Organising a Ball

We are changing the process for organising a ball for 2024/25 and some of the information below will be updated. Please contact the Societies Team for more information.

The Students' Union can support any student-led Ball by providing:

• A website page so you can create an event and sell tickets through our website, without any admin fees
• A bank account so that the ticket money and payments to external companies is covered by our insurance.

Please register your ball at least 2 weeks before you plan to start selling tickets to allow us enough time to set up your web page and bank account. By registering your ball with Strath Union you are agreeing to follow our processes, especially regarding making payments.

Although Strath Union can support the administration of your ball, the individual organisers hold all liability for the event, including any financial losses.

Using your bank account

• All financial transactions need to come through your ball bank account. Do not leave money at home or in personal accounts as this comes with high risk.

• When you sell tickets through our website this money will go directly into your ball account. If you have any other income to put in this account, for example funding from your department or income from fundraising activites, please email the Societies team for the bank details.  

• Your ball account is a pot within the main Student's Union bank account. Your account will have a 3 digit code - please include this in any contact you have with union staff, so we can make sure any transactions are happening in the correct account.

• You can see your account balance at any time through your finances portal. To see a full account statement, please email the Societies team.

• To spend the money in your account you need to submit a payment request through the finances portal, which needs to be approved by another organiser before we can pay it. We can make payments via bank transfer, credit card or cheque. If you are paying a company directly (eg. paying for your venue) you need to attach an invoice from the company. If you are reimbursing an organiser (eg. if an organiser buys some decorations themselves) then you need to attach the receipts. Please submit a payment request form at least 3 working days before the payment is due, otherwise we can't guarantee it will be paid on time. For payments over £5000 this may take us longer as staff have certain payment limits.

• You can't spend anything until you actually have some funding in your account, whether this is money from your department, fundraiting activites, or ticket sales.

• Your bank account will be deleted at the end of the academic year. If you have any money left over after your ball you can donate this to a charity of your choice, or it will be kept for 1 year for the organisers of the next Ball for your department/society to use.

Using your website page

• Whoever you list as organisers of the ball when you register will be given admin access to edit your web page and set up events.

• You can use your web page to provide information to your ticket holders, or you can leave it blank and just direct people to your event page.

• Here are some video tutorials which show you how to edit your web page and set up your event.

• You won't have admin access to add tickets onto your event - once your event is set up, please fill out an Event Ticket Request. We can add different ticket types, such as deposits, early bird discounts or different installments if you would like.

Tips on organising a successful Ball

• Have a read of this article from the organiser of the Business Ball 2019

• 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 committments, and will make sure you're able to sell your minimum number of tickets.

• When getting quotes, expecially 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.

• 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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