Valentine’s Day is coming up soon and so is the Filipino Society’s annual Valentine’s Party. Being new to event planning, there are lots of things I need to consider to make sure the night goes smoothly. More importantly, we need to make sure that our guests have fun. As such, as president of the society, I have a big responsibility on my shoulders.
Thankfully, each in the committee take pride in their own role for our success. Since becoming president, it has become clearer to me that a good leader is not one that does everything, but one that delegates to the best people. Effective delegation saves time and increases the morale and confidence of the team.
Our event poster
For those who know little about the Philippines, it is a tropical nation defined by emerald rice fields, teeming mega-cities, graffiti-splashed jeepneys, smouldering volcanoes, bug-eyed tarsiers, fuzzy water buffalo and smiling, happy-go-lucky people. It has more than 7000 small islands – if island hopping is your thing, then it is the place for you!
Our British Representative, Emily talking about her experience when she visited the Philippines last year. She and our Vice President, Justine (in the picture) met when they did some work experience in the country. Emily loved the Philippines so much that she became part of the committee!
So what does the Filipino Society in Southampton do exactly?
The good thing about FilSoc is that you don't have to be Filipino to join our socials. University is the perfect time to get to know cultures you never thought you could ever experience and FilSoc offers a chance for people to get to know a little country in the far South East of Asia.
We throw:
- Karaoke Parties: Filipinos like to sing - a LOT.
- Filipino (Tagalog) Language Lessons: Why not come to our chilled out language lessons and learn a few interesting new words while you're at it?!
- Filipino cook-offs: We love our food and we LOVE sharing it. We hold socials where each person makes a dish, Filipino or not, and shares it with the group. The best dish wins the prize of pride.
- Pub trips: who doesn't like a pint?
- Filipino movie nights: We often hold screenings of Filipino movies (with English subtitles).
Things to keep in mind for your event
If you’re planning to hold a society event soon, there are other things you must keep in mind such as entertainment and sponsors. In last year’s Valentine’s Party, we played a live version of 'Take Me Out'. Things got pretty brutal. Thankfully, our local sponsor made the ruthlessness worth it as the “winning” couple received a £10 voucher for their date.
Looks like we have a yes from the ladies for this gentleman…
Venue
Can you bring food to the venue? How close is it? I have found that having the venue somewhere where it is easily accessible increases turn out. Moreover, depending on your expected turn out you need to consider the size of the venue too. If the event is likely to be a cosy one, find a place that is not too big so it won’t look too empty.
Date
This is another crucial part. Our Halloween party last year was held exactly on October 31st which was a Saturday. I think that had we held the event at a different day, maybe just before Halloween itself for example, we would’ve had a much bigger turnout. It is important to consider what other plans people might have on the day you have your event.
Food
Will your catering be halal and vegetarian friendly? It is important to consider the varied needs of guests that may come on the night. You don’t want them to turn up having paid money for their tickets and find that they actually can’t have any of the food you’ve made.
Entertainment
Do you know anyone who can sing or perform for your guests? Last year we had a few singers. For our last Halloween Party, we got in contact with the Circus Society who gave us a fantastic performance!
Rofini singing for us
Publicity
How will you let everyone know about your event? This year we’ve made sure to get in contact through social media with societies in the SUSU Communities’ Zone to let them know about the party and asked if they could help spread the word about it. The good thing about planning events is that you have a reason to get in touch with people you may never approach thereby increasing your network. We’ve also stuck a few posters around the Library. This is the most frequented place on campus so hopefully more people see them!
Tickets
How much should your tickets be in order for you to not incur a loss? To encourage people to buy early we’ve slashed our ticket prices by 1/3 if bought a few days before the event. This helps us plan out how much food we have to make so there’ll be more than enough for everyone.
These are just some of the things that I have learnt from my time as President of the Filipino Society and planning our big and small events. If you’re keen to learn more about a new culture and discover amazing Filipino food, why not come to this year’s FilSoc Valentine’s Party on February 11th?
Hope to see you then!
Rylyn
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