Selling Tickets
If you will be providing alcohol, you may need to sell tickets in advance. The Liquor, Gaming & Cannabis Authority of Manitoba manages the rules and regulations for socials. Check out their licence and permits website for details.
Ticket Prices
The current standard price for a social ticket is $10. While you can charge more per ticket, it is unusual and may put people off of your event. The majority of the money made at a social is done not through door tickets or drinks, but through the raffles.
Advertising
The Liquor, Gaming & Cannabis Authority of Manitoba manages the rules and regulations for advertising for socials. Check out their licence and permits website for details.
Selling
A wedding social is a great opportunity to invite everyone that didn't make the cut for the wedding, and then some!
Selling social tickets is all about networking. Arm all of your volunteers with a stack of tickets to sell, and keep track of where they go. If you numbered your tickets for door prizes, you can track which ticket ranges went to each seller.
It's a good idea to check in periodically with your sellers to find out how many tickets are remaining, although it can be stressful as it's common for the bulk of tickets to be sold in the week or two right before the event.
Social media
These days it can really help to set up a facebook event for your social. Make sure the event text has all the important info: who it's for, where it is, price, activities, and where to get tickets. Update it periodically with posts about prizes you've collected and reminders of who to pick up tickets from. When the event is coming up, reach out to anyone who has listed themself as "interested" and see if they need a ticket. Encourage people to bring their friends!
Void support tickets
Some people will want to support your event but may not be interested in attending. You can print up “support” tickets to sell that are not good for entry. It's not uncommon to have a draw for support tickets as a “thank you” for their support, just make sure you have a way of tracking down the winner!