or go bowling with coconuts and pineapples. Try throwing plastic crabs and lobsters into a target like a cooking pot.