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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think £10 is too much for a barn dance?

26 replies

ragz134 · 16/09/2016 10:24

Our PTFA is struggling to sell tickets for their latest fundraiser, a barn dance. Bar and BBQ are extra and entrance at £10 each (adults and kids) seems really steep to me. It's only in a small hall, not a real barn! For a family that's £40-50 before food and drinks... I admit to being a tightwad anyway, but I after seeing them post on the Facebook group that tickets aren't selling well I wonder if it's not just me that sees this as expensive? I nearly replied to the post and told them this, but after dropping out of the pta last year (after quite a few years of helping out) I feel I'm not really entitled to criticise...
So, is this too much? What do you think?

OP posts:
Greaterthanthesumoftheparts · 16/09/2016 10:25

Yes if it includes nothing but entry.

idontlikealdi · 16/09/2016 10:26

£10 usually includes a fish and chip supper here.

Paulat2112 · 16/09/2016 10:27

Yes I think £10 including food or £5 entry only would have been better. It would put me off going at that price.

mogloveseggs · 16/09/2016 10:27

Far too much. £10 per family would be much better. We couldn't afford to go at £10 each.

NoFuchsGiven · 16/09/2016 10:27

Yes far too much, instead of posting on the fb post could you maybe message one of the pta privately?

tinyterrors · 16/09/2016 10:28

That's way too much imo. It'd cost me £50 to take my kids and then another £20-£30 for food and drinks. I'm all for helping the school but I'd rather spend that kind of money on a day out for all of us rather than a dance that lasts a couple of hours that we wouldn't really enjoy.

I'd be upfront and say it's too expensive and that's why tickets aren't selling. I know how hard it is to fundraise but charging ridiculous prices for what amounts to a school disco is not the way to do it.

SoupDragon · 16/09/2016 10:29

Yes, I think it should include food at that price.

Original poster
ragz134 · 16/09/2016 10:33

So glad I'm not alone! Also, it's 7-11pm (only school age kids and upwards) so I wonder if that has an impact as well. I'd have done 5-9 (so people buy food as it's dinner time and can still get to bed at a reasonable time!) and allowed younger ones...
I am now feeling bad for not going to the meetings as I'd have said all this at the time!

OP posts:
YouMakeMyDreams · 16/09/2016 10:33

Yeah that really needs to include the food at £10 each. I used to be on the pta at a school that tended to overcharge. We did get reasonable turn puts to things but could have been way better.
The school dc are at now charge buttons for things and we make way more money for funds than the last school did. We also probably spend out a hit more for event than the old school but still make a better profit.

Butkin · 16/09/2016 12:24

We have a barn social - admittedly not including music which I imagine is expensive and charge 10 pounds to include sausage and mash (home made by the parents) and a (Lidl) Cornetto style ice cream.

10 pounds sounds expensive without food but maybe Ok to allow for hire of venue/music if it was a fiver for the kids.

Tiggeryoubastard · 16/09/2016 12:27

Yes, that's ridiculous. I'm surprised it's a barn dance, they were popular in about 1980 then rapidly died off.
To the person saying they'd do it 5-9, you do realise some people work, don't you?

LunaLoveg00d · 16/09/2016 12:31

I am on our PTA and wouldn't charge that much. We have a quiz night coming up soon and are charging £5 per person entry. It's BYOB and snacks and there will be prizes like bottles of wine donated for winning and worst teams. We also often offer family tickets or just charge for adults and let kids in free.

Venue hire can be pricey though and if they are having to pay hall hire, catering costs, hire a band and buy a drinks licence then it all mounts up. The last thing you want to do is run an event at a loss and it's a fine balance between covering your costs and keeping events affordable.

YelloDraw · 16/09/2016 12:35

Is is a PFI / PPP school?

Because they charge the PTA the commercial hire cost of the hall... so it is really expensive to put on events.

LunaLoveg00d · 16/09/2016 12:35

To the person saying they'd do it 5-9, you do realise some people work, don't you?

Not as many people at weekends though. We ran a very successful family ceilidh a few years back, hired the town hall from 4pm to 7pm and struck a deal with Dominos to provide pizzas on the night to anyone who ordered one. I think that event we charged £5 per person too - and the event was a sell out. We made a packet on the raffle too - in my experience if you keep the entry price low, parents are happy to buy juice/crisps/pizza/ice cream but if they feel they've been ripped off on entry, they won't.

Tiggeryoubastard · 16/09/2016 12:38

Weekends is different, Luna. Timings seem good for then.

lalalalyra · 16/09/2016 12:41

£10 per person just for entry? That's madness! £10 per head rules some people out even if the £10 includes food and drinks. Expensive entry will make people think expensive food and drink as well so you'd have to budget at least £10pp for food and a drink which means for a family of 4 you are talking £80 just for basics - more if the adult(s) want to have a beer necessitating a cab. The best part of £100 is a day out somewhere we all really want to go, or a weeks shopping for us. There's no way we'd be paying that for a couple of hours at a PTA event. Plus the no pre-schoolers would either add to the expense for babysitters or make it impossible.

2014newme · 16/09/2016 12:42

Way too much. We charge £10 per family for a disco.

brasty · 16/09/2016 12:45

Yes they may be being charged the commercial rate to hire the hall, which is expensive. Is there a live band? Because if yes that will also be expensive.

allegretto · 16/09/2016 12:45

Too much for kids, definitely but surely, if it's a fundraiser they have to do more than cover their costs?

allegretto · 16/09/2016 12:47

I think the timing is ok though.

Tiggeryoubastard · 16/09/2016 12:51

Too much for kids, definitely but surely, if it's a fundraiser they have to do more than cover their costs?
Then do something cheaper that people will want/be able to pay. No point pricing yourself out of the market. You'll end up losing money.

Original poster
ragz134 · 16/09/2016 13:48

Yes there's is a live band, the venue won't be expensive but I imagine the band is pushing the cost up and also it's not a big hall and they did say numbers are limited so I imagine price reflects that to cover costs. I expect they would charge less if it wasn't... But this thread does explain why hardly any tickets have sold. I'd worried I was just being mega tight!
Regarding times, yes it is a weekend (and to the sarky poster, yes I do realise 'some people work', I happen to be one of them!) and the time is fine for that I guess but not everyone wants to be out late with kids even on a weekend, especially if babysitters are needed for younger ones.

Basically, I think this one will be learned from and not repeated!
Our best evening was bingo and raffle, made a killing yet didn't charge much at all. People (me especially) tend to buy more raffle tickets etc when entry is cheap!

OP posts:
yeOldeTrout · 16/09/2016 14:25

I helped put on a barn dance last year (in a proper barn, even). £7 each for just entry, and under 10s got in for free.

msannabella · 16/09/2016 14:43

I think that's a bit expensive if it doesn't include food etc. IME I've found if its slightly cheaper people tend to be a bit more with things like donations, raffle tickets and the like, raising a bit more in the end.

FurryTurnip · 16/09/2016 14:45

Our PTA does similar event and charge £8 but includes supper. Agree it's too much!