TUXEDOS & FLANNELS

A trend we've seen growing over the past 10 years or so is that staff want their events to be less formal. They think, "Why do I need to dress up for this event? Won't my guests and I feel a lot more comfortable in casual clothing? Isn't that important - that my partners feel comfortable?" That leads many staff to wonder why our invitations still include a dress code or even why we don't allow children to attend.

We obviously don't want our guests to feel uncomfortable or cause them undue stress

Let me first say that you're not entirely wrong if you've been thinking that. It's true that the times have changed, and TeamGold has actually changed with them. If our site had existed in 1950, we would have told you to have a white tie dress code. Today, we simply tell you to promote business attire, knowing that many guests will end up in business casual. We obviously don't want our guests to feel uncomfortable or cause them undue stress by making them get a babysitter. That said here are a few quick insights to help you see why we still highly encourage a dress code:

• Statistics consistently show that the better dressed your guests are, the more money they will give at your event. Think about it in the extreme: how many people have ever cut a check for $10,000 while wearing sweatpants?

• Remember that the people you're inviting to your event aren't missionaries - they are used to dressing at least business casual every day for work.

• Allowing children to attend your event sounds like a great idea until you're trying to present the need for your ministry to a group of distracted adults and crying children. Feel free to remind guests asking about bringing their children that even though you're sure their child will behave, if you let one come you have to let them all come.

Trust us, you'll feel much better about your event if you stick to our model. Asking guests to leave the kids at home and dress up a bit will give them a much more fun, meaningful evening.