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Event planning is more than just picking a date and sending out invites. It's the art and science of bringing an event to life. Think of it as constructing a building; every piece, from the foundation to the finishing touches, is crucial.
First, you need a clear vision: What do you want to achieve? Who are you trying to reach? And what's your budget? These questions form the blueprint for your event. From there, you build the framework: securing a venue, setting a timeline, and assembling your team.
But event planning isn't just about the big picture. It's also about managing the countless details. You'll need to handle everything from equipment and staffing to marketing and logistics. To succeed, strong leadership is essential. As the event planner, you're the conductor of an orchestra, ensuring everyone is on the same page and working towards a common goal.
Ready to dive deeper into the world of event planning? Let's explore the process step-by-step.
An event plan is the top-level view of the event. It details the aspects that shape the event, from design, lighting and sound, security, and marketing.
An event plan is divided into committees, each with clear roles and responsibilities, and all working in harmony to organize an event. The event plan essentially puts all interested parties on the same page. So there will be no confusion over the venue, floor plan, and event configuration-whether it's a virtual event or an in-person affair.
Nowadays, there are tons of free event planning templates available on the internet. A general event schedule is more common, but you can also share more specialized documents with your team such as those on proposals and budgets.
Now that you have an event plan, it's time to get down to business. Going through the motions of event planning from start to finish is undoubtedly overwhelming so that you can do this step-by-step.
A great way to start is finding out the purpose of your event. Why you are having the event and what you want it to do?
Is it to profit off of ticket sales? Showcase new talents? Engage employees through workshops?
Each organization will have different priorities. Make sure you're aligned with your company's decision makers in terms of what role the event will play in a broader sense.
Plan your event around that objective, then what metrics will determine your success. See examples of common event objectives below.
Who is coming to the event?
This matters because it will guide your stage design, promotional campaign, and activities. Knowing who you're inviting also gives your marketing team an idea of what platforms to reach out to attendees with.
Remember that the event is about them. Take the time to understand their age group, location, and interests. Ask yourself if they can afford tickets to the event, and if so, what type of event would be considered good value for money, and what additional perks and experiences would they be willing to pay more for?
The more personalized the event is to your audience's desire, the higher your chances of success.
Key event details are the skeleton of your event. It can be tentative, but it is enough to paint a clearer picture of your desired outcome.
There is no need to fuss about the specifics here. All you need to determine the following:
Venue rental is one of the most costly aspects of an event unless you hit the jackpot by securing a free event space. It needs to be booked first.
A mistake many new organizers make is announcing the event before the venue contract is signed and sealed. This leads to confusion down the line and possibly additional costs for reprinting invitations, banners, and other promotional materials.
Securing a venue means finalizing your event date and having an empty canvas to design your floor plan and program.
If you have accomplished steps 1 through 3 of this event planning guide, then you'll have a rough idea of how much you need upfront to kickstart event preparations.
However, if you need a snapshot of the in-person event industry, a survey from the Professional Convention Management Association will show you that food, audiovisual equipment, and decor or labor will be the most costly expenses in your event budget.
Money will come in and out constantly during your planning phase, and guaranteed; it will be challenging to keep track of your budget across all areas. This is when you'll need a budget tracker.
There are plenty of budgeting templates to choose from. Zapier even narrows down your software options in this guide, but a rule of thumb is stay within budget.
While you want the best for your guests, some expenses will be more important than others. Understanding which items to invest more on is crucial.
Tip: One area you must absolutely not be cheap about is audiovisual equipment, as it affects attendees' overall experience.
Many event promoters see early bird ticketing as a means to have cash flow and increase their working budget. This is easy enough when selling physical tickets albeit with more overhead costs. However, if you're selling tickets online, it's a challenge to ensure you get paid as your tickets sell.
Most platforms don't pay promoters until the event, so choose a ticketing software that understands how fast money moves during event planning.
Think about what you want your event to look like. Keep the event theme and the people attending your event in mind. What would make sense for them?
There are various ways to approach this: stage design, decorations, and seating plans are common places to start. Take inspiration from the greatest event designers of our time and work within your budget.
