Ever gone to an event and genuinely had your mind blown about how well managed it was?
I’m guessing it was because there wasn’t a single hair out of place. Everyone and everything was in the right place, doing all the right things.
You probably had a wonderful time and left feeling very satisfied.
Well, someone (and their team) worked really hard to deliver a seamless experience for both the host and yourself.
That someone was the event management company.
If you’re relatively new to event management, and only want rave reviews for your first managed event, then this article will explore the basics you need to organize mind-blowing and jaw-dropping events.
What is event management?
Event management is the application of project management principles to the creation and direction of programs ranging in complexity from major conventions to intimate birthday parties.
It entails understanding the audience and their needs, creating a concept, and then planning the technical and logistical details.
That includes budgeting, scheduling, site selection, permit acquisition, speaker and/or performer arrangements, and a million other things like decoration, catering, event security, collaboration with vendors, and plenty more.
And the scale of events too ranges from the Olympics to casual business breakfast meetings.
Typically, the larger the event, the more moving parts there are, and the more waterproof your plans need to be.
But no matter how simple or complex your event is, we are experts in event management. Give us a call today and we’ll discuss your needs
8 basic steps to planning an event:
When you’re new to event management, things can quickly become overwhelming as you don’t know where to focus your efforts.
But organizing any event, no matter how large or how small, breaks down to a few critical basics. We’ll explore all those steps, from outlining your goals all the way to evaluating your performance.
1. Outline the event goals and objectives
Regardless of the size of your event, you need to outline your objectives.
Are you organizing a secret meeting with major stakeholders to plan a hostile takeover? Or are you planning a very public wedding ceremony for your best friend and hundreds of guests?
Are you trying to raise $50,000 for a non-profit? Or do you want to create a certain experience for your guests?
Why are you organising the event? What do you want it to achieve? What criteria would you use to evaluate its success?
It’s important to ask these questions – whether you’re asking yourself or your client – because only when you set goals and predetermined criteria for success can you and your team be successful.
In fact, goal setting is so important that Dr. Yuanyuan Zhou, Co-Founder of Whova says:
“Identifying a list of tangible and intangible goals for your event can give you a better sense of your event management needs. Your tangible goals may be to attract 500 attendees, sell 100 products at the event, or raise $1 million for charity.
Your intangible goals will help drive these tangible goals and may include raising awareness about a product or cause, or recruiting volunteers.”
Set goals. That’s the only way you can get your team set up for success.
Speaking of teams, after setting your goals – and before you take another step – you need to hand-pick team members who will consistently deliver and carry their own weight.
The chain is only as weak as its weakest link, after all.
To make sure that things don’t quickly get out of hand, assign clear roles to each team member, and then create a system for accountability so you can monitor everyone’s progress.
“Delivering high-quality events requires buy-in at all levels of an organization,” says Bill McGlade, Vice President of Account Management at Personify. “To create a truly unforgettable experience, you’ll need support from your executive team all the way to your on-site event staff.”
I’ll say it again because it’s that important: set goals. It’s the only way to ensure success.
2. Determine your budget
To avoid chaos, you should set your budget early on because it informs and guides all the choices you make, from food to entertainment.
Do you want to make a profit from the event, or are you using tickets to cover your costs? Will those tickets be free or charged? How much will the tickets cost if they’re not free?
Answers to these questions are the things that will inform all your decisions.
Below are the key areas for your budget.
- Venue. Every event needs a venue, except for online events. We’ll look at this in detail in Step 3.
- Refreshments. Your guests will usually need refreshment: drinks, lunch, evening meals and so on. Will they be provided by the venue or are you outsourcing to a third party? Also consider that you may need special menus for food intolerances, vegans, or people with religious restrictions. Consider the number of attendees you will have and plan accordingly.
- Entertainment. This is one area where you have a lot of flexibility. You can hire a band, a DJ, even a talking pig. Just make sure you consider what the entertainment needs: space, amenities, an assistant, and so on.
- Decor. This is another decision that will be heavily influenced by your budget. Also think about how your decoration fits within the context of the theme of your event. No one wants to see rodeo clowns at a SpaceX event.
- Miscellaneous. No matter how conscientious you are, unexpected costs will appear. Make sure that when you’re calculating your budget, you include extra for miscellanea. For example, if you’re hosting an open-air event, what happens if it rains? Can you move the event and transport everyone? You’d be stranded if you didn’t have the financial resources. Be prepared.
3. Choose the date
When setting the date for your event, the main consideration is having enough time to plan. Ideally, you should have at least 3-6 months to plan all the details.
