Things To Remember While Planning Any Event

Planning an event could be a stressful task. Chances are you might find yourself in the middle of a crisis situation and don’t know what to do next. I relate to this because I recently helped plan an event in college. As a result, these past few weeks have been a truly extraordinary learning experience for me. I learnt that events can be loads of fun except for the n number of times you are left in tricky unsolvable situations.
Hence, let me share my knowledge and certain valuable tips with you to help you throw a memorable event in the future.

1.     Purpose

Why are you throwing this event? What is the occasion? You want to make certain there is a clear mission and business reason to hold an event - a celebration, a fundraising event, a new product launch, a birthday party, etc.

2.   Planning

Failing to plan is planning to fail. Create a document for the entire team and discuss what the bigger picture will look like. You need to be thorough with your target audience, invitations, theme and décor. If you want to pleasantly surprise your guests, think about everything down to the smallest detail: how they register, who will greet the guests, what music will be playing, do you have an interesting photo corner, how your presentations does look and how is your team dressed, what to do during breaks.

3.   Budget

Budgeting allows you to create a spending plan for your money. Following a budget or spending plan will also keep you out of debt or help you work your way out of debt if you are currently in debt. Look at the list of tasks and reflect them in your budget. It is also worth thinking about a reserve in case of unforeseeable situations. 

4.   Attendees

You have your guests, food, signs, event purpose — but now what? How do you keep your people engaged at your event?  Depending on the objective of your event you have many options such as tour of the venue, fun games, live streaming on social media or arrange for a lecture/speaker. Try to surprise people and create the wow effect, exceed their expectations in the most ordinary things. This is exactly what creates the feel of an event.

5.    Location

The venue is one of the most basic and crucial part of any event. You must take into consideration various aspects like the weather, type of event, number of guests, time of the event and budget while selecting the venue. Also always check the location before settling with it. Once the venue is finalised, do regular visits of the location to avoid any major issues.   

6.   Responsibilities

This includes your service and staff facilities. Prepare a list of all the main tasks at hand and then flesh them out in as much detail as possible in the form of specific steps that must be completed. It is important to designate the timeframe in the plan: the time required for completing a task. It is often underestimated and preparation goes slower than you expected.

7.    Promotion

Do not underestimate the time required for the successful promotion of an event. The type of event, its target audience, internal resources and the budget all determine your marketing approach. When choosing your media partners, focus on those who target your audience. It’s better to have a few partners but targeted ones, rather than talk about the event to just about everyone. It is also important to create one key message that will be broadcast on all channels. Make sure it is brief and that it accurately conveys the idea of the event to your audience.

8.   Feedback

You’re probably going to be tired and happy after the event, but it will be difficult for you to give an assessment of how it all went. That is why ask participants to complete a printed evaluation form at the end of the event or an online form when they get home. This information will help you to avoid mistakes in the future and improve the quality of your events.