Advice For Successful Event Planning

Planning an event can be stressful and you can quickly become overwhelmed.  You should find some useful advice to help you master the intricacies of event planning.  This advice will make your event less stressful for you and more enjoyable for your guests.

PLAN YOUR EVENT

Begin planning as soon as possible. If you’re planning a large event you should start 6-8 months before your event date. Smaller events will need less time to plan, approximately a month or two. If you’re planning entertainment you will have to check availability of the entertainer. Remember all entertainers are busiet between October through December. To keep things on track, decide what services you need for your event and complete contract with vendors at least a couple of weeks before your event.

HAVE A BACK-UP PLAN!

Rarely if ever do events go according to plan.  Some piece of equipment not show up or someone you are relying on might be running late.  Make an assessment, of what’s important and develop a plan to put in place in case something goes wrong.  Triage issues as they arise and remember your guests probably don’t know all the nuances of your event.  Likely they won’t realize there is a problem.

BE FLEXIBLE

You might have to make changes to locations, start times and order of events. Roll with the punches, planning an event is daunting a task.  If you are in-flexible you are just bringing on stress for yourself, but also for all the people you must work with.

YOUR NOT ALONE

Find people who are willing to help.  Short of volunteers delegate tasks to members of your team.  Make each team member responsible for a specific task or area and have them report to you directly to you.  Make sure you check in to see how things are going, they will be much more in tune with smaller issues.

SHARE INFORMATION

With the benefits of technology communicating with team members should be a snap.  Make a document that can be accessed by all your team members.  You should have an event manual to document details and everything about your event.  This document should include vendor contracts, attendee information, and the floor plan. With a shared document questions can be answered quickly and your entire team can spot if something is out of place.

GET A PRACTICE RUN

You would never run a marathon without a few practices.  A couple of weeks before, do a run through of the entire event process. Organize a meeting with your team and mentally walk through everything.  Often complications are highlighted at these meetings, and you will have time to correct them.  If needed a few days before event organize another run through at the venue.

EVERYTHING IS NEGOTIABLE

Despite what many vendors will tell you, everything is negotiable. Remember there will always be unforeseen costs, so try to negotiate as low a price as you can. This can be a little tricky because sometimes you get what you pay for.  Find reputable vendors who are willing to work with you.  Sometimes you can get a lower price with the promise of future business.

FOLLOW-UP

Once the event is over, many organizers think they are done.  Don’t take a break quite yet.  Sit down with your team and discuss what worked well and what didn’t work well.  Those people or vendors who performed well should be on your short list for future dates.  Contact some of you attendees and get feedback about what they thought.  What did they like, what did they dislike?  Where you can, make changes.  When contacting attendees please remember you can’t make everyone happy.  Listen to their input but be realistic about expectations.