Also, consider these other things before finalizing your date:
- Be aware of public and religious holidays and how they might affect attendees’ responses.
- Plan around school holidays, such as spring break, and summer vacation.
- Finally, remember to check and recheck dates with your key attendees: speakers, presenters, and anyone else essential.
4. Choose an appropriate venue
Once you’ve decided on your budget and chosen a date, the next thing is to choose an appropriate venue.
This is important because you cannot do any marketing/advertising without having a set date and venue. You also cannot secure suppliers, speakers, and sponsors without a date and a venue. Confirm your dates and book your venues as soon as possible.
When choosing your venue, remember that the goals you initially set will affect your choice. Check for accessibility at the venue, its size, the cost, and whether you need to pay any insurance.
It’s always worth asking if you can get the venue to throw in extras, especially if you’re booking a big, prestigious event. Free water, access to their bar, or use of their serving/greeting staff are all great ways to cut costs.
On choosing a venue, Lauren Grech, CEO and Co-Founder of LLG Events, says:
“Do not believe everything you see on Instagram or Pinterest. It’s a sad reality we face, but this industry is becoming more creative in terms of their marketing campaigns. They know the right photos to use, the right angles to photograph, the right photo edits to make venues look larger, cleaner, and nicer.
We advise going to see the venue in person, meeting your vendors in person, and taking the time to do your due diligence. And if you don’t have the time, hire the right professional who will work to ensure these components on your behalf.”
Your choice of venue is critical. It can either limit or expand your creative options. Choosing to organize an open-air concert is very different to managing an indoor disco.
5. Identify sponsors and establish partnerships
The two reasons to partner that stand out are cost reduction and leveraging the network of other groups or people to make sure the event is a success.
Seek corporate sponsors or community organizations to fund at least a part of the event. But make sure that you’re clear about your offering and what they stand to gain if they agree to sponsor your event.
You will usually get sponsors if you can guarantee that their brand will have some exposure. You could promise to add ‘Sponsored by X’ on your marketing material, have the entertainment wear their brand t-shirts, or put some of their promotional material in your freebie packs for attendees.
6. Publicize!
Even if you’ve got an amazing speaker and entertainer lineup, you still need publicity to get people in the room. And the best time to organise publicity is during the planning stage of the event itself.
To ensure clarity, create ONE key message to broadcast on all channels. The message should be brief and accurately convey the idea of the event to your audience.
Event publicity starts from your email blast and then builds up to social media posts, media relations, email blasts, printed material, and so on.
There is, however, no one-size-fits-all approach. Don’t be afraid to use teaser campaigns, guerrilla tactics, and early-bird offers.
And publicity doesn’t stop after the event. Your pre-event publicity gets people to attend; your post-event publicity ensures they remember the day for a very long time.
On after-event publicity, Jen Naye Herrmann, Founder of Girl Meets Party, advises to “Hire a professional photographer to attend the event and photograph, making it super easy to submit your event for publication. Plus, it’s a great thank-you gift to attendees!”
All in all, any means by which you can raise awareness for your event, even word of mouth, is fair game. The goal is to raise as much awareness as possible, before and after.
7. Create a schedule
At this point, everything has gone well (hopefully). All that remains is… to manage the actual event.
But before that, to make sure that you’re in total control, draw up a schedule detailing each activity. Every single one, from the start of the welcome speech right down to the vote of thanks and your team cooldown in the bar at the end of the evening.
Nothing should be left to chance, from setup to cleanup.
Finally, as we mentioned earlier, make sure that everyone on your team knows what they’re supposed to do and make sure there’s a system set up for accountability. You’ll be so busy managing the event, you won’t have time to cover other people’s jobs.
8. Evaluate
Hopefully, your event has gone well without any hiccups. The talking pig didn’t fly and hell didn’t freeze over.
But before you fall into bed for some well-deserved sleep, take time to make notes about the event. You will use those notes to evaluate your performance later.
Check to see if you met all the goals you set at the beginning. Remember those goals?
Ask yourself how effective your marketing was, how collaborative and accountable your team members were.
Highlight some of the issues you faced so that you can learn from them when you organize future events.
It’s a constant learning experience
If you’re new to event management, you’ll make mistakes. But if you keep everything above in mind and you really focus on your audience’s needs, you will wow your clients.
And you will definitely get better with time.
Remember to try and surprise people and create the jaw-drop effect. Exceed their expectations in the most ordinary things.
Feeling a bit overwhelmed and unsure of where to start? Hop on a free consultation call with our team. We’ll help you get started!
