How to Host the Ultimate Bingo Night
It is a typical bingo game, that lasts one hour on average. The first one who completes a line, column or a diagonal wins the prize. Numbers are called out by a woman with a mike and players cross off the numbers on their cards.
These could be cash prizes or you could get creative and make themed prizes for your group, for example comedy prizes for comedy clubs or joke prizes for a group of university friends. Advertise well in advance of your event to give it a good chance of success.
Game rules
Upon deciding on having a bingo night, the first thing you want to do is to find out what your prize pool will be. Obviously cash is popular for prizes, but businesses like to donate products and experiences, as well as comedy items which can often make for a great prize pool as well.
In a ball cage ping pong game you need two sets of ping-pong balls that are numbered, and number spout that can be used for a spinner to call out numbers during the round. You also need players’ cards and markers such as daubers or felt tip pens to mark off rounds and keep score.
The average length of a Bingo night is 2-3 hours, so make sure your guests stay engaged throughout by offering plenty of cheese, chips and dips, sausage rolls or, if you’re fancying home-made, some loaded potato skins. Kick your cocktails up a notch with some attractive and colourful homemade drink concoctions.
Prizes
Bingo prizes are the main event as people come for the prizes, wheter they are community prize or special ones, this will ultimately drive the sales of tickets. However, for Special prices you have to plan and budget to pick the correct one.
Choosing the right place can make or break up an event. The place you select should have a low cost, and be able to seat as many guests as you expect they will go. Choosing an outdoor space will give your event a feeling of edge and could create greater visibility.
And now for the fun part – planning the event! In addition to snacks and drinks, be sure to source all of your materials: game cards and professional bingo caller/dauber (felt tip pens work great!). Refreshments are a must as bingo nights last 2-3 hours; themed snacks are always fun, too – cheese and crackers or sausage rolls are a crowd pleaser as refreshments!
Supplies
, cages, balls and anything for players to mark their numbers on will be needed to run a successful bingo fundraiser. It would be a better idea to buy the supplies well ahead of the event to save hassle and pressure on the day. Also, preparing food and drinks ahead of time will prove wise.
Finding the right venue to host a bingo evening is also necessary: look for a place that has room and seats for everyone, and make sure that you can see the called numbers on every table clearly, so that the caller can read the bingo calls properly.
Prizes for winning bingo calls should be high-energy and appropriate to the theme/cause of your event. Remember, you can up the ante by holding a silent auction; many nonprofits find that offering prizes to guests in this format has dual benefits of personalising the event for guests and keeping the price points in check. Photo by SwitchKinds of rewards, prizes or ‘free’/rebate cards you give to attendees – create the right setting for guests to attend! Switch will be live before, during and after your bingo event, allowing guests to share photos, shoutouts and feedback.
Venue
The place where you hosted the bingo game must have some important qualities. First of all, it has to have an enough big place, so all participants can come and play comfortably. Secondly, how easy it was to find the playing place and access inside was also important.
So, it is also important how much money you have spent.
If you want the bingo night to run smoothly, you should ask as many volunteers as possible to come and help you organise and run the event. Everyone who helps could be given a task, such as checking bingo tickets or calling the numbers. People could also help by organising food and drinks so that all the guests are satisfied.
But your prizes can also play a crucial part in filling your bingo night, and those should be relevant to your supporters as well as your fundraising cause – for example, ‘win bingo and the team will have pizza’ or ‘win bingo and we take the losing team bowling’. ‘Switch’ utilises some functionality we built for Facebook Live.