Selling drinks at a Fundraiser is a great way to create a healthy profit! With that said, there is a lot involved in those tickets and it is hard to figure out Pricing for Drinks. In fact, setting the prices for how much you are selling each type of Drink is a feat in itself. There are so many considerations and so much knowledge to gain before you can confidently sell them for a profit. There is a lot to manage here! Lucky for you, we got it all settled for you in this easy to read guide on Drink Tickets & Pricing & Strategies.
Drink FAQs
Do you need a “Private”, “Public” or “Industrial” Special Occasions Permit (also known as a SOP)? Did you need a “Sale Permit” or a “No Sale Permit”? Decisions, decisions! We will break it down for you below.
A “Private Event” with a “Sale Permit” is what most of our customers end up getting for Stag & Doe’s and Fundraisers, which will cost you $150 per day.
The Permit Holder has some responsibilities: They must be present the whole event and be responsible for safety and sobriety of guests, as well as ensure that the event is run properly and in compliance with the Liquor License Act.
We are only going to talk about Private and Public Events on this page, but scroll down to see the AGCO’s tip sheet for more info on the 3 Types of Permits available.
Private Event
- Meant for Stag & Doe’s and smaller events
- You can only have invited guests (have a guest list)
- There can be no intention to profit from the sale of alcohol at the event
- You CANNOT advertise the event publicly
- You CAN advertise through social media which is not available for viewing by general public
- There can be no unlawful gambling
- If indoor, must submit application at least 10 days prior. If outdoor it is 30 days prior
- This is a great article to read: CLICK HERE as it explains in more detail what the AGCO recommends for a Private Event
Public Event
- Meant for a Charitable Organization or Not-for-Profit Organizations
- Raise funds for charitable purposes (education, religion, relief of poverty, community, etc)
- You are allowed to publicly advertise
- You can offer alcohol as a prize if there is a lottery license issued to you
- Must submit application at least 30 days prior if indoor or outdoor
Sale Permit
- The cost is $150 per day
- Required when there is an admission charge for the event
- Alcohol is a cash bar, or people buy tickets to get drinks
No Sale Permit
- The cost is $35 per day
- Alcohol is served but is free
- No money is collected for alcohol
- Permit holder absorbs all costs related to alcohol
If you still want more clarification, read the AGCO’s Tip Sheet below. Otherwise, time to get started and fill out their application! CLICK HERE to get started.
AGCO-TIP-SHEETYou need one of these before you can even consider holding an event that sells alcohol! Be sure to visit the AGCO Website as well as check with the hall to make sure you are following all of their rules too, as you don’t want to have any future issues due to a misunderstanding. Special Occasions Permit or SOP seems complicated at first, but we assure you they are not! Also know that the advice we give in this article, is based on what we knew at the time of writing this. The AGCO can at any time review and rewrite their policies so this is just a guideline.
Not sure which kind of SOP to get? See THIS PAGE for a quick summary. If you are having a Stag & Doe, you are having a Private Event and will need a Sale Permit.
The AGCO is full of information, and they put together this 1 minute video if you want to really understand the process!
One other thing that the AGCO has done for you, is put together a Tip Sheet from May 2017 that should make things pretty clear for you and answer any legality questions:
AGCO TIP SHEET