During tonight's interview with Kathy Belge, I mentioned I hosted a monthly Sex Toy Bingo (STB) party at our local LGBT bar in Beloit, WI. I've received several comments and emails asking me to expand on the subject.
I actually got the idea from Shooters, a straight bar in Rockford, IL. STB is regular bingo, but instead of giving away cash to the winners of each round, you give them a brand new unused sex toy! During the summer of 2007, Shooters was a regular stop for me on STB night (Tuesdays). The place was always packed full of straight people and gay people.
I threw my very first summer party at my house in May 2008 and I added STB to the list of party games. It was a huge success and I've made sure we play the game everytime I host or co-host a party. Two months ago, I started hosting a monthly STB party at our local gay bar Club Impulse. If you want to host your own STB party, here's whatcha do:
Purchase a Bingo Game
I bought mine at Wal-Mart for less than $10. It's the home version, but you can print all the bingo cards you need for a larger party at Print-Bingo.com - like I do!
Purchase Sex Toys
I purchase sex toys at Naughty But Nice. I tried getting them to donate the toys, but that didn't work out. Since I'm buying the toys and the bar doesn't reimburse me, I usually buy toys that cost less than $30 per toy. We play 5 - 8 rounds, depending on the amount of people who show up.
Promoting Your Party
I usually print up announcements on quarter size sheets of paper and place them all over the bar. Start promoting the party at least 2 weeks ahead of time. I also walk around at the bar on Karaoke nights and gather names and cell numbers of people who are interested in receiving a text message that reminds them about the party. Five days before the party, I send a text reminder. Two days before the party, I send a text reminder. And the day of the party, I send a text reminder.
Covering Your Costs
You can do a few things to recoup the cost of what you spent on sex toys:
(1) Charge people to play the game. You would charge them something like a $1 for every bingo card. But, I don't like charging people to play the game, so I opt for option 2.
(2) Have a 50/50 raffle. The trick here is to wait until people are either liquored up or extremely hyped about winning something - anything! You keep 50% of what you raise in the raffle and the other half goes to the raffle winner. The bar usually has loads of raffle tickets, but if you need them you can buy them really cheap at any Dollar Store.
Finding a Great MC
I'm too busy walking around, handing out cards, and talking to people that I can't MC the game as well. Choose an MC who's funny on the mic, personable, and extremely outgoing. Most of my friends have the same wicked sense of humor I have, so I use one of them. Remember, it's sex toy bingo, not ucher at your grandmother's house.
Have fun! If you need any additional advice, feel free to email me. This is a great game to play if you want to raise money for various charities. It's fun, it's sexy, and it's fairly easy to organize.
During tonight's interview with