A well-planned event requires meticulous attention to detail. This is especially true for events that are hosted in person or online.
Determine Attendee Details: Confirm and finalize attendance details based on RSVPs.
Set up Event Spaces: Coordinate with vendors and service providers to manage their arrival, setup and testing of equipment and technical aspects of the event.
Arrive Early
As an event planner, you’re responsible for a lot. Your duties include arranging catering, securing venue space, creating an agenda for your attendees, and so much more. The event world can be a hectic place, and it’s easy for details to slip through the cracks. Fortunately, there are plenty of tools available to help you plan and execute your event like a pro.
To ensure your event goes off without a hitch, it’s important to arrive early. Not only will this allow you to address any last-minute changes, but it will also give you a chance to check the status of all your event preparations. For example, you may want to meet with your AV team about ensuring all the necessary equipment is ready to go, or you might need to set up seating arrangements.
Additionally, arriving early gives you a chance to familiarize yourself with the event space. For instance, if your event has multiple rooms, it’s helpful to walk through the entire layout to make sure everything is in order. You’ll be able to see the flow of the event, identify any areas that require extra attention, and determine the best way to organize your team.
Finally, arriving early can also be a great opportunity to connect with speakers or VIPs. Many speakers will arrive before the presentation to greet their audience and answer questions, and you’ll have a chance to get to know them before they take the stage. If you’re lucky, they may even offer you a personal autograph!
When you arrive early, you’ll also have the chance to enjoy a few treats before the event begins. Many events serve snacks and drinks, such as coffee, doughnuts, and cookies, to encourage people to attend. If you show up late, you’ll miss out on these tasty perks. In addition, some venues will only provide these treats to early arrivals. Arriving early will ensure that you have a seat to enjoy these snacks and drinks. This is a great way to start your event experience!
Set Up
Having an event planning checklist for your day-of tasks can save you and your team from missing important steps or forgetting to do something crucial. By setting a time and date for each task, you can also track progress and assign tasks to specific individuals so that you can see who’s doing what and when. Using an app like Blerter with geolocation technology can also help you communicate to your team when it’s time to check-in and check-out of the site, allowing you to make sure everyone is where they are supposed to be.
The first step is to hammer out your overall goal and objectives for the event. This will help you identify the key tasks for the day, and determine what’s essential and what’s optional. It will also help you prioritize the tasks so that you focus on the tasks that are most important to your event’s success. Such as finding Special Events Photo Booths information for your event.
Create a list of all the vendors and suppliers you’ll need for your event, including contact information and any documents they might need to bring with them. Communicate with these people a month before the event to ensure they have everything they need to prepare for your big day. It’s also a good idea to put together an emergency kit, with extra pens, highlighters, paper, USB drives, chargers, and other items you might need.
Organize your files by creating folders for each event you plan. This will allow you to find your materials more quickly when the day of your event arrives. It’s also a good idea for every planner to have an event box with a few basic emergency supplies, like a first aid kit and snacks, in case something unexpected happens.
The day of the event can be stressful if you’ve not set up your team and your venue appropriately. It’s a busy and hectic time, so you need to make sure everything is ready to go when guests arrive. You can cut down on these stresses by using a space planning tool like Cvent to visually layout your event space and share it with your team before the big day.
Break Down
Whether you’re planning an event for thousands of people or a smaller gathering, a checklist will help you stay organized. From identifying short- and long-term goals to developing a project plan, an event checklist will keep your team on track throughout the process. Use a template to create your list and be sure to include all of the necessary steps in the planning process. This includes sourcing and contracting vendors, creating a budget, scheduling tasks, and assigning deadlines. A tool like ClickUp can help you manage these tasks and create a shared project plan with your team.
Once your event is over, it’s important to follow up with attendees and collect data on how the event went. By doing so, you’ll be able to improve future events and build relationships with your guests. It’s also a great way to gather information about your target audience and find out what topics and speakers they want to hear from in the future.
One of the most important aspects of any event is its content. This is why it’s critical to develop a program that delivers valuable and relevant information for your audience. Using a variety of content formats, such as presentations and workshops, can help your audience engage with the material and learn more about your brand. Additionally, entertainment, CSR initiatives, and off-site activities can help break up the business content and provide an enjoyable experience for your guests.
An event is a big investment, and you’ll need to set aside funds to cover the costs. During the planning stage, it’s helpful to create a budget and estimate how much you’ll need for each aspect of your event. This will help you avoid overspending and ensure that all of your expenses are accounted for. In addition, you can use a financial management solution such as Expensify to automate and streamline your expense reporting.
Event planning is a challenging task that requires a lot of time and effort. Using a checklist can help you stay organized and reduce stress.
Clean Up
Whether your event is large or small, the cleaning up process is important to ensure that you’re not left with a mess afterward. There’s a lot of things that go into creating a clean event, from placing trash bins strategically throughout your venue to making sure all food waste is disposed of appropriately.
One of the best ways to prepare is to have a visual layout of your venue and map out each space. This isn’t just for the big picture, but it’s also useful for highlighting where electrical cords, bussing stations and other essentials need to be placed. A user-friendly tool can help you create a layout and share it with your team to keep everyone on the same page.
In addition to laying out the space, your checklist should include a task for you to walk through the venue, ideally when it is empty and free of distractions, and examine it with a critical eye. This will give you a chance to identify any areas that need extra work or cleaning. Often these are not the spaces that your guests will see, but they’re important to maintain for the safety of your staff and attendees.
During the event, it’s easy to forget what needs to be cleaned and when. Make sure you have a designated person in charge of cleaning, and that they have access to a list of all the equipment and supplies needed to clean up each space, including the break rooms and bathrooms. Ideally, this should be someone who isn’t exhausted from working the whole event and will approach the break down with energy and focus.
The clean up process can be a lengthy and frustrating one, so it’s best to have an event management tool that helps you manage the tasks involved. This can be as simple as a spreadsheet or an online project management tool that gives you the ability to track, assign and manage tasks. With thorough preparation and the right tools, you can rest assured that your next event will be a clean and well-run one.