Planning

Nothing arranged in the last minute will ever be a true success. For any event you need to start planning ideally 5 months in advance. Put it all down on paper first. Work out what your final outcome will be, what you want to see at the event, and what value you want people to gain from it and then work backwards until it’s all written down. Every last detail.

From that point you can work out what it will take to get you there. You can work out who you need quotes from, who you can delegate to, who is on board. Think of your worse case scenarios and how you would combat them. Write it all down. The devil really is in the detail with events, and nothing should come as a surprise.

Accountability & Responsibility.

Know who is responsible for what areas of the event, from planning and organising through to hosting and ushering the actual event itself. People are like sheep, they need herding. If you are lucky enough to have a team of organisers then make sure you allocate according to strengths and that everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet. Specify all tasks to ensure that everyone is where of their own areas of responsibility.

Timing

Timing for your event is crucial. Not just on the day, but on the days leading up to it. With a fully documented time plan everyone can be aware of exactly which tasks will be completed by which date. Don’t forget to allow contingency planning. Think about how much time you will need to rearrange certain aspects of the event if issues arise. Don’t be afraid to plan for someone to stand in, in the event of a no show. It’s certainly best to have all the bases covered before you get to the day and find your main act hasn’t shown up. On the same note, it’s crucial that you get firm guarantees from the main acts if you have them and to also keep in regular contact with them, and getting a final confirmation one week before.

Budgets

When working out your budget for an event, make sure that you include as much information as possible. It’s surprising how many people do not account for their own travelling expenses when organising their event. As a rule, if at all possible book the venue without paying a deposit, as a preliminary booking, and get the payment date as close to your event date as possible. There are many hotels which will allow you to pay a deposit a week before, then say 50% on the day and 50% after – negotiate. Your own cash flow is the important one here.

Of course this should mean that you can cancel should you fail to sell enough tickets although that shouldn’t be a problem if you follow the advice detailed in my event planning e-book. Available from Bizpro shortly. Click here to register your interest.