The Complete Guide to Running a Cambridge May Ball

Running a Cambridge May Ball is one of the most ambitious things an undergraduate committee can do. You are managing a budget that can run into hundreds of thousands of pounds, coordinating dozens of suppliers, navigating licensing law, and delivering a night that a thousand guests will remember for the rest of their lives. This guide distils years of accumulated experience from committees across Cambridge into a single practical reference.

Committee Formation and Roles

The committee is the engine of the ball. Getting the right people in the right roles matters more than almost any other decision you will make. Most balls elect or appoint their committee in the Easter or early Michaelmas term of the year before the ball, giving roughly eight months of planning time before May Week arrives.

The core roles that every ball needs, regardless of size, are as follows:

• President / Chair - Oversees the entire operation, chairs committee meetings, liaises with college, and serves as the final decision-maker. This person needs to be organised, diplomatic, and willing to absorb a lot of stress. They are often the primary point of contact with the Senior Treasurer and the college bursar.
• Treasurer - Manages the budget, handles payments, invoices, and reconciliation. Works closely with the college bursar and any external accountants. The Treasurer needs to be meticulous and comfortable pushing back on spending requests from other committee members.
• Entertainment / Ents Officer - Books all acts, from headline performers to student bands, DJs, comedy, and roaming entertainment. This role requires good negotiation skills and a realistic understanding of what your budget can afford.
• Ticketing Officer - Manages the ticketing platform, sets up ticket types and pricing tiers, handles customer service queries, and oversees the on-the-night check-in process. If you use MayBall.com, much of the technical complexity is handled for you, but the strategic decisions around pricing and release timing remain critical.
• Food & Drink Officer - Coordinates caterers, bar suppliers, and any food stall operators. Must plan for dietary requirements, manage stock levels, and ensure compliance with food hygiene regulations.
• Security Officer - Handles hiring of professional security, coordinates with college porters, designs the entry process, and plans anti-crashing measures. See our dedicated security guide for a deep dive.
• Decorations / Production Officer - Responsible for the visual transformation of the college grounds. This includes staging, lighting, set design, and overall theming. Often works closely with the Ents officer on production requirements for performers.
• Marketing / Publicity Officer - Manages social media, the theme reveal campaign, and press coverage. See our marketing guide for strategies.

Larger balls may also have dedicated roles for Sponsorship, Logistics, Welfare, and a Secretary. Smaller events like June Events or soirees can often combine roles - for example, one person handling both marketing and ticketing - but be careful not to overload individuals.

The Timeline: Month by Month

The following timeline assumes a standard May Week ball in mid-June. Adjust dates if your event falls at a different time.

Michaelmas Term (October - December)

• October: Committee elected or appointed. Hold your first full committee meeting. Establish a shared drive, group chat, and regular meeting schedule. Set a preliminary budget with the Treasurer.
• November: Begin approaching headline entertainment agents. Start conversations with your college about venue access, noise curfews, and any building works that might affect your plans. Apply for your Temporary Event Notice (TEN) from Cambridge City Council - the earlier the better, as there are annual limits on how many TENs a venue can hold.
• December: Lock down your theme. Start thinking about ticket pricing. Begin approaching sponsors. The Treasurer should have a working budget spreadsheet with revenue and cost projections. This is also a good time to confirm your ticketing platform - if you are using MayBall.com, get in touch so we can set up your event ahead of Lent term.

Lent Term (January - March)

• January: Finalise headline entertainment bookings. Begin caterer discussions and obtain initial quotes. Confirm your TEN application is submitted if you have not already done so. The marketing team should begin teaser content for the theme reveal.
• February: Theme reveal - typically a big social media moment. Finalise ticket pricing and tier structure. Set up your ticketing platform with all ticket types, pricing, and limits. Begin the first ticket release (many balls do an internal release for college members in late February or early March).
• March: External and alumni ticket release. Confirm caterers and bar suppliers. Begin detailed production planning - staging dimensions, power requirements, lighting rigs. Start recruiting volunteers or workers for the night itself.

Easter Term (April - June)

• April: Confirm all entertainment contracts. Finalise security arrangements and hire professional security if you have not already. Order wristbands and any physical tickets or passes. Begin detailed site planning - where every marquee, stage, bar, and toilet will go.
• May: Production build begins for larger balls. Conduct a full site walk-through with your security team and college staff. Finalise the running order for the evening. Confirm all dietary requirements with caterers. Run a volunteer briefing for all helpers.
• Early June (May Week): Build week. All structures go up, sound checks happen, decorations are installed. Hold a final committee briefing. Confirm emergency procedures with the college and local services. Then the night arrives - and everything you have planned comes together.

Budgeting Basics

Your budget is the foundation of everything. A May Ball that runs out of money is a May Ball that gets cancelled, and that is a catastrophe for everyone involved. For a detailed treatment, see our budgeting guide, but the essentials are:

• Revenue comes primarily from ticket sales (typically 80-90% of total revenue), with additional income from sponsorship (5-15%) and sometimes bar sales surplus.
• Costs typically break down roughly as: entertainment 30-40%, food and drink 25-30%, production and infrastructure 15-20%, security 5-10%, and contingency 5-10%.
• Always hold a contingency reserve of at least 5-10% of total budget. Things will go wrong - weather, supplier cancellations, unexpected costs - and your contingency is what prevents those problems from becoming crises.
• Cash flow matters. Ticket revenue comes in during Lent term, but many supplier invoices are due just before or after the ball. Make sure you can cover deposits and early payments without relying on revenue that has not arrived yet.

