A checklist for the parents' committee: 8 steps to a written offer
The order in which things actually get done, from the first meeting to the written offer. Written for the parent who volunteered and has never organised an event for three hundred teenagers.
In short
A parents' committee gets from the first meeting to a written offer in eight steps: establish the real headcount, fix the maximum budget per student, choose the period, decide destination and duration, request offers from two or three licensed agencies, compare them on what they include, verify the licence and insolvency policy, then sign the contract.
The first thing you learn when you join the committee is that nobody tells you where to start. The order below is the one that works in practice, because each step depends on the answer to the one before it.
1. Find out how many you are, before anything else
Not "about a hundred". The real number of students who will travel, plus accompanying teachers. Every price you receive depends on it: a group of 28 and a group of 140 get different rates at the same hotel.
2. Fix the maximum budget, not the ideal one
The question is not "what would be nice to spend", but "above which figure does a family in this class stop being able to come". That is the number that matters, because a student left at home over money spoils the whole evening.
The market starting price for a turnkey two-night package is €190 per student. Build upwards from there.
3. Choose the period before the destination
The month decides almost everything that follows: which hotels are free, what they cost, whether an outdoor party is possible.
| Period | What you gain | What you lose |
|---|---|---|
| April | Lower prices, hotels available | Unreliable weather outdoors |
| May | The best balance | Weekends booked from autumn |
| June | Beach party, reliable weather | Peak season, highest prices |
4. Decide destination and duration with the students
This is the only decision the students must be in the room for. The committee decides the budget; the year group decides where it goes.
5. Request offers from two or three licensed agencies
Not ten. Beyond three offers the comparison becomes impossible and the decision slips by a month. Give them all the same brief in writing: headcount, departure city, period, duration, maximum budget.
6. Compare on what is included, not on the final figure
This is where most committees lose. An offer €20 cheaper that excludes transport is in fact €40 more expensive. Build a table with one column per agency and one row for each of: return transport, nights and hotel category, meals included, whether the function room is exclusively yours, DJ and MC and decor, photo and video, how many agency staff are on site, and what happens if it rains.
7. Verify the licence, the policy and the contract
A banquet with minors is not organised on trust. Ask, in writing, for the travel licence number and the insolvency policy number, and check them.
Whoever collects the money must also be whoever signs the contract. If the two names differ, stop.
Ask the same of every agency you approach, including us: licence number, insolvency policy, who is on site, and what the plan is if it rains.
8. Sign, then move to payments
After signing, the committee has three jobs: announce the payment calendar, collect parental consents for students under 18, and communicate the exact departure time. Everything else belongs to the agency.
Next step
If you have reached step 5 and want an offer to compare against, tell us how many students you are and which city you leave from. You get the written offer within 24 hours, with a final price per student.
