COOKINWITHSHERRI
Gold Member
- 194
Because I've had alot of inquiries on specifics, I decided to post exactly how I go about having a BINGO. (Hope this doesn't get to windy for ya - but here it goes.) I do BINGO's every month. It usually guarantees me at least one show per month. What I do is get hosts to bring their guests to my location. I've done 1 host with 5 people and up to 5 hosts at one time with 25-30 people.... (If I can't find someone to be a host I invite guests and be the host. This way I get the free products for prizes and sometimes I get those items I really want. I also get the commission. I host one every other month at least. That's how I get the prizes for BLACKOUTS. The money I get for the BLACKOUT prizes helps with food and prizes for next time. Usually the Blackout prize for the following month was the Host Special this month.)
For the Host I print out full page flyers for their work, church etc. Then I shrink them so I get two to a page and then print out about 20 pages or so. They can just hand them out like crazy for their invitations. I email them and every other customer, past host etc.. for me and their benefit. I do a reminder email as well the week of. (That's when I offer the Extra BINGO Cards below. To get them to RSVP.)
The day of the show I put out Signs from busy streets near here to the CLUB House - PC BINGO, time, Come Join Us with an Arrow... Some days it even brings in people off of the street. (I use the same ones most times that are laminated, saves on cost. Their just garage sale wooden sticks I picked up at Home Depo for 25 cents a piece.)
Basically I pre-make everything I bring because the club house I do it in only has a microwave and sink. Sometimes I do a Micro cake to make sure it smells really good.... Get them hungry. I tend to make a lot of cheaper foods and display them or cook them in PC items.
I live really close to the clubhouse so I bring all the products I can think of. I found the more items they can see touch and try the better sales. I keep all my products & paperwork in rolling luggage suit cases. So I just roll out the door and up the ramp at the clubhouse. (The first one I got as a gift at xmas. A bigger one and a carry on bag they bought from Wal-Mart for $20. (The carry on has all the smaller items - chopper size and down) After that one I had to have more. So now I have a couple small ones for catalogs, paperwork, cookbooks etc... and a couple of larger ones for products and prizes. - I found a couple of them for $2 at the local Good Will Store. We found the others at Auctions & Garage Sales - I think we've paid a total of $25 for all. YEAH!)
I know this is going to sounds like alot of tables, but it's all there so I use it. You'll figure out the best way for your situation. I set up a table & a 1/2 of products and a the rest with cookbooks and recipes. I have a Food Table (Each Hosts brings food already chopped up, bought or dip made to help me fill PC products... i.e. dips, chips or carrots/celery/radishes for relish tray or fruit for a fruit tray. I usually always designate the paper products to the Hosts to bring also.) I set up Table and Chairs for each host & their guests. (put a catalog, drawing slip & order form at each chair, and I also put a Host flyer and a couple of the guest flyers on the table.) I have alot of dobbers so I let them pick what color they want before we start the actual BINGO. - At first I used highlighters) There's a little kids plastic table in the building so I use that for plates, cups, napkins and silverware. There's also a breakfast taller table that I set the BINGO tumbler up on to call the BINGO from. It lets everyone see me and I can keep an eye out on them too. I display Prizes in a basket for the FREE BINGO's on the table. I also have a basket for kids prizes in a separate basket. I found that when people bring kids I let them play mostly to keep them busy - but when they won their mom's, aunts whatever were getting all the PC prizes and other people started grumbling. Not as many adults were wining the prizes. So it saved me to go to the local Everything’s a $1.00 store, Deals or Dollar Tree and buy $10 worth of kids things -Pencils, light up pens, cars, bubble gum, chap stick etc.... Keeps everyone HAPPY! It also shows those busy moms that can't get sitters that they don't have miss out and I don't miss out on those sales. My 10 year old son Adam and 8 year old daughter Olivia just love to go to PC BINGO to help, so we kind of have a mommy and me show sometimes.
For the Host I print out full page flyers for their work, church etc. Then I shrink them so I get two to a page and then print out about 20 pages or so. They can just hand them out like crazy for their invitations. I email them and every other customer, past host etc.. for me and their benefit. I do a reminder email as well the week of. (That's when I offer the Extra BINGO Cards below. To get them to RSVP.)
The day of the show I put out Signs from busy streets near here to the CLUB House - PC BINGO, time, Come Join Us with an Arrow... Some days it even brings in people off of the street. (I use the same ones most times that are laminated, saves on cost. Their just garage sale wooden sticks I picked up at Home Depo for 25 cents a piece.)
Basically I pre-make everything I bring because the club house I do it in only has a microwave and sink. Sometimes I do a Micro cake to make sure it smells really good.... Get them hungry. I tend to make a lot of cheaper foods and display them or cook them in PC items.
I live really close to the clubhouse so I bring all the products I can think of. I found the more items they can see touch and try the better sales. I keep all my products & paperwork in rolling luggage suit cases. So I just roll out the door and up the ramp at the clubhouse. (The first one I got as a gift at xmas. A bigger one and a carry on bag they bought from Wal-Mart for $20. (The carry on has all the smaller items - chopper size and down) After that one I had to have more. So now I have a couple small ones for catalogs, paperwork, cookbooks etc... and a couple of larger ones for products and prizes. - I found a couple of them for $2 at the local Good Will Store. We found the others at Auctions & Garage Sales - I think we've paid a total of $25 for all. YEAH!)
I know this is going to sounds like alot of tables, but it's all there so I use it. You'll figure out the best way for your situation. I set up a table & a 1/2 of products and a the rest with cookbooks and recipes. I have a Food Table (Each Hosts brings food already chopped up, bought or dip made to help me fill PC products... i.e. dips, chips or carrots/celery/radishes for relish tray or fruit for a fruit tray. I usually always designate the paper products to the Hosts to bring also.) I set up Table and Chairs for each host & their guests. (put a catalog, drawing slip & order form at each chair, and I also put a Host flyer and a couple of the guest flyers on the table.) I have alot of dobbers so I let them pick what color they want before we start the actual BINGO. - At first I used highlighters) There's a little kids plastic table in the building so I use that for plates, cups, napkins and silverware. There's also a breakfast taller table that I set the BINGO tumbler up on to call the BINGO from. It lets everyone see me and I can keep an eye out on them too. I display Prizes in a basket for the FREE BINGO's on the table. I also have a basket for kids prizes in a separate basket. I found that when people bring kids I let them play mostly to keep them busy - but when they won their mom's, aunts whatever were getting all the PC prizes and other people started grumbling. Not as many adults were wining the prizes. So it saved me to go to the local Everything’s a $1.00 store, Deals or Dollar Tree and buy $10 worth of kids things -Pencils, light up pens, cars, bubble gum, chap stick etc.... Keeps everyone HAPPY! It also shows those busy moms that can't get sitters that they don't have miss out and I don't miss out on those sales. My 10 year old son Adam and 8 year old daughter Olivia just love to go to PC BINGO to help, so we kind of have a mommy and me show sometimes.
