Chapter Socials by EVP Manni

Chapter socials can sometimes be a burden to plan but the overall effects of having a successful social are well worth the effort. Whether your chapter is mingling over a bowl of ice-cream or at a restaurant follow my 3 step path to always having success with your socials.
Operation: The first and most primary thing to establish when you know your chapter needs to socialize a bit more is to establish the operation. Who will be coming? What they will be coming to and why they will and should attend. The most successful socials have a clear path of operation. And establishing goals that you want your social to meet before planning will make the process a lot more smoother and easy going. The simplest socials to plan often contain a few minutes to mingle, an icebreaker and maybe some food to chow down on after or during the social. The main goal of all socials is to SOCIALIZE so make sure your event provides plenty of opportunities for this.
Organization:  Failing to plan is planning to fail. Always set your socials far enough in advance so you have ample time to get everything organized and under control. Something that I always find helpful is to make to do lists or mark up a calendar with deadlines to get things accomplished. When planning events in school make sure to get your location cleared or if your social is off-campus make sure the location is not over or double booked. Setting up job tasks for each person involved in the planning process truly ensures that nothing gets left un-done and lastly I always recommend to even draw up a blue print of the set up in your allocated space.
Opportunity: Never let the overall point of a chapter social to leave your sight. Socials are the times where bonds can be created. From officer-member or maybe even member- member. A stronger more united chapter is proven to be more spirited and cohesive. Then when your chapters travel to CDC or ICDC we can see what type of families really make Florida DECA so EPIC!
 
For more tips on Chapter Socials check out:

• Elevating your DECA chapter : http://www.decadirect.org/April-2015/ELEVATing-Your-DECA-Chapter/

 

• Increasing chapter involvement with a chapter retreat: http://www.decadirect.org/DECA-Direct-Online-Exclusive/May-2014/Increase-Chapter-Involvement-with-a-Chapter-Retreat/