There are different reasons for planning special events in the business world. It could be for boosting employee morale, celebrating your company’s successes, launching new products or entertaining and impressing clients. Planning a special event is a huge task; below are a few tips to ensure your event is successful.
Start the planning in advance
Once you know an event is coming up and you’ll be in charge of organizing it, get as much information as possible from the executive who has assigned the job to you. What is the purpose of the event? How many people will be attending? Where will it be taking place? What is the budget allocated for the event? The earlier you understand the objectives and begin the planning, the greater chance of success you have.
Put together a to-do list
You can’t put together an event by keeping everything in your head or on yellow sticky notes. You have to be as organized as possible. Put together a detailed list of everything you can think of that needs to go into the event. Examples are list of vendors needed, list of assignments, a timeline and a list of contingencies. Ensure you have both soft and hard copies of your to-do list.
Think through every aspect of the event
Walk through the entire event in your head. What will the day be like? Will there be other events going on at the venue that can be distracting to your event? How long will people need for breaks? How many people will need vegetarian meals? How many people will need accommodation and airport pickups? How long should the speaker speak for in order for people not to get bored?
Meet regularly with your backup/helper
If you’re planning a big special event for your company, you will most likely have helpers, backups or volunteers to help out with the event. Share your big list of things to do with them, including notes of what has been arranged and the list of vendors. Most events require la lot of last minute preparation and on-site management. A task list ensures that any of your back ups can step into your shoes at a moment’s notice in case of any disruptions to your schedule.