You can also take a simpler, most-effective route via a floor plan.
A floor plan helps you visualize your event space and coordinate details with sound technicians, ticketing managers, and production staff. It serves as a vantage point for entrance and exits, visual focus, and amenities, ensuring a top-notch experience for attendees.
A software for visualizing your event space in 3D can be incredibly useful.
The best event planners think about how the day will go from beginning to end and plan for each part of it. Especially for large events, a schedule helps ensure that everything goes without a hitch––frome setting up, giving presentations and taking breaks.
A project management software would make an excellent addition to your tech stack. It will be your eyes and ears to all movements. Plus, it helps you stay organized and attuned to deadlines.
No one plans an amazing event alone! It takes a village, a crew, and a team of superstars to bring your vision to life. So, let's talk about how to build your A-Team and find the best vendors in town.
Just like a movie production, your event needs different roles filled by talented folks:
Now that you have clearly defined roles, teams, and responsibilities, all that's left is to ensure smooth communication.
Having a messaging system that lets you create general and specific channels for every aspect of the event will allow you to streamline information. Holding meetings once a week may also help to centralize event plans.
Event vendors have specialized expertise and resources to bring your vision to life. Just like event team members, vendors can take one aspect of your event completely off of your hands, leaving you free to oversee event preparations.
Vendors' services can range from venue design, lighting, and sound setups to curating culinary experiences.
Tip: When working with event vendors, establish an agreement at the outset regarding the scope, total cost, payment terms, and services needed. Clear communication is just as important with external teams, as check-ins and updates can help put both your minds at ease.
We have previously talked about the proven event marketing strategies in our blog, 13 Event Marketing Strategies That Work. In it, we discussed the different approaches to use in attracting the right people with the right offer and ultimately fill all seats in your event.
Social media is all the more common and arguably the most cost-effective option, especially for small events with less marketing budget. But so is email marketing where you can build a guest list you can easily retarget in your next events.
But what makes an event marketing and promotion plan good to great?
Go back to your event objective and target audience. Identify all feasible and reasonably within-budget strategies that will appeal best to your audience and close the gap between the event and your objective.
One such simple strategy could be to create a compelling short video using video tools like a screen recording software to highlight key event takeaways and share it widely on social media and in email campaigns to drive registrations.
Ask yourself:
Remember the selfie generator that was released for The Barbie Movie? It was an interactive, sharable, free-for-all filter that puts users in a Barbie-like packaging.
The message was clear: anyone is Barbie. It was released on the week of the movie premiere and shared across Facebook and Instagram.
Promotional materials are similar to that campaign spread out in the months or weeks leading to the event.
An event ticketing platform serves one clear purpose: to make it easy for people to get tickets to your event.
The best one on the market lets you do exactly that, securely, without extorting your customers of their hard-earned cash. Ticket booking fees are easily inflated by many providers with hidden fees that customers aren't prepared to pay at checkout.
As the event promoter, this reflects poorly on your event and can easily be written off by buyers as unethical.
Eventcube is an event ticketing software that's gotten fees figured out through its no-nonsense fee structure. Free tickets are always free. You're only charged as you sell paid tickets. Plus, funds are sent straight to your Stripe account with daily payouts for improved event cash flow.
Eventcube also offers a host of professional features, including discounts, group buys, and a custom domain, giving you complete control over your brand and ticketing.
It also integrates with a handy ticket scanning mobile app that will help you track attendance and ensure that no tickets are used twice. If given a chance to incorporate event technology into your event, let this be the one.
When you're putting together content and activities for an event, ensure you deliver on your promises.
In every event, there is always a main event; whether that be a headline performer, a respected resource speaker, or a big announcement. Build the program around that highlight. The anticipation is what makes people stay until the end.
Leading up to the climax, keep attendee engagement high through content variety. If you're doing corporate events, Q&A sessions, performances, and showcases are excellent formats to throw into the mix, balancing out more demanding styles like workshops and panel talks.
Music events may want to alternate between genres and moods to keep the energy up until the big event.
Don't be afraid to try out new styles. Always keep an eye on how folks are reacting and tweak your content accordingly; that way, you'll keep everyone engaged from start to finish.
