Organizing events is a difficult task. Keeping track of all the small details can be challenging with so many moving parts. There’s a lot to consider, from selecting a venue and speakers to sending out thank you notes and doing a post-event debrief.
If you’re preparing an event without a written checklist or roadmap, you’re setting yourself up for disaster. An event organizer shouldn’t try to remember all details themselves. It’s best to work backwards from the date of your event, and follow an event planning checklist to make sure there isn’t anything you’ve forgotten. So you don’t have to start from scratch, or to double-check that you haven’t forgotten anything, follow our suggestions below to create your event planning checklist.
Let’s get started and plan your event the right way!
A checklist can make all the difference to be on the road to success. It will help your team to keep track of the tasks at hand and help execute them perfectly.
Establish a Goal for the Event
When preparing an event, one of the first things you should do is determine the event goals. Revenue, media attention, fundraising, the number of attendees, the debut of a new product, and so on are all possible ideas.
Identify your event’s purpose or what you wish to achieve. That’ll make it easier to prioritize what to work on and how to make decisions. Don’t forget to make sure your objective meets the SMART criteria, which stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.
Manage Your Team
Build a capable team that can assist you in achieving the objective you’ve set and to whom you can delegate work to work without hesitation. Creating an organizational chart can aid in the clarification of team member roles and responsibilities, as well as reporting linkages.
When you assign duties to each team member throughout the planning process, it’s equally important to figure out how to communicate with them (e.g., chat software, email, phone calls, text messages, etc.).
Remember to arrange regular committee meetings to discuss the status of planning and any concerns that arise. Make an event planning timetable to keep track of the specific tasks you need to perform and the deadlines you need to meet. It will make it easier for your staff to keep track of things.
Make a Financial Plan
Before you start planning, think about your budget and check if your event planning requirements fit.
When creating an event budget, the following are typically the most important categories to allocate funds for. Although some of these things may not have set prices, it’s vital to make educated guesses to determine whether you can afford them.
• Venue – Payments for rental(s) for the location, security deposits, parking, etc..
• Staff – Think about how much money you’ll need to set up for staff meals, transportation, and hotels, especially if the event is out of town.
• Food and Beverages – Food and water are two necessities for the event. Consider a variety of caterer possibilities until you locate one that meets your requirements and fits inside your event budget.
• Entertainment – Will you require musicians, DJs, or speakers for your event? Allocate funds for them, as well as their transportation and lodging expenses.
• Decorations – If you’re planning to use flowers, lights, or other decorations to decorate the event hall or stage, you’ll need to budget for them as well.
• Marketing – It should include any funds you’ll need to promote your event, whether it’s through Facebook advertisements or printed posters and brochures.
• Audio/Video – A/V equipment comprises microphones, speakers, WiFi, cables, projectors, and other items. These may or may not be included in your contract with the venue.
Invite team members in charge of different areas to fill in the estimated costs for your event.
Create the Event Design
This is the most important aspect of event planning since it incorporates the elements that have the most impact on guests.
Program
The program narrates the event’s goal and objectives. Each story element develops anticipation for the next story aspect during the event. The climax of that excitement should be spectacular. It’s what you want your visitors to remember the most about your event. An event checklist aids in the arrangement of the story by breaking down the event’s timeline.
The program comes to life on your event planning checklist by:
• Creating a program schedule
• Creating an event planning timeline for the program
• Bringing the program to life by hiring vendors or entertainers
Layout
The way you use your space, including seating arrangements, can make a huge difference.
Include a task for visually laying out the event area on your event checklist. Be sure to map out specifics such as where speakers will be located, seating for attendees, entrances (including check-in), and where A/V may be located. Next, consider the location of safety items like electrical wires and bussing stations, as needed.
Theme
It’s great to make work fun, but picking an event theme isn’t just for fun. The theme conveys the event’s message while also serving other important functions, such as:
• Creating buzz. The event experiences of the guests begin well before the event. Theme-based invitations and social media posts build excitement and set the tone for the upcoming event. Make your hashtags fun!
• Bringing your event’s elements together. Individual event components (such as décor, catering, and entertainment) are linked by a theme, which layers the event message into a unified experience.
• Creating a lasting impression. If a guest attends a party with a 1950s diner theme, they will most likely remember the party the next time they see a diner, in person or in media. This also implies that people will think of your company, product, or brand.
Make a List of Potential Partners and Sponsors
Community organizations featuring your business sponsors can help you save money, uncover new advertising possibilities, expand your audience, and arrange your event. When looking for partners, be sure that their vision is compatible with yours, and that you’re able to help each other.
