Reserve your Graduation Ball Tickets Now!

The recent survey served as guide for the MSPTA to make a shortlist of candidate venues for the Graduation Ball, approximate per head budget, and candidate dates.

With the Graduation Ball still many months away, most of the preferred venues are fully booked. At this time, there are only three remaining feasible venues, within budget.

1. Eastwood Richmonde Hotel beside the Eastwood Mall is feasible for a MINIMUM of 200 (minimum consumable requirement) and MAXIMUM of 300 attendees (space limitations) on March 25 (also waitlisted for March 18, 2011). Cost P 2,000/head. Includes a dinner buffet with unlimited iced tea.
2. Crowne Plaza beside Robinsons Galleria at Ortigas Center is feasible for a MINIMUM of 320 attendees (minimum consumable requirements) and MAXIMUM of 500 attendees (space limitations), on March 18 and March 25. Cost P 2,000/head. Includes dinner buffet with single drink.
3. Glass Garden, a large air-conditioned indoor garden venue near SM City Marikina, is feasible for 150 to 700 attendees , on March 15, 16, or 17, 2011. Cost P 1,600/head. Includes dinner buffet with unlimited drinks.

The budget covers venue, food for attendees and guests (Year 10 teachers), mobile disco and photo-booth. Due to reservation requirements, we need to collect the graduation ball ticket fees early, both to pay reservation fees and to accurately confirm headcounts. With 320 to 500 confirmed attendees, we can book Crowne Plaza (subject to availability). With 200 to 319 confirmed attendees, we can book Richmonde Hotel(subject to availability). With 150-199, or more than 500 we can book Glass Garden (and return excess fees). With less than 150 we have to revise plans.

Hence, we are requesting you to pay for your son and partner the graduation ball tickets as follows:

• P 1,800 by October 8, 2010 ( P200 discount! ) per attendee, or
• P 1,000 by October 8, 2010 and P900 by January 15, 2011 ( P100 discount! ) per attendee, or
• P 500 by October 8, 2010 and P1,450 by January 15, 2011 ( P50 discount! ) per attendee

The ticket fees are non-refundable, but transferable. After October 8, 2010, tickets may be sold for the full price of P2,000 per attendee DEPENDING ON SPACE LIMITATION of the final venue.

If for example, we reserve Richmonde Hotel which can accommodate 300 guests, we can only issue up to 300 tickets. If we have already issued 300 tickets, we can no longer sell more tickets even if we wanted to, so RESERVE YOUR TICKETS NOW! First come, first served!

You can pay for the tickets

• Pay by cash/check at the MSPTA office near grade school faculty room ( Sept 30 to Oct 8, 3pm to 4:30pm). If paying by check, make check in the name of Susana Clemente and Agnes Doria.
• Pay by bank deposit to to Banco De Oro bank, Concepcion branch, account number 330426435 account name Susana Clemente and Agnes Doria. After depositing, please submit a copy of the deposit slip at the MSPTA office (see above schedule), or scan deposit slip then email image to maryann@marist-community.com.

Optional expenses (such as additional souvenir items) should be covered by fund from fund-raising activities such as the cake/cookie raffle and math tutorials. We would also like to solicit your help/ donation for these activities, whether in the form of cash, cakes or time/effort.

Graduation Ball Survey Results

We tallied the questionnaire responses of the Graduation Ball Survey. Out of the 302 parents/guardians of Year 10 students, a total of 184 voted, all in favor of having a graduation ball. Of the 184 parents, 118 said their sons will bring partners. Voting multiple times for all acceptable budget, the most preferred budget per head is P2,000 per head (hotels such as Crowne Plaza).

In Favor	184
Not in favor	0

My son will bring a partner	118
My son will NOT bring a partner	66

Budget	Votes
P 900	52
P 1,600	47
P 2,000	59
P 2,500	54

Preferred Date	Votes
March 18, 2011	68
March 25, 2011	58
March 26, 2011	54
None	6

This early, many candidate venues are already booked for March 18, 25, and 26, 2011, so we should decide and make reservations as early as possible.

At this time, there are only three remaining feasible venues, within budget.

1. Eastwood Richmonde Hotel beside the Eastwood Mall is feasible for a MINIMUM of 200 (minimum consumable requirement) and MAXIMUM of 300 attendees (space limitations) on March 25 (also waitlisted for March 18, 2011). Cost P 2,000/head. Includes a dinner buffet with unlimited iced tea.
2. Crowne Plaza beside Robinsons Galleria at Ortigas Center is feasible for a MINIMUM of 320 attendees (minimum consumable requirements) and MAXIMUM of 500 attendees (space limitations), on March 18 and March 25. Cost P 2,000/head. Includes dinner buffet with single drink.
3. Glass Garden, a large air-conditioned indoor garden venue near SM City Marikina, is feasible for 150 to 700 attendees , on March 15, 16, or 17, 2011. Cost P 1,600/head. Includes dinner buffet with unlimited drinks.

