Event planning requires juggling many tasks, priorities and stakeholder relations all in a relatively short period of time. Having a detailed plan of all tasks required and being organized from the outset is key to reducing stress levels, mistakes and ensuring that your event goes off without a hitch.
Start early
In any event there are a number of tasks that need to get done at the last minute. To avoid having a long list left until the end, I recommend that you complete all the tasks that can be done, in advance, just as soon as you can.
Give yourself as much time as possible to complete every detail, no matter how small, as the quality of your event is often defined by the details.
Good starting points are deciding and booking a venue and sourcing event staff and volunteers
(Yes, volunteers! More about this in another post…)
Define event objectives.
In order to plan effectively, you need to know what you are trying to achieve. How do you make your event a truly interactive learning experience? What will constitute a “successful event”? How will you know when you have achieved “success”? How will this be measured? Once you know what you need to achieve, it will be easier to plan every step to ensure that you are including all the measurable success beacons and milestones. Put your concept on paper and get consensus from all stakeholders involved.
Create a Project File
Produce a clear project overview file that summarizes the entire conference into the smallest detail (including briefings for all suppliers involved). This step is really worth the initial effort.
Create an organigram
This needs to clarify who is responsible for which tasks so that going forward there is no confusion around expectations and deliverables. Once work streams are developed, ensure that they are managed carefully via planning and indicator tracking for various event deliverables - programme elaboration, communication and promotional campaigns, registration management, venue management, audio-visual and technology…
Use event software
Whenever possible, I advise to use event software to plan and manage a complex event. This type of tool will save time and make it possible to create a more unified brand experience for your attendees. Investing in essential event tools like project management, marketing automation, software integration, or event streaming software tools should be considered depending on how many events you do and your particular event needs and budget.
Create lists
To plan and manage successful events you need to become a “list person” even if this is not who you are by nature. Determine every single thing that you will need for this event, big and small, and start a list of all these items. Then prioritize the list in order of importance and sequential reasoning.
Create a schedule of each day and each task. Set deadlines and who is responsible for the tasks according to your organigram. I have heard this called a Prioritizing list, a Schedule of Activities, an Event Timeline etc. Whatever you choose to call it, it needs to be created right from the beginning.
Hire a good Event Project Manager and Team Builder
While some organizations have internal resources to unfold a complex event, very often, these internal resources are stretched very thin with other tasks and / or they simply do not have the expertise necessary to create effective teams, negotiate with suppliers, foresee possible issues or problems and have the know-how to prevent these from happening. There are substantial savings to be made from hiring a good event planner in professional negotiations, no wastage, and a focus on sustainability and efficiency.
Recruit volunteers
Event staff does not have to always be “paid staff”. I am a great believer in volunteering and have found that there are many volunteers who are very willing to help deliver an event in exchange for training, a great team building experience, exposure to a well-organized event, possibility of attending some of the sessions, and networking. Start your search for volunteers early and determine, in advance, which benefits you are going to be offering and what the time and work expectations are going to be.
Communicate effectively
Considerable time can be wasted when communication is not at its best. Ensure that you are clear in your communication and insist that all the members on your team up their communication practices. If necessary, deliver a communication skills workshop where expectations are clearly defined. As a rule, always ask yourself: “Who needs to know this information?” If in doubt, rather add an extra person rather than exclude someone. Ensure that every member of your team has all the information. Create Group e-mails so that all information is circulated to all members. Bi-lateral conversations for confidentiality reasons need to be kept to a minimum. Inclusion creates buy-in so include and communicate. Use collaboration tools to share files and timelines as it makes everyone more efficient.
Organize your e-mails
Organize your Inbox. Filter your messages. Start a folder called “Respond Later”.
Hit the unsubscribe button – reduce the amount of messages coming through your Inbox. If it is stuff that you are not going to read, unsubscribe so you remove some of the clutter. Use canned responses for certain topics to people who essentially all require the same reply or information.
Prepare for your project meetings
Prepare an agenda and focus on key points. Make clear decisions and take minutes. Work via conference calls, if necessary as this usually ensures that meeting participants log on, on time and only speak when relevant.
Measure, measure, measure
Collect feedback and evaluate your events. Act on the feedback wherever possible.
Measuring event ROI (Return On Investment) is an important practice so that you can determine what your company is gaining in return for all the time, effort and expense to host an event. Gauging an event ROI is not always easy and for more accurate and analytical data business intelligence software can be used.
Remember that you are aiming to create value with your event so do not only measure direct monetary gain. An event that loses money, but generates a large amount of high-quality leads or brand recognition may still be deemed successful.
Expect the unexpected
Give yourself extra time to deal with last minute tasks, changes and requests which inevitably occur as you get closer to the event. Add this to your schedule. Think of all possible scenarios so that you are not caught off guard. Learn to flow with the changes and to become agile and resilient. Breathe deeply and control the stress levels for a clearer head and increased energy.