Did you know that getting organized can help make your event a success? If you want help with your event planning, we can help.
In this guide, we’ll go over how to plan an event and make it a success.
Want to learn more? Keep reading.
What Is Your Goal?
When you start planning your event, you’ll want to write down your objectives and goals. Why are you organizing this event, and what would you like to achieve?
Do you want to raise awareness for a cause or launch a new product? How many people do you hope to attract to your event?
Set a goal with quantifiable metrics so you can work hard to reach them. You’ll have a clear idea of what you’d like to achieve.
What’s Your Budget?
You’ll also want to establish your event budget beforehand. Come up with ideas during the planning process, but consider your budget.
Consider how much you will spend on the venue. You need to factor in insurance you’ll have to buy as well.
How much do you plan to spend on food and drink? The amount you decide to spend on food and drink will determine how many tickets you can sell.
Will you have entertainment? Set aside money for a DJ or a speaker. Make room for any accommodation or travel costs along with their compensation.
Will you need to spend money on decorations? Some people will go with a DIY theme, and create beautiful decorations with the help of a committee. See how much you’ll spend and decide from there.
Is your event out of town? If so, you’ll need to budget money for your staff’s transportation and accommodation costs. Budget staff time as well if your team spends time working on the event outside regular hours.
Set aside money for marketing your event. You could promote your event online or place flyers throughout your town or city.
Don’t forget any electronics you’ll need. You might need to rent projectors or speakers for your event. Determine what you’ll need and how much you can spend.
Most well-planned events will have some extra costs pop up. Set aside a bit of money for any miscellaneous items you weren’t expecting.
Choose a Date
You might have a date set up already if it’s a recurring event. If not, you’ll want to consider a few things before deciding on a date.
Give yourself plenty of time to plan. Try to give yourself up to six months to plan your event. Keep an eye on the calendar and make sure your event doesn’t fall on a religious or statutory holiday.
Try to avoid school holiday sessions. Before you solidify your date, check with your key participants and make sure the time works for them.
After you set the date, start booking any external staff like caterers that you’ll need.
Write an Event Master Plan
After you have a timeline and the costs associated with your event, begin your master plan.
A master plan will help you make sure everything stays on track. Coordinate with event committee members and volunteers in an easier manner.
Outline the contracts, permits, and insurances you’ll need for the venue and catering team. Add all the contact information here as well, in case you have a question before the event.
Add information about your presenters and speakers. Where will they be staying and confirm with them the time they will speak. List their management contact information.
When will the activities and entertainment occur? Include details about your promotion and publicity. Don’t forget printed programs, social media, online advertisements, and media relations.
How can people register for the event? Organize the online sign-up, and include the payment and tracking information. Who will take care of signing people in for the event?
If you manage to get sponsors for your event, add all their contact information and thank you gifts.
Finally, don’t forget about outlining volunteer responsibilities and the primary manager.
When you plan your event, you should also write down a detailed timeline. This way, you can ensure that everything will run in a smooth manner. Include if any insurance policies or permits need to get submitted.
If your organization has run events before, review previous documentation. Make sure you aren’t missing anything important.
Rent the Venue
After you have your date, you need to book the venue right away. Once you have your time and location, you can start advertising your event.
When you search for a venue, you’ll want to consider if the site is accessible.
Are there elevators and accessible entrances? Are there all-gender washrooms? Do you have room for interpreters?
Pick a venue that will match up with the intended amount of people you hope will attend.
Can people reach your venue by public transit? Is there plenty of room for people to park their vehicles?
If you need microphones and speakers, make sure it’s easy to set them up in the venue. Is there wifi access?
Day of the Event
To make sure you have prepared for any strange incidences, create an agenda.
Make sure you walk through the entire day from setting the event up to cleanup. Include all the details, so you feel as if you have most of the event under control.
You can identify who needs to do what during each stage. Communicate what tasks people have for each step, so everyone remains accountable.
Learn more about group event planning.
Now You Know How to Plan an Event
We hope this guide on group event planning was helpful. Start early and create your budget. You can plan an event with the help of your committee.
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