Q : How much does a Fun Services Carnival cost and how much money will our school make?
A: There is never any up-front money required for a Fun Services Carnival. Our carnivals are designed to make a 50% profit, or better, for your school. The total money generated at your event is dependent upon many variables, the main factor is the amount of participation at your school. Schools of the same size, hosting the same size carnival on the same day can generate ticket sales quite different from each other. As a rule, a school that sells $2,000 worth of tickets for Fun Services games at their event should expect an expense of about $1,000 for the prizes used at those games. Please note, Fun Services DOES NOT ask you how much you sold, and then take half. You are charged for those prizes, etc. that are not returned at the end of your event. When RUN PROPERLY, the games at your event will produce a 50% profit for your school.
Q: How can we insure our profit level remains at 50%?
A: Running the games correctly is the first step towards insuring that your profit level remains at 50%. Following all rules and guidelines stated on each game sheet is essential. Giving your guests an extra chance or extra points, or changing the rules to make the game easier to win is a sure way to lower your overall profit. Another very important factor is to use adult volunteers in all areas of your event involving money or prizes. NEVER allow children to staff the games or the Redemption Center. In those rare cases when a school makes less profit than they should, it can almost always be traced back to someone “giving” things away. Whether it is unearned points at the games, or actual prizes at the Redemption Center, the result is less profit for all of your hard work.
Q: What are the school’s costs?
A: The largest portion of a school’s invoice is for the prizes used at the event. Fun Services DOES NOT charge for the use of the games or booths. As a rule, anything that is “used up” at your event will need to be paid for. That includes things such as tickets, prizes, concession supplies, and items such as lollipops, balloons and posters for certain games. However, Fun Services ONLY charges for those items not returned. We always bring more than we think you will need, and take back everything at the end of the event.
Q: How do the children earn prizes?
A: Most of our schools choose to have a Redemption Center at their event. Your guests use tickets to play the games, and they are awarded ‘points’ to be redeemed for prizes of their choice at the Redemption Center. A typical Redemption Center has 12-14 prize value categories with 3-5 choices per category. The prizes range in value from $0.05 to $15.00, and can be anything from mini erasers and stickers to large plush animals and small electronics. The amounts of ‘points’ that are awarded at individual games are dependent upon the number of tickets required to play the game, as well as the difficulty. As a rule, the harder the game, the larger the award if you win! The school sets the ticket price and Fun Services takes care of the rest. You will not make more money by charging more money or more tickets. Everything is appropriately adjusted to your schools’ ticket price. Our events are designed to be a 50% profit maker for your school.
Q: How can we make money using such expensive prizes?
A: There is a misconception that by using a Redemption Center, with its higher value prizes, a school will lose money. RUN PROPERLY, a Redemption Center will use the same total dollar amount of prizes as those carnivals giving away less valuable prizes at each individual game. Fun Services originated the old fashioned carnivals that awarded prizes at the games. To introduce the Redemption Center, we simply converted the same value of prizes awarded at the games into a point value. The Redemption Center gives your guests the opportunity to “save” their points and redeem them for the prize – or prizes – that they really want.
Q: Can we use games that we own or add activities of our own?
A: YES! We have many schools that have a game or two that a favorite teacher has built, and those are always welcome. In addition, many of our schools like to add a cake or pop walk, face painting, and even lunches or dinners to their carnivals. Be creative, it not only adds to the success of your event, it can make it even more profitable and fun.
Q: Can we use prizes that we have had donated or had leftover from previous events?
A: YES! Many schools use donated prizes at a raffle. In addition, if you are a school with old prizes taking up space in a closet, we can provide games that will insure you not only use up all of your leftovers, but also do so profitably. We don’t suggest using your leftovers or donations at the Redemption Center, because if those prizes are not chosen, they will become leftovers again.
Q: Can we use Fun Services tickets at our own activities?
A: YES! The $3.00 cost for a roll of 2000 tickets is minimal, and there is no need to try to find and buy additional tickets elsewhere. Using one color ticket for Fun Services activities and another color for the schools games is a pain for everyone. There are easy ways to determine how many tickets were used at your activities vs. Fun Services games, and none of them involve counting thousands of used tickets at the end of your event. We can help you and always welcome the chance to determine how profitable a Fun Services carnival has been.
Q: How many volunteers will I need?
A: Many a carnival chairperson could have written the old adage ‘many hands make light work’! There is no sense sugar coating it: You will need a lot of volunteers to properly set up, staff, tear down, and clean up after an all school event. As far as Fun Services activities, you will need 3 or more able-bodied adult men to help set up and tear down the event. In addition, you will need volunteers to staff the games, ticket booths, redemption center, and any other additional activities such as concessions and inflatables. I know it sounds overwhelming, but we do have some suggestions: First, MANY high schools require students to donate their time to civic causes, and in most cases, helping an elementary school at their carnival is allowed for some of those hours. Check with your district for requirements and availability. These kids do a great job with many of the staffing needs you will have at your carnival. Second, a lot of schools ask their teachers to staff the first shift of games. It helps with that first shift, and the kids really enjoy seeing their teachers in a setting other than the classroom. Finally, many school have had luck in recruiting grandparents for help with staffing the games. Just remember to keep your most responsible adult volunteers in positions involving money or prizes. NEVER staff your games, ticket booths or Redemption Center with children!
Q: Will I be charged a delivery fee?
A: Yes, but you can also choose to pick up your carnival equipment at our Omaha warehouse. Games, booths, and prizes can be loaded into a trailer, ready for your driver to pick up. Whether we deliver it or you pick it up, your school will receive the same instructions and everything needed to host a successful and fun event! We really do provide everything you will need – it couldn’t be easier.