Planning an event can be daunting. There is a plethora of activities to manage and coordinate. You must ensure that everyone you’re working with is on the same page and that all the resources are properly coordinated.
Planning a small-scale event for 5 to 10 people can also be challenging, especially if it’s your first time. However, keep in mind that no matter the challenges, event planning is a fascinating, creative and rewarding field. Event planning isn’t rocket science. It’s all about planning, coordination, and creativity.
There are many things that you need to consider when planning an event, and here are seven tips to make organizing the perfect event an easier and smoother process:
1. Understand The Nature of The Event
Make sure you discuss what the event is about with the host. Why is it being held, and what do they plan to achieve? This will help you gain deeper insight into what you need to do to make this event even more successful.
Is the event a charity ball or a product launch? Or is it a pop concert? Each of these has different requirements. For example, you need elegant furniture and a calm ambiance, while a pop concert needs stage scrims, dynamic lighting, and a fun atmosphere.
Whatever the nature of the event, you will have to arrange resources according to that. Once you have figured that out, you can move on to determine the budget for the event.
2. Determine The Budget
Before you start planning the event, you need to identify the financial limitations that you will have to work in. Creating a budget is one of the preliminary steps in event planning. It helps make effective decisions, and you can avoid unwanted surprises.
When your entire budget is decided, you can allocate money to different event essentials accordingly. You can then move on to supporting tidbits to enhance the event. Once you’ve solidified your event plan, you can revisit the budget with the client and see if they need to add or subtract from the total budget.
Ensure that you are very accurate about the budget, the client will feel more at ease, and you’ll be able to manage the event more comprehensively. Do not, under any circumstance, exceed your budget.
3. Have a Good Team On Board
Remember, you are only as good as your team. You need to invest your resources and time in building it if you want your events to be successful. You might be able to handle small-scale events on your own, but significant-scale events are challenging to manage for one person. You cannot be everywhere, and wearing multiple hats can be tiring.
This is where a good team comes in. They should be well-organized and complementary to each other and possess skills relevant to their domain of operations.
Every role and job within the team must have defined responsibilities and duties.
These are some designations that you can hire for:
- Project Manager
- Scheduler
- Venue Person
- Creative Designer
- Marketer
4. Visit Venue and Ensure Bookings
A venue is one of the essential constituents of any successful event. They are necessary for your event plan. You need to ensure that you book just the right venue for the event on the desired date.
Start looking for venues as soon as you have finalized the deal with the client. This will help you see many different options and choose the best platform from them. Remember, you can easily miss a suitable venue if you aren’t proactive.
For example, if you have to organize an event in December or January, you’ll see that you’ll hardly be able to get any venue. This is because it’s time for annual conferences and holiday get-togethers. Hence, plan and try to build good relationships with venue owners.
Keep weather conditions, cost, accessibility, and facilities in mind. If your client has any special requests regarding the venue and dates, keep that at the forefront of your mind.
5. Make An Event Agenda
It would be best if you made a schedule for the event as soon as possible so you know how the event will pan out and the duration of each activity. If it’s a speaker session, you must ensure that your keynote speaker is arranged well within time.
Having a good agenda means it’ll be easier for you to coordinate with responsible people if something doesn’t go according to plan. Remember, as soon as you’ve finalized the date and venue of the event, start planning what activities and such the event will entail. You can use any application if you want to, as they are easier to modify and change in case of any variations in your event plan.
Ensure you share the plan with the event host and let them know how the event will proceed. Be open to changes, if any.
Bottom Line
Organizing an event might be difficult, but it is also gratifying and exciting. Seeing your ideas come to life is a fantastic experience. You need to ensure that you have a good idea about the event’s purpose, have a predesigned budget, have a good team on board, and are proactive.