The Momentum Isn't Over!

The night of the Pink Ribbon Ball

I can't believe the Pink Ribbon Ball has been and gone! After months of hard work, blood, sweat and tears the night has finally arrived and what a success it was!

An overview of the night...

I arrived at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre at 4pm on Saturday the 6th of October and was delighted to see the Bellevue Ballroom was coming along very nicely and was starting to look like a romantic, Parisian backdrop for a magical night. The volunteers met with Douglas (Barbara's husband) and starting setting up the tables of ten. Each table needed to have 3 menus, 4 auction catalogues, 10 raffle tickets, one envelope for raffle ticket money and one envelope for raffle ticket stubbs and 4 National Breast Cancer Foundation booklets.

The tables looked very pink and romantic on the night

I then went through with Barbara the table sating and made sure she was happy with the room and how everything looked. We firstly went through her table and organised the table seating and put down name cards for the important guests attending. This including the opposition leader Mark McGowan, the U.S. Consult Aleisha Woodward and the Hon Helen McSweeney. We then organised the table next to Barbara's which included the MC's, the auctioneers, the testimonial guest speaker and Kate Simpson representative from the NBCF. I made sure to put the MC's as close to Barbara as possible so they could liaise throughout the evening without having to move around.

I then introduced myself to the floor manager of the Bellevue Ballroom for the night who was called Oma and to the head staff of the kitchen whose name was Peter. I was going to be liaising with these two men throughout the evening about extra chairs and seating problems, the entertainment requirements, opening of the ballroom, extra meals and drinks, refreshments for the band and any other problems throughout the night. It was essential to make my self known to them as I would be the first port of call for any problems on the night as I tried to minimise contact with Barbara so not to distract or stress her out. I also made contact with the AV team as I would also be liaising with them throughout the night. They would be in charge of the microphone volume, audio visual screens and video clips and music played in the ballroom.

I quickly did a last scan of the ballroom at around 6:15pm to check that everything was in place, all the VIP Corporate tables had the company logos and that every table had the correct materials.

Guests started to arrive at 6:30pm in the foyer for drinks and photographs on the red carpet. The first problem of the night I encountered was that the tables of ten print out on a board outside the ballroom was too small in font for the guests to read properly. As there was 57 tables guests had to sort through hundreds of names and with the small font this made it extremely difficult.

We had a few problems on the night with the guest list. Firstly, one couple couldn't find their names on the list but we then realised that their names had been put on the list under another couples name. There was also a spelling error where one of the tables names were printed out for two different tables. The major problem on the night was with two ladies who couldn't find their names on the guest list and I just couldn't figure out where they were supposed to be. Their tickets had been passed on to them through the Sunday Times as one of the ladies worked for Cupcakes for Cancer. I felt extremely worried but we sat them at a spare table for the entree and then located a Scoopon table with two spare seats and eventually moved them to that table. I felt extremely embarrassed for not knowing where they were sitting as I had dealt with the guest list from the get go!

We then had a problem with the entertainment for the night! We were very lucky to have secured Soul Mystique for the night, a ballroom dancing couple with a twist, previously on Australia's Got Talent. As the night was running in front of schedule, by almost half an hour, when we went down to let Soul Mystique know they were on stage soon, they were no where to be found! We were looking all around the convention centre for them, the green room, the meeting rooms down stairs, back stage but we just could not find them. When I was back in the Bellevue ballroom I then heard the MC's announce Soul Mystique and play their opening clip. This was extremely embarrassing as I knew that they were not going to be performing. Someone passed on the message to the MC's so they quickly went back on stage, apologised and said Soul Mystique were not here yet. They then moved straight on into the testimonial speech. We still couldn't find Soul Mystique and were starting to stress as we couldn't get in contact with them and had no idea where they could be! Myself and another volunteer then went up to the MC's to tell them to try and stall by talking about the raffle and auction items as we still couldn't find the talent. The MC's then went on stage and introduced Soul Mystique once again... This was now even more embarrassing and Barbara was starting to get very upset. We then finally found Soul Mystique and they went on and wowed the audience. Although it wasn't a good look most people agreed that there performance was worth the wait!