Licensing: The TEN

In England, selling alcohol, providing regulated entertainment, and serving late-night refreshments all require a licence. For most May Balls, the appropriate mechanism is a Temporary Event Notice (TEN), issued by Cambridge City Council. Key points:

• A TEN must be submitted at least 10 working days before the event, but in practice you should submit it as early as possible - ideally in Michaelmas term. Late applications lose the right to appeal if the council objects.
• Each premises can have a maximum of 15 TENs per calendar year, and each TEN covers a maximum of 499 people at any one time and a maximum of 168 hours. For balls with more than 499 guests, you may need to work under the college's existing premises licence instead - check with your college early.
• The personal licence holder (the person named on the TEN) can only give 5 TENs per year (or 2 late TENs). This is typically the President or the Senior Treasurer.
• Your TEN covers the sale of alcohol, so your bar operators need to comply. Brief them on challenge-25 requirements and ensure no one under 18 is served.

Venue Considerations

Your college is your venue, and your relationship with the college authorities will define how smoothly your planning goes. Key considerations:

• Noise restrictions: Most colleges have strict curfews on amplified music, often midnight or 1am for outdoor stages. Plan your entertainment schedule around these limits. Indoor stages or well-insulated marquees can usually run later.
• Grounds access: Understand exactly which areas you can use, when you can start building, and what restrictions apply. Some courts or gardens may be off-limits. Older college buildings may have restrictions on what you can attach to walls or how much weight the grounds can bear.
• Utilities: Where are the power connections? Where does water come from for bars and kitchens? Generator hire is almost always necessary for larger events - plan placement carefully to minimise noise.
• Exam period conflicts: May Week is right after exams, but build week overlaps with the tail end of the exam period for some students. Your college will care deeply about this, and you need to plan accordingly.

Entertainment Booking

Entertainment is typically the single largest budget item and the biggest draw for ticket buyers. Here is how to approach it:

• Start early. The best acts book up months in advance. Begin approaching agents in Michaelmas term for a June event.
• Use agents, not direct approaches. Most professional acts are booked through talent agencies. The agents know the Cambridge circuit and often give better rates to university events than to commercial promoters.
• Mix professional and student acts. Cambridge has exceptional student musicians, comedians, and performers. They cost far less than professional acts and often draw significant audiences. Use them to fill early evening and smaller stage slots.
• Negotiate. Agent asking prices are almost never final. Bundle multiple acts from the same agency for a discount. Offer to cover travel and accommodation instead of a higher fee. Be upfront about your budget - agents who work the May Ball circuit understand that these are student-run events.
• Consider exclusivity clauses. Some agents will try to include clauses preventing the act from performing at other Cambridge balls in the same May Week. These are valuable but come at a premium.
• Get everything in writing. Contracts should specify performance time, duration, technical requirements, cancellation terms, and payment schedule.

Ticketing Strategy

Ticketing is complex enough to deserve its own guide - and we have written one. See our Ticketing Strategy for Ball Committees for a detailed treatment of release timing, pricing tiers, transfer policies, anti-touting measures, and waitlist management. The short version:

• Release tickets in waves - internal first, then external, then alumni - to manage demand and create urgency.
• Price tickets to reflect your budget requirements while remaining accessible. Consider bursary ticket allocations for students who could not otherwise afford to attend.
• Use a platform that handles name-on-ticket verification, controlled transfers, and waitlists natively. MayBall.com does all of this at zero cost.

Security Overview

Security is one of the most Cambridge-specific aspects of running a ball. The tradition of "crashing" - attempting to enter a ball without a ticket - means that your security arrangements need to be significantly more robust than a typical private event. Our Security, Access Control & Anti-Crashing guide covers this in detail.

At a minimum, you need professional SIA-licensed security staff, a robust wristband or credential system, ID verification at entry, and physical perimeter security. Work with your college porters - they know the site intimately and can identify weak points that outsiders would miss.

On-the-Night Operations

The night itself is a test of your planning. Here is what matters most:

• Entry process: This is the first impression your guests have. It needs to be fast, smooth, and secure. Pre-assign guests to entry lanes, have your ticketing system ready for name lookups, and brief every person on the door. With MayBall.com's mobile scanner app, your entry team can verify guests by scanning QR codes or searching by name - with photo verification and real-time duplicate detection.
• Marshalling: Assign committee members or volunteers to specific areas throughout the night. They need to know the schedule, the layout, and the emergency procedures. Equip them with radios or a group chat for real-time communication.
• Weather contingency: It will rain at some point during May Week. Have a plan for wet weather that does not involve cancelling outdoor entertainment. Marquees, covered walkways, and weatherproof stages are your friends.
• First aid: Have trained first aiders on site throughout the night. Most professional security firms can provide SIA-licensed staff with first aid qualifications. Know where the nearest A&E is (Addenbrooke's) and have a clear protocol for medical emergencies.
• Running order: Print copies of the running order for every committee member and security team leader. Include set times, changeover schedules, and contact numbers for every act and supplier on site.

Post-Ball Wrap-Up

The ball does not end when the last guest leaves. The post-ball phase is critical for financial accountability, supplier relationships, and setting up your successors for success.

• Clean-up: Most colleges require the site to be fully restored within 48 to 72 hours. This is a significant logistical operation in itself. Recruit helpers, hire skip bins, and make sure you have a plan for returning hired equipment.
• Accounts: Settle all outstanding supplier invoices promptly. Reconcile your budget against actual spend. Produce a final financial report for the college and the incoming committee. This report is one of the most valuable handover documents you will create.
• Supplier feedback: Document which suppliers performed well and which did not. Include specific details - what they quoted versus what they delivered, how responsive they were to problems on the night, whether you would recommend them. This information is gold for next year's committee.
• Handover: See our Committee Handover Guide for a structured approach to passing the baton. The single biggest risk to any ball is institutional knowledge loss when the committee turns over.
• Celebrate: You have just pulled off something extraordinary. Take a moment to appreciate that before the real world resumes.