The big day has arrived. Everything is in place, and the guests are at your door, so is the ultimate test of your event planning skills.
For a smooth and seamless event day, ensure everyone from the core team and venue staff knows their assignment by heart. A show flow will help keep everyone in line.
A show flow is a sheet of paper that details the sequence of events, materials needed, and people involved. This instruction mobilizes the right teams and removes any confusion and hiccups that may delay the event.
With all the gear set up right and committees in their designated position, the event will not only go off without a hitch but also leave everyone remembering it fondly.
Once the curtains have closed and the last guest has left the venue, it's time to gather feedback.
This is an important step in seeing how well your event went. As event professionals, feedback helps you find out if your event hit the mark and where you can do better next time.
Hearing about what people thought about your event may also serve as a reward for the team who poured hours to get it over the line.
The simplest way to gather feedback is through a post-event survey. Most organizers email a survey link to all customers after the event. Some flash a QR code on the screen and urge attendees to write a review while waiting for the next act. Take whichever method makes the most sense for your event.
Again, refer back to your event objective and analyze the performance metric that perfectly aligns.
Looking at feedback gives you a clear picture of the success of your event. It points out where there might be room for improvement. For instance, if not as many people came as you hoped for, maybe changing how you spread the word or aiming at a different group could help.
Even with the best planning, you may face problems organizing an event. A contingency plan is a set of backup action items your team pursues when the unexpected occurs.
Let's talk about some usual hurdles in the event planning process and how to deal with them:
Bad weather can really mess up events that are held outdoors. In such cases, having a backup indoor venue or tents available can save the day. Planning the route from place to place can also aid in a seamless transition.
The rain is enough disruption. How your team controls the crowd amidst it will minimize further disruptions to the event flow.
Another common challenge is last-minute cancellations from vendors or speakers. By maintaining a list of backup options and contacts, you can quickly recover lost time and find replacements for resources and equipment.
Seeing a small crowd can be a letdown, which is why it's recommended to have ticket pre-sales. This is also known in some event industries as an early bird registration.
Doing so early into your event planning process allows you to gauge demand and make headcount projections. If your guest list remains short, you may cancel your venue and scale back. These will be less costly the farther you are from the event date.
You may also use your previous events as a benchmark. Did it sell out? If so, how many requests to open new ticket tiers did you receive across your support channels? In cases where you failed to sell all tickets to the event, endeavor to find weak points in your marketing and improve your approach.
When a speaker or performer drops out, it can be quite a crisis. Some customers purchase tickets to see an artist or expert, so they will be disappointed with the news.
This is better prevented through advanced booking and a clear-cut contract between the guest and the organizing team.
However, if cancellation is afoot, be prepared to explain the line-up change to your attendees and offer a refund to those who demand it. Transparency is king, but you may still ease attendees' hearts with a sizable discount on a future event.
An unforeseen circumstance can be a sudden technical glitch, a power outage, or any unplanned guest issues.
For these, have a specialized team to handle it. They need to have access to a backup power supply and direct contact with relevant authorities such as the police and fire department. Their priority will be establishing pre-emptive measures around your event plan on the event day.
Event planning is a meticulous process that takes months to unravel. The good news is that you don't need to do it from scratch. This comprehensive event planning guide simplifies the process into 11 actionable steps, taking the guesswork out of your journey and helping you organize an event your audience will love.
For more event management tips, check out our other blog posts:
Start getting your event ready between 6 to 12 months before it's supposed to happen. This gives you plenty of time to book a place, sort out deals with vendors, figure out how to promote it and deal with any unexpected problems that come up.
You'll know an event is successful when people who come feel involved and leave with good things today. When everything runs smoothly, attendees notice it, and you can chalk this up to your careful planning and preparation.
Hitting your event goals is a second marker of success. Return to step 1 of the planning process and see if you hit your predetermined metric.
When choosing an event venue, consider factors such as accessibility, amenities, how many guests it can comfortably welcome, and overall ambiance.
Best visit the venue in person to ensure it meets your requirements. It's also prudent to ask about any noise, safety, and parking restrictions to consider in the event planning process.
