Practical guidance on how to plan your event

People want to forget about their daily problems and focus on celebrations from time to time. It simply brings everyone together and makes them feel happy. The event planner is usually the one who has a headache.

Quite possibly, one day you will be in charge of planning an event for your friends, family or colleagues. Who knows, it might be even your future career pattern. Needless to say, it requires a lot of engagement, endurance, and creativity.

You need to understand that when you plan an event, you are responsible for all the people who will be there. From another hand, it can be a fantastic experience for you. You can easily organize an event if you have a plan. Let’s see what’s needed and what you might forget.

Set your expectations

You need to define the purpose of your event and understand your target audience. It affects your planning strategy directly. Know the ultimate goal you want to accomplish. Create your vision and share it with your team. It will help you to ensure that your event is optimized for success.

Setting up the budget

It should be done in the first place. Since a lot of organizing moments depend on how much money you can spend. What do you need to include when you plan your budget?

• Drinks and Catering (if you have a big event, ask your guests about their preferences)
• Entertainment
• Venue (think of parking space and room rentals if it’s necessary)
• Marketing (you might need extra expocart print materials)
• Audio/video (speakers, cameras, and projectors)
• Staff

Every event planner should have an extra budget because there are always unexpected expenses that are popping up during preparations. So, you should be ready for paying extra for seating or venue decor.

Gather people around you

You can try to organize the whole event by yourself. However, it is a lot of work. You will definitely need some extra help. Being in different places at the same time is impossible. However, you can share responsibilities with trusted people. Two heads are always better than one.

Know the pros and cons of your team. Someone can be really good at marketing on social media and horrible when it comes to communication with people. So, know everyone’s strong and weak sides before sharing tasks.

It is better to leave tasks in a shared google document or the chat. You can also use smartphone apps for event planning.

First of all, people always forget about something. In practice, they tend to blame it on their leader (on you!). Secondly, you can also forget some details. So, make a list of things that need to be done. Also, it is essential to set up a deadline. Finding musicians for your event or catering should be done on time, and your team members should be aware of that.

Think of your dream event planning team. Whom do you see?

Divide your tasks into groups. It can include:

• Scheduling an event
• Finding a venue
• Preparing invitations
• Taking care of VIP guests
• Arranging table seating
• Creating a menu and choosing a caterer
• Branding your event

Choose your perfect venue and set an event.

You have to remember about your guests. You are working for them. Think how they can get to the venue and if there is any parking space around. You should literally take care of everyone. Think also if you need a wheelchair ramp for people with disabilities.

Try to find a location that won’t require a lot of decoration. Some halls might be just perfect for your event. However, it might be a huge problem, if there are no chairs. You don’t want to look for extra tables and chairs or worry about its delivery. So, choose a venue that will have all the needed items. Otherwise, you will have a lot of things to think about. Also, it can be very costly and might even go above your budget.

Branding your event

Grabbing people’s attention is very important. You want people to attend your event, so make sure you have the whole strategy.

What does it include?

You should definitely come up with the theme for your event. It can’t be just a random party. It should have a name, logo and ideally overall decor. Once you have it (and it should be done in the first place), you can use social media tools to promote your event. It might also help you to find sponsorships if you need some.

In some cases, you will have to pay for advertising on Facebook. It will help you to find your specific audience.

Details

The excellent event planner is famous for taking care of details.

It’s good if you have team members who can help you during the whole process. However, don’t forget to check everything by yourself. You are a leader, and this event is your responsibility.

Here are some details you might forget about:

• Photograph your event. First of all, it will help you to promote your future events. Secondly, it is a good confirmation of your work, and your guests will love to find good quality photos of themselves.

• Check audio-visual equipment. It doesn't always work perfectly. So, it is better to check microphones, speakers, and projectors multiple times.

• Attendance number. You need to be aware of how many people attend your event since it can help with further organization. You can create a guest list for this purpose.

• Stay connected with your team. You are really lucky if your team members are responsible and creative. However, it is not always the case. Make sure to keep track of their results. And let them know that you are always there for them. It’s better if you reach out to everyone separately. Encourage your team members to keep you updated especially when something goes badly. Good leaders don’t blame; they solve problems.

• Enjoy yourself. Even though it’s a lot of work, you still need to have fun. Remember, that you are not alone in this. Other people can also take care of stuff. Not everything will go as planned. It’s still ok. Stay positive.