Due to reservation requirements, we need to collect the graduation ball ticket fees early, both to pay reservation fees and to accurately confirm headcounts. With 320 to 500 confirmed attendees, we can book Crowne Plaza (subject to availability). With 200 to 319 confirmed attendees, we can book Eastwood Richmonde Hotel(subject to availability). With 150-199, or more than 500 we can book Glass Garden (and return excess fees). With less than 150 we have to revise plans.

The Glass Garden



The Glass Garden Special Events Venue is one of the candidate venues for the Marist 2011 Graduation Ball if projected attendance will exceed 300 people. It has two adjacent garden venues, each able to accomodate up to 400 guests, hence the combined area can probably fit 800.

It is a beautiful venue for medium to large events such as wedding receptions, debuts, birthdays and graduation balls. The garden venues are fully air-conditioned and covered in green and frosted white glass.

The Glass Garden is only a short drive from SM City Marikina and Santolan LRT 2 Station.

It was the venue for Kim Chiu's debut a few years ago.
Features

• FULLY AIR-CONDITIONED


• Capacity 100 – 800 ( two gardens )


• All-weather "Rain or Shine," landscaped and soundproof venues


• Use of suite room (during the event proper only) w/balcony and bridge for entrance


• Elegant bridge for grand entrance


• Over 160 parking slots with public address system


• High quality basic sound system


• Complimentary use of basic drapes/ swags


• Handicap-friendly facilities


• Standby generator 312 KVA


• Air-conditioned restrooms


• Danceable flooring


• FREE use for pre-nuptial/ pre-event pictorial


• FREE use of stage: 6 panels


• FREE standard ceiling drapes

Its Multiply web site has lots of pictures.

Accredited Caterers

• Auffrance (Tel) 438.7486, 497.5185, 497.5190 Contact Persons: Jess, Perla
• Bizu (Tel)812.6451, 812.6027 loc 102 Contact Persons: Audrey, Ara
• Jennyrei’s (Tel)381.4214, 433.4504, 09228323323 Contact Person: Jenny
• Josiah’s Catering (Tel)997.0991, 934.9252, 934.5134 Contact Person: Mherlyn
• Juan Carlo Catering (Tel)929.3674, 453.0071 Contact Person: Al
• K by Cunanan Catering (Tel)711.0940, 711.0952 Contact Persons: Meg, Rochelle
• Le Souffle (Tel)750.5810, 894.7461 Contact Person: Eunice, Cristina
• Lina Vitan Catering (Tel)922.9975, 415.3110, 928.7025 Contact Person: Ryan
• Manila Catering (Tel)376.6209, 376.6357, 415.8777 Contact Person: Jess
• Mandarin Oriental Manila (Tel)857.4768, 750.8888 Contact Person:Cyndy

Sample Themes



Masquarade Ball Theme


Hollywood Theme



Emerald Garden


Diamond Garden

Award Nights at the Emerald Garden

Candidate Venues

We scouted several venues in Marikina, Quezon City, Pasig and Makati. Our candidate venues include

Non-Hotel Venues

• Water Nymph Resort near Marikina Convention Center
• Marikina Convention Center
• UP Bahay ng Alumni inside UP Diliman Campus
• Marist School Gym inside Marist School Campus
• Glass Garden near Santolan MRT Station

Hotel Venues

• Eastwood Richmonde Hotel in Eastwood City
• The Manila Peninsula Hotel along Ayala Avenue
• Crowne Plaza at Robinsons Galleria

The best options seem to be the Eastwood Richmonde Hotel and the Glass Garden.
Non-Hotel Venues
Non-hotel venues provide us better flexibility since they allow us to choose from among their accredited caterers. See catering options

When considering non-hotel venues, we look at venue facilities and ask

• is it air-conditioned?
• is it big enough?
• are the toilets clean?
• is it accessible?
• does it include sound/lighting systems?
• does it have a standby generator?
• does it have sufficient parking?
• is there a dance floor?
• etc, etc

Hotel Venues
Hotel venues are normally more expensive, and offer less food choices. Hotels will require minimum revenues depending on the size, location of the venue within the hotel.

Hotels will normally not allow outside caterers to provide the food and drinks. Most food packages will have only one free drink, which is insufficient for a long affair such as our planned graduation ball from 6pm to midnight.

Additional drinks are normally P150 to P250 per, a bit prohibitive to most students.

Hotel published rates are normally VAT exclusive, hence most hotel proposals have fine print stating rates are exclusive of VAT and subject to 10 to 20% service charge. Hence we should expect to pay 22 to 32% more than quoted.