Times are tough for many of us, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t still enjoy ourselves. Yes we have to tighten our belts, but big occasions like anniversaries, birthdays and Christmas are still there to be celebrated, and celebrated in style.
Hosting a party may feel frivolous in these times of recession but with a bit of planning you should be able to save some money the next time you host a casino themed party. To help, the team at Red Casino Events, a national mobile fun casino supplier based in Cambridgeshire, brings you these five tips on ways in which you may be able to save money at your next event.
Be flexible on dates
Entertainment suppliers have big peaks and troughs in their demand throughout the year. In general we are at our busiest in December and in the summer. Most parties also tend to be on Friday or Saturday evenings too, meaning party providers (including DJs, photographers and caterers) and venues will be at a premium on these days.
By holding your event at an off-peak time you should be able to negotiate better rates with your suppliers. We’re already seeing many companies (particularly those who are busier in December) holding their Christmas parties in January, and if you can hold your event on one of those quieter days or months, you should be able to save some money.
Reduce playing time
One of the most common ways in which clients ‘waste’ money at casino parties is by booking us for longer than needed. Just because your party runs for five hours, there’s usually not a need for the entertainment to run for the full duration.
From experience, running casino tables towards the end of your evening event (when guests start to get well oiled) or at the beginning (when they are drifting in) is not usually necessary as the tables are often not populated.
Many clients book for three or four hours, but for most events we would recommend two-and-a-half, or even two hours of playing time. At our standard prices, reducing playing time will save £50 per hour, per table.
Reduce number of casino tables
As above, we often see clients book more tables than necessary for their fun casino party. The optimum number of tables needed for each event is not an exact science and depends on the number of guests, other attractions and how engaged they are in the games.
Blackjack and roulette are real staples of any casino, so we would always recommend hiring as a pair (although we do have many clients who book a single table) but often we take bookings for three or four tables when two would suffice. Even at peak times, reducing the number of tables and the amount of play time is the simplest way in which to reduce spend.
Shop around and negotiate
There are many fun casino suppliers out there, so shop around and have an honest conversation with them.
Not all suppliers are equal and if you want a premium experience there are some low end companies you want to stay away from. We’ve heard loads of horror stories about cheap fun casino companies cancelling at the last minute (we’ve been called out to rescue a few of those jobs too!) but, if you’re dealing with a professional company, understand your budget, be open about it and have an honest conversation.
At Red Casino Events we never want to say no to a job and will work with clients to meet their needs and budget. There is sometimes some negotiation to be had on fees, particularly on local jobs, and we’ll work through the points above to give you the sharpest quote we can.
Look for added value
Of course it’s tough for everyone these days and companies are often not in a place when they can simply drop their fees to rock bottom.
But fun casino companies can often add a little bit of extra value to your event, for example by throwing in some props they have in stock, reducing a surcharge or by adding a little run time to your hire. It may not necessarily save you money from your budget, but getting more bang for your buck is going to help create a more memorable event that retains a premium feel at a time when we’re all trying to save some money.
