Organising a Ball

Societies wanting to organise a ball for their course or society will now need to set this up independently from the Union. A ball is defined by an event that requires a contract with an external venue, and would not receive Union funding. The Union no longer supports societies with ticketing or bank accounts and cannot pay invoices. 

Below is some information that may guide you on how to go about setting up your ball.

1. Course-related

   Please look at getting in contact with your department to see if they would be willing to support you by holding money and paying invoices. This will make the process much easier. They could also support you in getting your tickets advertised on the university shop.

2. Setting up an external bank account

   We recommend creating a new bank account using the ball name instead of using a personal account. This is to avoid confusion between personal expenses and ball expenses. This can be done with two signatories, possibly the treasurer and another trusted member of the committee. Due to this, you are responsible for paying and overseeing transfers to the suppliers and vendors. Please make sure that these accounts are closed after your ball has taken place. Any funds left over can be transferred to and held by the union until new accounts are set up for subsequent balls. 

   Please note: If the balance of your bank account exceeded the tax threshold of £12,570 then you would be liable to pay 20% tax on funds over that amount. The advice from HMRC if your ticket income is likely to exceed this amount is either to have 2 bank accounts so that you can transfer money and keep both accounts below the threshold or to make your payments to your vendors and suppliers before all your money is deposited into the account to prevent you going over the threshold.

3. Ticket sales

   As written, the union will not allow you to sell tickets on the Native platform or on your committee webpage. There are multiple options for selling tickets but each platform has different conditions and fees. Two platforms to look at are Eventbrite and Ticket Source.

   Alternative Ticketing Platform Fees

Other details to consider

• Make sure your date doesn't clash with any other events going on at the Union, University or in the wider community, such as religious holidays or exam periods. This is so that your guests don't need to choose between your ball and other commitments, and will make sure you're able to sell your minimum number of tickets.
• When getting quotes, especially for large expenses such as your venue, look out for any potential hidden costs. For example whether VAT is included, any security costs or cancellation fees.
• When choosing your venue there's lots to consider:
  • Will your guests need to travel far to get to the venue? Are you organising transport or will people need to make their own way there?
  • Is the venue suitable for anyone with access needs? For example is there step free access and gender neutral toilets?
  • Each venue has different capacities and packages on offer so shop around to compare your options
  • Don't feel pressured into signing any contracts on the day - take your time to read through it so you don't get any nasty surprises later.
  • Are there minimum numbers in your contract? The venue will charge you for the minimum number of places, even if you don't sell enough tickets so try to negotiate the lowest minimum contract numbers as possible.
  • Please be aware of cancellation windows and/or fees and what you as an organiser are liable for. 

• It's up to you whether you will allow ticket refunds if someone is unable to attend your ball, but make it clear from the start whether you will or not. For example you might not be able to offer a refund if you have already used their ticket money to pay deposits which are non-refundable from the companies.
• When booking any external companies such as a band or photographer, make sure they have public liability insurance

Let us know if you have any questions or need any further support by contacting us. 

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