Despite events shifting to the online realm last year (51% of event planners hosted their first online event), real-life events are returning and are here to stay!
Did that year out from in-person events make your event planning skills rusty? Don’t worry; we are here with a comprehensive checklist to help you plan an event.
Read on to find out how to plan an event that wows your colleagues, customers, and stakeholders.
Decide the Event Goal
There’s no point in planning an event for the sake of it. Your event needs a purpose. So whether that’s customer engagement, networking, finding new leads, or raise money, decide the WHY behind your event before you get planning.
Who Will Attend the Event?
Once you have the purpose of the event clear, it’s time to draft a guest list. Who are the important people you want at your event? How will you encourage them to attend?
You need a marketing strategy in place before you start to pitch your event to potential guests.
Plan the Event Budget
How much money will your company spend on the event? Where will you raise funds?
You need to decide how to make money from the event before you get into the nitty-gritty details of event planning.
Will you sell tickets to the event? Pitch your clients for sponsorship? Will you ask for donations from attendees on the day?
Event Planning Logistics
Once you know how much money you have to spend on your event, you can plan the venue and itinerary.
Other things to consider include:
- Will your event include food and refreshments?
- Is the event inside or outside?
- How many people can the venue hold?
- What type of furniture do you require? Plastic folding chairs, or formal chairs, tables, or bar stools?
- How accessible is your venue?
- How will people get to and leave the event?
- Do you need to organize entertainment, decorations, or a speaker?
- What technology requirements do you have?
- Is the event formal or informal?
- Will there be a dress code?
- What health and safety requirements should you follow?
Event planning companies will help you with all these technical logistics, and your venue should also offer support.
Promotion
Once you know all the details for your event, it’s time to get promoting. You’ll want to promote the event to all your customers and associates. Do this with marketing emails, social media posts, and cross-promotion on your clients’ pages.
You need a marketing strategy in place before you start to pitch your event to potential guests. This particular part isn’t as difficult as you might think. Simply join an entrepreneur network, and from there, you will have a wealth of like-minded and innovative individuals who can join your event and make positive connections for future business together.
You can also promote your event the more traditional way with flyers and by word of mouth.
Delegate Tasks to Create the Perfect Event
No successful event was created by one person alone! You’ll need a team of people around you to make the event a success. You could also use an event planning business to help you get on the right track.
Make sure you start planning with plenty of time before the event’s proposed date.
Use the event planning checklist above to get your priorities in order and pull off an exceptional event for your business!
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