Myself (6th in from the left) with the Pink Ribbon Ball volunteers, the two auctioneers, Barbara McNaught and guests

Overall the ball was a great success having raised almost $40 000 for the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Although the fundraising target was lower then previous years we think this may have been due to the large amount of Scoopon ticket holders in the room. However the night was still a magical event, raising awareness for an important cause and celebrating victories in the battle against breast cancer. I still cannot believe that I was a part of something so big and powerful and was able to help organise and plan the event from beginning to end!

As part of post-event production, selected professional photographs from the night are uploaded to the MFE website for the attendees to view and also purchase. I chose quite a few of the Kelvin Chong photographs to upload to show off the glitz and glamour of the ball. I chose quite a few of the ballroom setup including the tables and table centre pieces, dance floor and auction prizes. I then mostly chose photographs of guests posing for photos, guests dancing and mingling to ensure the event looks attractive so people viewing the photographs will want to attend next years ball.

As one event finishes, another is just beginning. MFE's next event the Melbourne Cup for CanTeen luncheon is just around the corner and preparations have already begun!

It was been an incredible journey at MFE and even though it is not over my blogging journey is! Thank you for reading my blog entries and I hope you have enjoyed reading about my experiences at MFE as I most certainly have thoroughly enjoyed my time here :)

Thank you again!

Elizabeth Thomas
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The countdown is on!

SCOOPON OFFER

Due to extremely low ticket sales to the ball the Momentum team decided to run a Scoopon voucher for half price tickets to the Pink Ribbon Ball 2012. Scoopon members could purchase one ticket to the ball for $125 or two tickets for $250, usually the cost for one ticket to the ball.

This was a hard decision for Barbara to make as the cheap tickets meant they were selling for cost price and therefore she would not be making any money from the sales. As I do not use Scoopon I was unsure as to how well received the half price tickets would do on the discount website. Over the five days the deal ran for, Monday 24th of September to Friday 28th of September we were flooded with emails and phone calls with people wanting to redeem their vouchers! 136 people claimed the Scoopon voucher which brought the total guest attendance over 500 which was very exciting!

The Scoopon Voucher for the Pink Ribbon Ball 2012 on the Scoopon website

However, the only concern with the Scoopon vouchers was that once they bought the Scoopon voucher they were not guaranteed a place at the ball. They had to ring or email MFE with the voucher code to redeem the offer. There was then the concern that people would turn up to the ball without redeeming their voucher and therefore would not be on the guest list as they had not confirmed their voucher with MFE.

To resolve this problem we received a list from Scoopon with all the names of people who purchased Scoopon tickets so we were able to check who had not yet redeemed their vouchers. Once sorting through the list we were relieved to find that only one person who had purchased two tickets had not redeemed her voucher. Scoopon then contacted this lady and found out that she would not be attending the ball.

This meant that everybody who purchased a Scoopon voucher for the Pink Ribbon Ball had been accounted for and were included on the guest list.

TABLES of 10

Once the bookings were closed for the ball on Thursday the 4th of October it was time to start making up the tables of ten in the Bellevue Ballroom at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre. This could only be done after the final guest list count which leading up to the week of the ball was constantly changing. There a few last minute people pulling out due to other commitments and illness and there were also a few last minute people purchasing tickets for friends. Once the total guest count was confirmed for 567 guests we then emailed PCEC with the total guest count and total number of tables we would be requiring which was 57 tables. PCEC then sent us through the floor plan with the correct amount of tables and it was time to start creating the tables!

We first started by placing the MFE table which included Barbara McNaught the CEO of MFE and her distinguished guests including the opposition leader the Hon Mark McGowan, the Hon Helen McSweeney and her husband representing the State Government, the U.S. General Consulat and the National Breast Cancer Foundation representative Kate Simpson. 

The MFE table was placed in the third row in a great position right next to the dance floor. We then placed the table with the MC's Alexa Coetsee from the Sunday Times and Mike Hopkins from Sky News, the two Auctioneers, the testimonial speaker and other important guests on the table next to MFE so Barbara could liaise with them directly. We then placed all the VIP tables which included sponsor tables and companies who had purchased a VIP Diamond table in good positions in the first few rows around the dance floor. Next to follow behind the VIP tables was the standard tables of ten and single tickets purchased. We made sure to put tables with breast cancer survivors in good positions as well.

We then placed the Scoopon ticket holders in the tables around the edges and at the back of the room. This is because they purchased the tickets at half price and were therefore not going to get prime positions. There were 16 tables of Scoopon ticket holders. The last table was the volunteers table which was placed in the corner of the room because we would not be sitting down a great deal!