Promote Your Event
You’ll publicize your event in a variety of ways. Depending on the best approach to reach your target demographic, you can use email marketing, fliers, social media, TV, radio, personal invitations, and more.
Prepare your marketing materials according to your budget. Include logos, banners, posters, flyers, invitations, newsletters, etc.
Skills Successful Planners Should Have to be Successful
If you’re considering a job as an event planner, whether as a freelancer or for a company, make sure you’re a suitable fit for the position. Most event planners possess a diverse set of abilities. You’ll use the following five event-planning abilities frequently. These skills have the potential to make or break your success.
Event Planners are Incredibly Well-organized People
Effective event planning necessitates a high level of organization. Being organized may come easy to folks who build and maintain to-do lists in their daily lives. Others who have trouble remembering deadlines or picking up their dry cleaning may find that being organized takes more effort.
Event planners have a plethora of organizational tools at their disposal, ranging from registration software and spreadsheet templates. Regardless of your innate organizing abilities, an event checklist that is personalized for each project is one of the most valuable tools you may have.
Because being organized is essential for an event-planning job, figure out what strategy works best for you.
Personality is a Quality of Event Planners
What do all of these occasions have in common? People. Successful event planners are personable, engaging, good conversationalists, and great listeners. Event planning is a social vocation because the end outcome – the event – will involve a group of people, which involves a bit of unpredictability. It’s part of the job to be able to read people and enjoy conversing with them.
This does not imply that you will spend the majority of your time as an event planner attending client luncheons and sipping cocktails at social gatherings. It takes a lot of time and effort to arrange an event, and much of it is spent at a desk on a phone or behind a computer.
Listen and Communicate Clearly
Many jobs require excellent communication abilities. Miscommunication in planning events may cause a slew of issues for both the event planner and the client, and even a minor misunderstanding can be disastrous. As a result, the capacity to listen is critical to comprehend the client’s requirements.
Event Planners are Resourceful
Event planners have a lot of ideas. And with that creativity comes the capacity to turn a concept into a reality. When it comes to preparing an event, creativity is vital. Whether you’re coming up with a distinctive theme for a party or finding an affordable décor option that fits a tight budget, or many other issues, problem-solving requires creativity. The ability to think creatively to create solutions to challenges can prevent event showstoppers.
Multi-Taskers
Multitasking is a skill that event planners possess. The ability to prioritize and focus on each activity without becoming distracted by other things or overwhelmed by the numerous aspects that require your attention is critical to making your event successful. The qualities of an effective multitasker are remaining calm, focused, and flexible.
How Event Planning Software Can Improve the Event Planning Process
Managing an event may be challenging, and with so many moving pieces, keeping track of everything while ensuring your event runs smoothly can be difficult. Utilizing event management software can help you make your next event a success, from saving time and money to increased involvement and better project management.
Reduce Costs of Event Planning
Event management software allows you to efficiently manage the details of your event, saving you both time and money. It can also automate your promotional activities, assisting you in increasing attendance rates, increasing interest, and creating that much-needed event buzz in the days up to your event.
Take and Manage Bookings in Minutes
The administrative aspects of event planning can take a long time. Sending out invitations, manually processing bookings and payments, dealing with cancellations and refunds, and managing check-ins during the event are all tasks that can easily take up an entire day. This is where a good event automation system comes in handy.
Save You Time
By automating all operations, event management software can help you save time. The program allows you to streamline all procedures for swift and seamless execution, from registration tracking and reservations to payment processing and follow-up emails.
Manually completing all of these tasks would be extremely time-consuming and inefficient. All tasks are consolidated in an integrated system wherein everything you need to run your event is in one location, making event administration quick, simple, and efficient, saving you time.
Professionalism
Event management software helps to make the event planning process more professional. As previously stated, the automation provided by your software program handles all of the event’s time-consuming rote mechanics. Your team will be in charge of all issues that demand a true human touch – those one-time issues that tend to arise unexpectedly and cause more trouble if not addressed swiftly by a professional problem solver.
Ready to Plan Your Next Event?
Not every event’s scheduling requirements are the same; they might range from simple to sophisticated. Similarly, not all these management scheduling systems are created equal—they can range from the most basic to the most advanced.
Whether you’re an experienced event planner or a novice, we believe these steps will assist you in efficiently (re)organizing your events. If you have the appropriate tools and the right crew, you’re ready to go and make use of our event planning software.