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The Ultimate Guide to Booking Your School Prom Venues

For most students (and many teachers), the school prom is the highlight of the school calendar. It’s the perfect reward for all the students’ hard work during exams. Plus, it acts as an amazing farewell as you wave them off onto the next phase in their lives. Generally proms take place at the end of term in June or July. However, people are already thinking about their prom ideas for 2024 so it’s certainly worth planning ahead to make yours stand out.

We’re well known for our conferences and Christmas parties, but did you know that we’re also experts in the art of the school prom? We have years of experience hosting proms at the NCC and our sister venues. So, if you are looking for insider knowledge on how to book your school prom, then you’re in the right place. To help you get organised, allow us to run through our ultimate guide to booking your school prom venue.

School Prom Venues

So, you’ve been tasked with booking your school prom. First thing’s first, you need to find a prom venue. Historically, schools used to opt for the school hall, but as proms grow in popularity with more than 85 percent of schools in Britain holding proms, many now outsource the school prom venue. Plus, upgrading the venues will make it an occasion that your students will remember for the rest of their lives. So why not swap the school gym for a luxury prom venue?

One of the main benefits of booking a prom venue or prom hall is that you can take all of the stress out of the occasion by choosing a venue who helps manage the evening. Whether that’s food, drinks, music or parking, find a place that caters to your needs. Importantly, booking a venue that’s experienced and has dedicated event planners to help you host the perfect prom is invaluable.

Things to Consider When Booking a Prom Hall

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Numbers

One of the main considerations you should be aware of when booking your school prom is how many students will be attending. This will play a big part in the types of venues you will want to look at. Whether that’s small prom halls, medium sized prom rooms or large prom venues, choosing the right size space will ensure that prom feels full without being overcrowded.

At the NCC, we cater for proms of all sizes due to our varying size of rooms. Generally, we cater for proms from 80 guests to 300, but we are more than capable of accommodating larger groups of 350 and up, too. 

Location

You definitely want somewhere with great connections so that it’s easy to drive there in style. Best of all, by choosing the NCC, you’re close to Birmingham if you and the rest of the teachers fancy a night out on Broad Street afterwards to celebrate a successful prom.

With that said, a location that isn’t walking distance is definitely a bonus so that people who aren’t invited can’t gatecrash. Plus, venues like ours with one main entrance and exit make it easier for knowing where the students are at all times – it’s much easier to keep an eye on everyone!

Room Design

You want the venue to look just right on the night, so once you’ve chosen a venue that you love, add some personal finishing touches like balloons in the school uniform colours or large balloon letters reading ‘Class of 2024’. You could also opt for a bespoke room design service, just speak to one of our helpful event planners and find out what we can do for you!

Prom Themes

You may decide that you also want to set a theme for school prom outfits. These often include things like Black Tie, Masquerade Ball, Great Gatsby, and Hollywood Glam. Whatever you decide, choose a theme that lets your students shine bright on their magical night.

Food and Drink

Buffet style food keeps the pace of the evening moving where sit down meals slow things down. Buffet food makes it easy to grab on the go in between dancing and allows you more flexibility in terms of breaking for entertainment, speeches and awards. 

It’s always worth checking the food hygiene rating to see if your chosen venue has a top class food hygiene rating of 5. At the NCC, our in-house chefs create a street food menu to wow your guests. With 3 savoury stations and 1 sweet station for your guests to choose from, there’s plenty to please everybody.

When it comes to alcohol, of course you need to be mindful of the situation. So, if you prefer to, ensure that there is no alcohol available from the bar on request, so you can enjoy a safe and worry free evening. As an additional extra, we can provide unlimited soft drinks for students so they stay hydrated throughout the evening.

Arrivals

A big part of the prom experience is getting there, whether your students parents have an amazing car or your opt for luxury car hire in Birmingham. As well as plenty of parking, you want to have a large driveway at the front of the building so that cars can stop right outside. That way, students can stop for photographs and get papped by the designated photographer. 

Make all your Hollywood dreams come true by stepping out of your car straight onto a red carpet for that perfect VIP entrance.

Photography

Speaking of photography, you have a couple of options. You can keep it cheap by using your designated school photographer, student photographers or ex-students who have gone on to do photography. Another option is to find a great local photographer who specialises in event photography.

One way that we can take the stress out of this is by offering a 360 Booth for students and teachers to capture your selfies and prom memories from every angle!

Music

Dancing the night away is how everyone wants to spend their school prom. Choose a venue that provides all the AV equipment like speakers, lighting and projectors so you don’t need to worry about hiring extra equipment. 

To make things even easier, some venues have a resident DJ which would come included within the package. Ours has been keeping the Midlands dancing for the last 30 years, so they know a thing or two about how to get a party going.

Microphones are also a necessity if you’re going to be announcing awards like ‘Prom King and Queen’, as voted by the students. Other award ideas include ‘Best Dressed’ and ‘Most Likely to Go Viral’. At the NCC, our electronics are state of the art and will give you quality music and voice projection all night long.

Prom Checklist 2024

Now that you know everything you need to about booking your prom in 2024. Make sure you don’t forget a single detail, using our ultimate prom checklist:

  1. Put together a prom committee (or buy yourself an academic year planner if working solo)
  2. Pick your prom venue and book a date
  3. Decide on food and drink options
  4. Pick your additional extras
  5. Choose your theme
  6. Advertise in school and sell tickets
  7. Pick a prom hashtag! 
  8. Finalise timings, numbers, decorations, and last minute details
  9. Set up the prom suite with the help of your personal event planner
  10. Dance the night away!

Now you know everything you need to organise the ultimate school prom in 2024. If you are looking for prom venues in Birmingham, get in touch with us today to book your prom and allow us to help create the perfect send off for your students.

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Prom Venues Birmingham

For schools looking for prom venues in Birmingham, consider the NCC for your perfect prom venue for Year 11 proms and Year 13 proms within a 20-mile radius of us. We offer a fantastic rate on our prom packages which start at just £42 per person and include:

  • Function room evening hire
  • Arrival mocktail
  • DJ and dance floor
  • VIP red carpet entrance
  • Street-food style buffet
  • Free parking

Make your evening even more special with our upgrade options:

  • Unlimited soft drinks
  • 360 booth
  • LED globes on tables
  • Midnight munch

Why choose the NCC for your school prom venue?

  • Picturesque courtyard space for incredible photographs
  • Excellent transport links around Birmingham area
  • 1000 parking spaces and an entrance big enough for any limo
  • Complimentary WiFi for sharing all your pictures and TikToks during the night

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