This took a whole day just to organise who sat with who and where they would sit! Once the list of tables were complete, we sent the list to PCEC as they needed to print a copy to be used at the Ballroom entrance so people could see where they would be seated. However the list was never really final as during the days leading up to the ball there were constantly changes being made to the guest list. We also had to send PCEC a list of the guests including any dietary requirements they may have. There were many dietary requirements including Vegetarians, Gluten Free, No Soy, allergies etc. which had to be made clear to the venue. However as we did not receive all dietary requirements it was difficult to give an exact number.

MENUS, AUCTION CATALOGUES & RAFFLE TICKETS

We then had to confirm the Menus, the Live Auction catalogues and the Raffle Tickets so they could be printed as they would be displayed on every table on the night. The Menus were very similar to the ones used last year which made it easy. We had to confirm the blurb used for Brian Gardner Motors with John Gardner as they are the naming sponsors as well as confirm the blurb about the National Breast Cancer Foundation. PCEC would confirm the actual food served on the night. The NBCF were very specific about every time there logo is used, there needs to be the 'Proudly Supporting' written above it. We needed to go back to our artwork team to change this immediately. Everything else was perfect so the menus were ready to be printed.

The auction catalogues had to be confirmed with the auction item description, the reserve price with a photo or image included of the prize. There were 15 items included in the Live auction this year and each item had to have a photograph and description. Once confirmed the catalogue was then ready to be printed!

The raffle tickets were very similar to the ones used at the ball last year and therefore did not take long to produce. As the raffle item to be won are two Business Class return tickets to Paris, the raffle tickets look like boarding passes with the Singapore Airline logo used as they are donating the prize. Once the tickets were approved, 550 were ready to be printed.

VOLUNTEERS

As part of my role at Momentum, I also have to organise the volunteers for the ball on the night. Volunteers are a crucial part of the night as will help with checking and seating guests, selling raffle tickets, ballot bidding and silent auction forms and help as spotters during the live auction. As the ball will accommodate over 550 guests the volunteers will be helping with any queries guests may have and help to set up the tables before the night has started.

Due to my previous work experience volunteering at different events I already knew some people who would be interested and Barbara also had a list of people keen to volunteer for her events. I contacted the three people who I thought would be keen and they were all happy to accept and volunteer on the night. I emailed all 6 volunteers with information about the night; where to meet and at what time and what to wear on the night. Last year the volunteers wore customised t-shirts for the "Pink Ribbon Ball 2011" however this year we decided to just wear black cocktail dresses.

I am very excited for the ball and look forward to sharing my stories with you after the event!

Elizabeth Thomas
14848799

It's Spring think Pink!

Media Release to Published Article

My supervisor and CEO of Momentum Forum Events, Barbara McNaught head that two men from Perth were going to attempt to climb Mt Kilimanjara next year to raise money for Breast Cancer research. We immediately contacted the two men to see if they wanted to come on board with Momentum and come to the Pink Ribbon Ball to help promote their cause. The two men, Ryan Thompson and Greg Chapman both from Acton Southern Suburbs Real Estate both agreed to attend the Pink Ribbon Ball in pink suits to help promote their cause and help gain publicity for the ball. 

After they agreed, Barbara instructed me to write a media release promoting the fundraiser and the ball. This was quite daunting as I had not written a media release in a long time but was up for the challenge because I knew it would be great publicity for the ball. Once I had completed the media release, Barbara checked it and we had to think of a catchy headline. We agreed on "Men in Pink" and then sent the media release out to Barbara'a media contacts. We sent the media release to The West, The Sunday Times and the Western Suburbs Weekly newspapers. 

Almost immediately Linda Parri from The Sunday Times, a sponsor of the PRB replied and said she would love to write an article. We gave her Ryan and Greg's contact details so she could ask them a few more questions and organise a photograph for the article.

A few days later, on the 9th of September, I was reading The Sunday Times when I stumbled upon the article in the Confidential section. I couldn't believe my eyes that something I had written and helped to produce was printed in the newspaper. The article look wonderful, I was thrilled that the hard work had paid off and was in a great position in the newspaper!

More exciting news for Momentum!

