No matter what event you are running,
planning it is a major task. Even if you’ve organised events before, a new one
always comes with its own unique challenges. It’s difficult to know what exactly
it is that makes an event a successful one. Here are our top 8 tips for you to
follow that we think are truly important when event planning.
Set Your Objectives
Knowing what you want to get out of an
event is a key thing to know before you start planning. How will you be able to
tell if the event is successful? What is it that this event is supposed to
achieve? While it may seem like a silly exercise, it’s important to really sit
down and think about it. Having your objectives at the top of your planning
document can help you to focus your planning around these. When you need to
make an important decision, think whether it is going to help you reach your
objectives, and how. You might find yourself saving money on things that weren’t
necessary.
Choose A Good Team
An event can’t be planned single-handedly,
it takes a team. Choosing your team early and wisely can be the key to a
successful event. Play on people’s strengths and don’t be afraid to delegate
out major tasks. This leaves you free to manage other things and all of the
items on your agenda will get completed to a much higher standard than they
would have been otherwise. Make sure that all of the members of your team
actually want to be involved. There’s nothing worse than someone who has been
forced to be a part of a planning committee.
Budget Wisely
Money matters. If you don’t have the budget
for something, you simply won’t be able to do it. Too many events spend too
much and when ticket sales and all income is tallied up, it turns out that they’ve
lost money from hosting their event. Perhaps you’ve been given a large budget,
and your event doesn’t need to make any profit, that’s great. You still need a detailed
budget however. This includes estimated incomings and outgoings, and an up to
date cashflow. This needs to be referred back to at every stage of the planning
process.
Choose the Right Venue
Choosing the right venue will decide on the
mood of your whole event. It’s wise to take your time viewing different locations
and talking to the owners. Don’t be afraid to come at them with a list of
questions for them to answer, they’ll be more than used to it. Of course, it all
needs to stay within budget as well. With so many types of event space for hire
in London, you really can go as upmarket as you want, but this all needs to be
within your allocated spending. Think about the type of event you’re holding,
and the theme that surrounds it. This should help you to choose a truly unique
venue.
Stay Organised
You need to make sure that you have a
project management document that is constantly updated by you and the rest of
your team. Have a timeline with action points and regular progress meetings. Many
events fail for the simple reason that they haven’t kept organised throughout.
While it can be easy to get waylaid while you get busier, keeping all of your
notes and paperwork up to date really is key. Without an accurate timeline, no
one will know what comes next and you can find yourselves in a last-minute
panic to organise items that you’ve forgotten about.
Get High Quality Sponsors
Sponsors can help with budget constraints
and encourage people to attend your event through a well-known brand name. If
you have sponsors advertising on your behalf, you are going to get a much
bigger audience than if it was through your contacts alone. You need to look
for quality sponsors early in the process, as getting them can completely
change the whole feel and even theme of your event if they ask you to focus in
a certain direction.
Advertising
Without good advertising, no one Is going to
turn up to your event. You need to ensure that you have a strong marketing
plan, and that it’s implemented at an early stage. This can be everything from
cold calling to marketing emails promoting your event. If you have something
important that you want people to hear, then you need to make sure that you’re
saying it loud enough. Social media of course should never be forgotten, as it
is one of the most important advertising tools out there. You just need to
ensure that you are using it wisely, and in a way that will generate the ticket
sales that you’re after.
Survey the Audience
After your event is over, you might be
tempted to just sit back and relax. It is directly after your event however that
the most important part of marketing happens. Surveying the audience. In order
to make future events a success, you need to know what worked and what didn’t
this time around. While you might have your own ideas, sending out a survey to
everyone who attended is a great way to gauge the response of the audience. Some
of the answers might really surprise you. Once you’ve done this, you should compile
a report so it’s ready for the next event you plan.
Planning an event can be lots of fun, but
it’s never an easy thing to do. With so much pressure on you to get results, it’s
easy to panic and forget crucial items. That’s why having a good team around
you, as well as a plan and budget that are constantly updated is so important
to ensuring that your event is a successful one.
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