Organizing a fraternity formal in Atlantic City? What a lively, fun place to have a formal!
But are you completely stressed out because you don’t know where to get started?
Planning anything isn’t easy, especially a big event like a fraternity formal, and particularly if you have a large group. Students are busy being students: you have classes, friends to hang out with, and college life to live.
With all the things you have going on this year, we always recommend at least one semester of planning time. And we mean dedicated time where you’ve scheduled when you’re going to plan. You don’t want to miss any details when you’re trying to create unforgettable memories for you and your brothers!
But with your busy schedule, how do you even begin to fit in formal planning? And where do you start? BigDaddy Formals has you covered!
Read these tips on how to plan your fraternity formal in Atlantic City.
1. Venues: A night of lights and entertainment!
You’re obviously planning to have fun, right? And, as the “Mini Vegas” of the east coast, Atlantic City has a ton of options for a fun night.
When you’re looking into your venues, there are several things to think about:
We all need to eat! So, does the venue serve their own food, or will you need to find a separate catering service? Will you need to be aware of any food restrictions or food allergies?
How big is your group compared to the venue? Will the venue hold everyone, or do you maybe need a bigger space?
And of course, how much is it? Budget should be the first thing you discuss with your fraternity. Does the venue fit into the budget? How much do they charge for a group of your size?
Atlantic City is an energetic and entertaining place to be for everyone, so this also means that a lot of people come here on weekends, for vacations, and just to get away from everyday life. So if your fraternity wants to come here during specific dates, then make sure you plan way ahead so you can get everything you want.
We love these Atlantic City venues: Phoenix Hall, Borgata Hotel Event Center, and Ryfe Event Venue.
2. Hotels: Staying in bustling Atlantic City.
Of course, you’re going to need to choose a hotel so everyone can have a safe place to sleep. The cool thing about Atlantic City is that a lot of the popular hotels that people know in Vegas also have hotels here, so you’re sure to sleep in style!
Once again, we’re going to bring up the budget. We cannot stress budget enough because knowing this will help you and your fraternity decide where to go and what to do.
Does your fraternity want a more expensive, well-known hotel? Or are they okay with saving some money and staying at a discounted hotel? Maybe they’d prefer to spend their money on sightseeing and entertainment.
How close is the venue you chose? If it’s close enough, maybe your fraternity can just walk or carpool to the venue. But it’s not, then you’ll need to get transportation figured out.
Will the hotel you want to stay at allow a group of your size? How will they split everyone up? How do they take payments, and will they require a down payment?
Keep these in mind as you take a look at what Atlantic City has to offer. We recommend starting with these: Hampton Inn Atlantic City, Caesars Atlantic City, and Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.
3. Transportation: Arriving in Atlantic City.
One of the last major things you'll need to get sorted is transportation, and there are a couple of things that you can do to get your fraternity to their formal weekend.
A potentially cheaper way would be to carpool, if your university or college is nearby. Just figure out everyone’s schedules and when you’ll need to leave, but also keep in mind that your hotel might charge for parking, so the costs may add up there. Check with your hotel to see what their costs are for parking.
If carpooling isn’t an option, then the best method would be to rent transportation, which means you’ll need to look into transportation companies.
Questions to ask yourself as you research:
How many buses or vehicles will the company need to provide for your group?
Where will they be able to park as your fraternity unloads and checks into the hotel?
Do they charge for having the bus driver wait, or is that included in the overall cost?
Elite Limo is our top choice for transportation in Atlantic City.
4. Making sure everything is nailed down and ready to go.
Finally, there are a few final issues you’ll want to have covered before you head out for your fun weekend in Atlantic City.
As always, the budget should be at the top of your list. If you don’t have that ready to go, you’ll have a hard time getting anything done.
Other things you’ll want to ask or think about:
Most companies require a down payment and other payments as the dates for your formal get closer. Do you know when they expect those payments to be made? How are you going to make sure your brothers have given you enough money in time to make those payments?
Did you give yourself enough time to book the best rates?
Is only one person going to research all of this information? Are you going to call each hotel and venue you want to book with? Google? How’s all of this going to fit in with your class and work schedule?
What can often happen, especially for a bustling place like Atlantic City, is that everyone has an opinion (or several) on what the group should do, and no one can make a decision. This means that things stall, nothing gets done, and since everyone gets busy throughout the year, your fraternity is left without anything to show for your formal weekend.
If this sounds entirely overwhelming, it really can be! Particularly if you try to do all of this alone and without any help at all. Who has time to do everything?
That’s where a company like BigDaddy Formals comes into play. For years, we’ve been organizing formals and helping both fraternities and sororities alike craft phenomenal formals that they love. We know the industry, and we have awesome relationships with hotels, venues, transportation companies, and other vendors that we can utilize to get you the best discounts for your trip.
We’ve already done all the hard work for you; now let us plan your fun time, too! For help planning your fraternity formal in Atlantic City, set up an appointment to chat with us here.
This is how BigDaddy Formals makes everything easy: