Planning Bid Day for your chapter? Don’t know where to start? No worries College Hill has you covered! With staff that has been in your shoes, we know just how stressful planning such an important event can be! We have put a TO-DO checklist together just for you to hopefully make the process a little less stressful!

Readers! If I am forgetting anything, please comment below any other tasks/ to-do's that I am missing! 

Pick a theme!

Holly Molly, there are so many options! From Drafting The Best, New Bid’s On The Block or Ke$ha themed, there are literally thousands of options and the possibilities are endless. Decide on a theme that makes you stand out from the rest of the chapters at your university and something that is memorable for your new members! Visit our Pinterest “Bid Day Themes We Love” for inspiration!

Start Designing Bid Day Shirts

So, you picked your theme! Great! Talk to a College Hill designer and make your theme come to life on a tee or tank that your chapter will “ouu and ahh” over! Bid Day Bonus/ Shameless Plug: Start your Bid Day order with @CH_Threads and receive a Bid Day Snapchat Geofilter absolutely FREE! (Also Keep in mind) If you want to coordinate the 'look’ for all the day’s festivities, have everyone wear similar styles. For example everyone could wear white shorts and high top converse.

Keeping with the theme and the shirt designs, you can order new member promo products. From custom tote bags, tumblers and laptop decal, you can make it all happen with @ch_threads. Shop promo products here.

Timeline

This will take some weight off your shoulders, trust me. You will feel calm and collected once you put the day’s timeline together. Split your timeline in 30 minute increments to keep yourself on schedule through all the excitement and chaos Bid Day brings. From the new members arriving at the house, to pictures, to the opening speech by your chapter president it will help to have time blocked off for all activities. Most importantly, communicate with your chapter not only about what to wear,  but when to arrive and how the day will flow. You can even delegate who will be helping out with set up and cleanup for the day’s events, setting up food, blowing up balloons, etc . Every detail matters and having a clear timeline with a handy-dandy schedule for your sister helpers will make everything go 1000x smoother.  

The Name Game

Keeping with the theme, you can order/design bid cards & envelopes from @CH_Threads for each new member that introduces them to the next step of your life. This is a very memorable piece for your new members. These cards are to be filled out when your final new member list is confirmed.  Other Important Personalized Items:
1) Welcome signs for each new member with their name
2) Name tags for all the active sisters and the new pledges to wear during Bid Day

Get Crafty

From painting a large bid day banner to hang on the front of your house, new member door decor or crafted hand-held greek letters, this is where you can go all out! From creating a picture backdrop, ordering helium balloons, streamers and other decorations to bring your bid day theme to life, gather ideas and execute the must haves! Get organized and create a layout of the space you will be using. Where does each table need to go? What prop pieces go where? Having answers to these questions will make it easier for you sister helpers to have responsibility of setting up each section.

We Are Family

If your new members won’t be getting a big sis until later in the school year, make sure they have a temporary big sis or mentor to help guide them through the first couple of weeks. Make sure to match girls up with each other based on personality or things you found out during recruitment about each new member. This will make the transition into your chapter easy and welcoming! You can always switch up these temporary bigs in the weeks leading up to big/little reveal, but definitely make sure there is a mentor waiting to welcome them home!

Book The Photographer

Make sure to arrange for a photographer for your big day. Not only will you cherish the group pictures of your new members, but the candid photographs are the absolute best to look back on and your sisters will cherish these pictures for the rest of their lives!

Don’t let your hangry monster out!

Organize how you will be feeding the chapter. Whether you choose fancy catering or a casual buffet style, determine the food situation. Along with food, make sure you have enough tables, chairs, and dishware. Make sure to have have a lot, I repeat A LOT of water available.

Music

Arrange the music for your Bid Day. Decided on a DJ or make a playlist, you decide! But don’t wait till the last minute.

The Main Event

Make sure to have a main event planned for everyone to enjoy, this can range from swimming to a carnival in your front yard to bowling. The possibilities are endless! This event should last between two and four hours. Just make sure if you are traveling somewhere you have safe and reliable transportation for all members. Be sure play some ice breaker games during your activity so everyone can get to know the new members and they can learn more about their new sisters!

Make it FB Official

Encourage your sisters to connect with all of the new members on Facebook immediately following bid day. Post, tag and share your event and chapter on all social media platforms. This is also a great time to have your new members follow your chapter’s accounts on Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr and Twitter!  

Event Wrap Up

Make sure all of your new and existing members know of all the important dates coming up for the next week! This is a great time to pass out and information your new members may need about chapter meetings, live in requirements, study tables, house rules or even what days to wear letters! Make sure your new members leave bid day with a sense of sisterhood and excitement for the best years of their life!

Planning Fall Bid Day 2016? Start designing your apparel in May and receive 15% off your entire order! Or bundle your Bud Day with hats, totes, fanny packs and more to save up to 20% off your entire order. BUT WAIT! THERE IS MORE! Order your Bid Day apparel through College Hill Custom Threads and receive a totally custom Snapchat Geofilter for your chapter and the special day! Email info@chthreads.com or submit a quick quote of what you are looking for!