Whether it’s your first event or your fifty first, planning an event or large meeting can be a stressful experience. Every event has many moving parts, and to help things run smoothly (and to plan), it’s always a good idea to keep track of which tasks need to be completed, and when.
To help you manage your time when hosting your next event our team of experienced event managers have put together some top tips on what you need to consider when creating an checklist for your own event. This list of key points can be used whether you are planning a meeting, a small corporate event or charity event.
Event Budget
Before you start any event planning you need to establish the budget you have to work with, so this should always feature as an item right at the top of your checklist.- How much budget you have
- When deposits need to be paid
- Budget approval timeline
Venue and location
An equally important task is to secure the venue. Once you’ve found the perfect venue for your event make sure you make a note to check off the following points:- Have you confirmed the dates and signed the contract?
- When does a deposit need to be paid and what is the agreed payment schedule?
- Food and beverage packages agreed
- Floorplans (for each room) confirmed
- Have you confirmed the AV requirements?
Event Program Management
Another group of tasks on your event checklist should be related to what’s actually going to happen on the day.- Have you confirmed the agenda for the event?
- Have you confirmed the speakers?
- Do you need entertainment?
- Have all relevant parties been briefed?
- Do they need any accommodation?
- Have you collated any presentations, handouts or information for people to takeaway?
Event Sponsorship
Lining up the right sponsor is often a crucial step in ensuring the success of an event. So start planning early.- Have you agreed on the sponsorship packages?
- Have you identified potential sponsors and have they been contacted?
- Do the sponsors require an area at the event?
- Sponsorship signage
- Do you require expert help to source the right sponsor?
Marketing and Promotion
Making sure you have a clear marketing and promotion plan in place well in advance of your event is key to making sure it’s a sell out success and people show up!- Create marketing and promotion plan
- Get promo material to the designers
- Build a website and optimise it for the search engines
- Submit event info to all relevant event listing websites
- Write and distribute a press release
Attendee Management
Creating a great first impression and welcoming experience is a really important aspect of any event. Make sure you tick all the boxes by considering the points below.- Have all attendees been invited and confirmed?
- Can people register online and if so have you created the online form?
- How are you going to handle registration at the event?
- Have attendees been sent all essential event info (directions, parking instructions etc.)
Post event
Don’t forget that once the event is over there are still a few tasks to complete to wrap things up.- Thank you emails, letters, calls to performers, staff and volunteers and sponsors
- Evaluation and debrief with all key stakeholders
- Finalise and close the budget
- Event survey sent and analysed
- Make note of how to improve the event next time!
