What is a Gala Event?

Planning a gala dinner can feel like an incredible task when you are at the beginning of the planning phase. There are so many elements to get through, and like with anything that you are starting for the first time, you don’t know, what you don’t know!

A gala dinner is a formal event, often a sit down dinner style, but occasionally a cocktail style, used to honour someone, raise money for charity or to celebrate something special.

The event type is usually a formal affair where guests get dressed up, enjoy fine dining food, live music, speeches and lots of entertainment elements, like raffles and auctions.

What events should I plan a gala dinner for?

Gala events are more formal, so they should be applied to events that want to achieve a formal atmosphere or celebrate or honour something important or serious in nature.

A gala, for instance, wouldn’t be appropriate for a 5-year-old birthday party but would be the perfect choice to raise money for a species going extinct or a humanitarian crisis.

Ambulance Wish Gala with over 230 attendees to make it their biggest Gala to date and proof of the impacts of an event on brand awareness.

Great events that work well within the gala dinner event format are;

Fundraising Events: charities, foundations and not-for-profits often utilise a gala event type to raise money for their causes. The formal nature of the event allows guests to get dressed up and feel good about doing their part to support a worthwhile cause.

Award Functions: are a great way to celebrate and honour valuable people within your team. Giving the recipients an opportunity to stand up on stage in front of their peers is a great way to recognise their efforts.

Networking Events: can work well with a gala format, allowing everyone to have a little bit more fun in a setting that they aren’t normally in. It can help to break down awkward barriers and help guests create and establish business connections.

Guests engaged in an activation at the event. The theme of the gala was growth, and the client RDO asked for woodwork to be tied into the styling. We had 1000 employee names hung from their growth tree.
How to plan a Gala event

Like all events, gala events are all about the planning. While some events are about getting creative and going off script, your gala will be much more successful if you follow the checklists and plans. Here’s our quick guide to planning a gala, consider each of these key steps in the process when you initially start planning your event.

  1. Set your goals

Like any event at FAME, we’re all about setting the goal of the event to start with. What are we trying to achieve, and is a gala event format the best way to achieve this.

  1. Set a budget

In events, we often work backwards from the budget. Once we know how much we have to spend, then we can think about what elements are priority and where we can allocate that budget to.  The budget is going to massively depend on where you are hosting the event (as in what city) as well as how many people are in attendance.

  1. Pick your venue

Venue is one of the most important elements when it comes to a gala. It determines so many things, such as the date of availability, the style of the event, and its accessibility. It may also limit the number of tickets you can book depending on the capacity of the venue. 

  1. Setup your guest management

Find a platform to sell your tickets and manage your RSVP process through. An online ticketing platform is always helpful, but not essential in this process. Think about who you will be inviting, and make sure you send them the details to begin your RSVP task.

A great example of the user generated content that can be created from your event and shared by your attendees.

5. Entertainment, speakers and styling

These are all of your nice-to-have elements and will be heavily dependent on the budget, goals of the event and your criteria. For example, if you are running a charity event, you want to keep your costs low, so as to raise as much money as possible. If you are honouring a key person in the organisation, major budget cuts and skips on elements may appear like corners have been cut.

6. Marketing your event

Without guests, there is no event! It’s imperative that you are clear on your marketing plan, and execute early and quickly in order to sell tickets and get people in the door. Don’t forget you’re working off clear deadlines with the venue and other suppliers for final numbers.

7. Logistics and coordination

This is where your event will make it or break it. Get clear on your running order of the night, who needs to be where, and at what times. This will make sure that your team and guests have an enjoyable and stress free evening.

a decor on a tall tree design
Another photo of the gala tree activation, because it was pretty epic!
Our top tips for planning a gala dinner

In all of our years, we’ve done quite a few galas and have learnt the hard way the best way to plan a gala. We’ve listed down our top tips for planning a gala, so you don’t get caught out!

  • Start early: like with any event planning, there is never too much time to plan an event. The same is to be said for gala dinners; start planning as soon as possible to give yourself enough time to get the elements sorted and tickets sold.
  • Stay Organised: checklists, templates and timelines will be your best friend! Gala events are all about the logistics, so the more you can stay to a plan, the easier the process will be.
  • Use technology: using platforms like Eventbrite or Humanitix will allow you to not only sell your tickets or register attendees but also gather their details and then finally place them in a seating chart making sure no one is missing.
  • Dress Code: be clear about the dress code, your guests will assume a Gala is a black tie affair, but no one wants to be the one guest in a ball gown when everyone else is in the cocktail affair
  • If there are no photos, it doesn’t count: invest in a good photographer. The photos will help you market and sell the event next time, but will also mean your guests will share photos of the event and thus market it for you.
  • Know your deadlines: the venue, in particular for a gala, is a big one to know. Knowing when you need to provide final details will allow you to work backward and decide when to close ticket sales.

 

One of our favourite gala dinners to date was the 2024 Ambulance Wish Gala, which was hosted at the Hilton Hotel Brisbane. This was a fundraising gala to raise much-needed funds for the team to be able to continue helping fulfil last wishes and create memories forever for Queenslanders.

In the end, the gala was their biggest yet, with over 300 people attending the night, and more than $50,000 raised towards their cause.

The event was a huge success due to careful planning and timelines, as well as clear and concise marketing plans to make the event their most successful to date. 

Another one of our favourite gala events is the 2023 Open Haven fundraising charity gala. Alongside our clients and their internal team, we managed to sell over 150 tickets for the event, and raise a whopping $150,000 for the cause!

If a gala seems like something that could benefit your cause, or aligns with your internal HR policy, be sure to reach out to find out how we can elevate your gala and achieve your goals! 

If you’re not sure if a brand activation or corporate event can help your brand, or maybe aren’t sure how to get started, be sure to reach out! This is our jam, and we love helping clients bring their brands to life!! Contact us and find out some more!