Fundraiser Series: The Lip Sync Battle

This is one of the more entertaining ways to raise fund for yourGAAclub.It’s a relatively large-scale operation so you need to make sure you have good people involved inorganisingthe event.But when it all comes off, it’s hard to top a good Lip Sync Battle.

What’s the aim?
To get a selection of people or groups to lip-sync some famous tunes on stage, and put on a show while they’re at it. Many acts like to choreograph a dance routine into their big moment under the lights, and it often plays well with the judges.

Why is it so good?
You get to see club members who might not normally show this side of themselves in a new light. Whether that leads to an unexpectedly impressive performance, sheer comedy, or something in the middle is down to the characters and how they perform on the night.

What’s involved?

Booking a venue is a very important part of this. You need somewhere either with either a stage or an area that allows a decent-sized crowd towatchon. Many hotels or town halls will prove suitable venues, and perhaps even a local bar. You will need someone to look after the sound and lighting end of things, and the hope would be to get the establishment in question to pay for that service. As for the venue, having the event there will benefit them too, in terms of the foot-fall on the night. As such, this could cut down on expenses of setting up the night. Failing that, a quick online search and you can find companies to do the staging and stage management (Note: this can be costly). If you can host this in your localGAAclub, extra money can be brought in by selling goods on the night.

What about the acts?
Here’s where you need to twist a couple of arms, as not everyone will put their hand up for going on stage in a lip sync battle. It can be daunting. But you simply have to nudge a couple of good candidates in the right direction and explain the cause. Or failing that, wrangle a few of the players into it. In the end, there’s a high likelihood that they will really enjoy the experience.

How do the acts prepare themselves?
If you have the budget for it, you could bring in a choreographer. In many cases, the acts are left to their own devices. So if, for example, they were given two months to prepare, it might simply be a case of the person or group picking a song they like and practising a routine for it on a weekly basis. Then, with any luck, it will be all right on the night. As seen inAthloneGAA, people can really deliver on the night.

Costumes
Looking the part is crucial for the entertainment value of the night. There’s no point in hearing Elvis, and the act miming at the right time, they also need to summon their inner Graceland and let it show by their costume.

Host with the most
Whether you want to pay for a well-known person to come on board, or stick with a local who is suited to the job, the right MC helps carry the night along at a good pace.

Selling the event
You’ll need to promote the event anywhere you can. This can be done on the club’s social media account, the parish online accounts, not to mention encouraging players and members to share any updates. Posters and flyers can be put up and handed out, while word-of-mouth is as effective now as it ever was.

Getting people in the door
Selling tickets is a great way of getting funds confirmed before the night. Family discounts might be a nice addition. Don’t be afraid to let people pay in on the door too, if there is still room.

Programme
It makes sense to put together aprogrammefor the night, detailing the acts and who will be starring in them. You can also sell advertising pages to local businesses.

How else can we make use of a good crowd?
Selling raffle tickets is an easy way tomaximisetakings.

How will we decide on a winner?
Judges, the crowd voting, or maybe a combination of the two. A nice idea is to recruit well-known characters from whatever walk of life you choose to judge the acts. It gives the night that extra appeal.

Finale
To finish the night on a high, the winning act performs one last time.

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