Begin Early -If tearing all around the shops in a blind panic moments before they close Christmas Eve is you every year. Those you ridiculed for starting their shopping back in August, are now at home in the warm enjoying mulled wine as they put those little crosses into the sprouts. And, ironically you’re experiencing hell on earth in the form of a perpetual queue waiting to pay for last-minute presents;"It’s the most wonderful time of the year....."
I AM going somewhere with this; similar can be said for event planning. Just because something is months away. Ensure it isn’t left on a back-burner and forgotten about until a week before. Large-scale events require 4-6 months advanced planning. Smaller events will still need at least a month to plan. So that your event doesn’t resemble a hurried unplanned Christmas present snatched off the shelf last minute; badly gift-wrapped and plonked in front of the recipient without thought. No one tries to execute an event in such fashion.
•Keep Flexible – This is when early planning pays off. Keeping things flexible at the preliminary stage will allow plenty of ‘wiggle-room’ for everything to come together later. Beware of circumstances beyond your control arising. Whether it is the event times, venue availability, or even the event theme. Keeping your arrangements flexible at this stage, will ensure you’re able to meet changing demands.
•Negotiate – On the contrary to what many service providers will tell you, everything is negotiable. Bear in mind, even the most meticulously planned event may incur unforeseen costs, therefore always try to negotiate as low a price as you can. Decide in advance your budget before meeting a service provider and make an offer 5-10% below your planned budget. They’re likely to put up a fight but ultimately, if your offer is realistic, they will want to win your business.
•Delegate responsibilities – Dividing up the different elements of the event (e.g. catering, transport, entertainment, registration) will make the gargantuan task less overwhelming and more manageable. Team members focused on their own sections will be more clued into minute detail changes.
•Create a Shared Document – take full advantage of the cloud; essential when synchronising everyone on your team. Create a central folder containing the event brief and everything else related.
Sharing up-to-the-minute details with your team will also allow everyone to be able to spot any details out of place.
•Always have a Plan B –Be mindful of Murphy’s Law on the night of the event. Strike a balance between a confident optimist and ‘Debbie-Downer’, even the most meticulous planning sometimes cannot foresee potential obstacles that could scupper your arrangements, if outdoors there’s always the slightest chance it could pour with rain. There’s always the chance that your after-dinner speaker goes AWOL, gets waylaid, etc. Therefore, it’s important to have a plan b up your sleeve for the more major details of your event.
•Dress Rehearsal – although it’s not always possible to have a complete run-through, you can’t put the confetti back in the cannon, un-pop the prosecco, or un-snip a ribbon. Allowing a run-through will go lengths to make sure everybody knows their role and is primed and ready to go if nothing else a confident run-through will give you peace of mind on the night. It will also help identify logistical factors that may have been overlooked.
•Photographs! Photographs! Photographs! – it’s very easy for everybody to be so focused on the smooth running of the event, everybody forgets to take photos to document the result of your efforts. Nominate a team member whose sole responsibility is to do this. As well as event images, behind-the-scenes photos are excellent for showing your team in action.
•Use the internet – Promoting your event online is the perfect way to boost your social media presence. A custom hashtag for your event on Twitter or Linkedin will encourage your followers to tag the event in relevant posts. Event photos should be uploaded afterwards, and attendees encouraged to tag themselves.
•Debriefing – As the event ends and you’re bidding farewell to attendees and delegates who are congratulating you on another successful event. It’s very tempting to have some downtime and have a break immediately afterwards. And why not? You’ve certainly earned it. Once the logistics are taken care of, it is vital to be proactive in following up with attendees, be it by email or on social media, to demonstrate the success of the event.
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