Hold a preliminary planning meeting with student leaders and advisors.
Assign responsibilities to the committee chairs. Begin fund-raising activities, if necessary.
Three Months Before Event
Hold another meeting to get updates from your committees on how their responsibilities are going. Address any possible problems now so you don’t have to deal with them when you get close to the event date.
Reserve the location for your event.
Make reservations for entertainment, DJ, equipment rentals, etc.
Send your media advisory to your local school newspaper and yearbook editors.
One Month Before Event
Reconfirm all of your reservations.
Make a shopping list for all of the items you’ll need, including food, drinks and decorations.
Send your news release and drop-in article to your newspaper.
Ask your local newspaper editor to donate space for a public service announcement for your alcohol-free event. In return, you can offer a reporter or a photographer exclusive coverage.
Make whatever arrangements are necessary with your schools administration to have your announcement read with the morning news announcements.
Start selling or distributing tickets.
Two Weeks Before Event
Pick up any prizes that may have been donated by local businesses.
Begin announcements and publicity activities.
One Week Before Event
Collect all items that don’t need to be refrigerated, such as sodas and chips.
Give your emcee or party chair an agenda if he or she is going to be asked to speak or give away prizes.
One Day Before Event
Make as much of the food ahead of time.
Pick up all rentals or needed equipment and check to make sure it is working before you leave the store.
Day of Event
Make sure everything you need has arrived and is in working order.