Each week it feels as if we are sending out hundreds of sponsorship emails asking organisations to become a sponsor of Momentum Forum Events. Sponsorship is a crucial element at MFE as this makes the events possible. The emails get sent to large organisations including mining and oil companies, banks, car dealerships, wine and beer houses and financial companies. Finally, we got some exciting news! Savoir Faire Cosmetics decided to come on board with Momentum as a Diamond sponsor.  Savoir Faire also came on board with the naming rights for the International Women's Day event in 2013 and a Diamond sponsor for the Pink Ribbon Ball 2012 and the Melbourne Cup for Canteen luncheon 2012.

Savoir Faire Cosmetics infuses global expertise with personal experience to fashion a line of cosmetics that delivers what it promises with elegance. Their make up range offers the choice of sheer to intense lasting coverage, ensuring their products re the perfect complement to your everyday life and beyond. They recently gained the naming rights to the Savoir Faire Perth Fashion Week and were the makeup brand used for all of the shows.

After liaising with the Savoir Faire team back and forth over email, the contract was created and once signed, SF officially become Momentum's newest sponsor. This meant I had to activate their sponsorship by putting in place all of the benefits they received as a Diamond sponsor. This included updating the website by putting SF in the competitions pages, adding the SF logo to the PRB flyer, reprinting the flyer with the new logo, sending the new logo in the correct elements to The West and The Sunday Times for the print advertisments and sending out a new e-newsletter announcing the new sponsorship to the data base of 8000 people. 

Point & Pay

After a series of advertisements for the PRB were published in The West, The Sunday Times, STE and the Western Suburbs Weekly, the final two were published last week, Saturday the 15th and Sunday the 16th which included the Point & Pay barcode (see image below). This was very exciting as I never knew how the barcode worked but was excited to see if it would see us more tickets.

Now that the final advertisement for the PRB have all been published, we are now still trying to sell as many tickets as we can! The hardest part of my work at MFE has been trying to sell tickets as this year it has been incredibly slow. 

I look forward to more exciting news next time.

Elizabeth Thomas
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New to Momentum

Welcome to my PR 393 Professional Placement blog!

My name is Elizabeth Thomas and I am in my third year of studies at Curtin University, studying a Bachelor of Humanities majoring in Journalism and Public Relations. This semester I am completing my PR Professional Placement at Momentum Forum Events Australia Ltd. I began my internship on the 6th of August and will be interning twice a week with MFE for the next three months.

Momentum Forum Events Australia is a not-for-profit organisation founded by Barbara McNaught in 2002. Barbara is also the CEO and works primarily with her husband. She will usually have two interns working alongside her gearing up for each event. MFE dedicates itself to helping others by organising galas, balls, luncheons and events to help raise funds for a chosen charities. MFE has four annual signature events:

• The Pink Ribbon Ball for Breast Cancer research
• The Melbourne Cup luncheon for children's charities
• The Men in Black Ball for mens mental health
• The International Women's Day event for women's charity

The environment is extremely welcoming at MFE as being a small not for profit organisation, there is only herself, her husband and myself interning. Barbara works mainly from her home, in a small office as her jobs usually revolve around the computer! Barbara also works from time to time at her office in the JDL Strategies building in Fitzgerald Street but prefers the comfort of working at her house.

As I started interning in early August, I will be working with Barbara on two main events, the Pink Ribbon Ball on October 6th and the Melbourne Cup for CanTeen luncheon on November 6th. It is a very exciting time to come on board as an intern at MFE as I get to be a part of the lead up for two successful events from start to finish! I will be able to see the events grow, help create momentum and be a part of the event on the day to see all of the hard work pay off. 

I am extremely excited to be working with MFE in the lead up to the Pink Ribbon Ball as it is one of Momentum's most successful event having commenced ten years ago. Over the years the Pink Ribbon Ball has raised $300 000 which has been dedicated to breast cancer research to help with the fight against breast cancer.

My role at MFE will consist of helping Barbara to promote and sell tickets to her forthcoming events. I will be helping to generate publicity by sending out media releases to important media contacts, sending out sponsorship proposals to major organisations to help fund the events, sending out the fortnightly e-newsletter to Momentum's data base of over 8 000 people, changing information and constantly updating the website, social media pages including Facebook and Linkedin, updating the guest lists and organising the seating plans for the events, creating the theming of the event and the live and silent auction lists. 

I am very excited about my internship at MFE and look forward to sharing more of my exciting experiences, challenges and  this semester!

Elizabeth Thomas
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