Organizing an event, such as a conference, training, or corporate function, can be challenging if you fail to implement the appropriate planning and scheduling procedures. For those who are planning a large event, there are some essential guidelines to be followed in your preparation process.
Organization and attention to detail, in the event planning business, is the key to success. Often, organizations or smaller companies will forgo the cost of hiring an event planner in hopes of successfully organizing the event on their own. While it is a good idea to bring in a professional, if you want to go it alone, just make sure you follow these simple guidelines.
Select A Date
A critical yet obvious first step is to identify a date for your event. While this might sound easy, keep in mind there are many factors you will need to consider including your guest speakers, venues, and other competing events. You will need to keep this all in mind when choosing the date of your event.
Get Organized
Once your event date and time are established, the first step to successful planning is rather simple. Take out a calendar and, working from the event date going backwards, begin to pencil in specific activities that must be done and establish a tentative working calendar and checklist. In doing so, you will lay the foundation for meeting your event deadline.
Benefits of technology
Organizing an event takes a lot of time to arrange each and everything to the point. It involves renting party tent, lighting, or DJ. Nowadays, organizing an event, streamlining communication, and managing customer service can all be done with the click of one button. Event rental management software is a powerful resource that can help you to save time, money and effort. It is a great way to make sure that your event is going as planned.
Contact Guest Speakers
The professional speakers you hire for your event will be a critical factor in ensuring that people want to attend your event and that they have a good experience. Therefore, you are going to want to get in touch with speakers bureaus and agencies that can help you coordinate all of this. A speaker agency like Keynote Speakers can help you find a great keynote speaker to kick off your event. While an agency like Motivational Speakers would be your best solution for finding an inspirational speaker.
Delegate Tasks
Once the dates are tentatively scheduled, begin delegating those tasks to specific organizations or individuals who will become key players in your planning and execution of the wedding, graduation party or corporate function.
Be certain that all written contracts clearly outline the dates on which specific activities should be completed. When using volunteers, be sure to elicit the assistance of those who are reliable as you want to be sure the volunteer does not fail to meet a required activity or expectation for your event.
Budget Outline
Next, as part of your event planning process, make a list of all items that will require a monetary consideration. Items such as invitation to the event, entertainment and food are quite common. But, be sure to think outside the box. What other items are commonly used at these types of events? Visualization is important to success.
Negotiate Fees
Once you’ve made a list of all items that require monetary consideration, begin contacting suppliers, speaker agencies, and dealers to work contracts and negotiations. The key to successful corporate event planning, in terms of dollars spent, is to begin the planning process early and make deposits early to ensure you obtain the best price. Waiting until the last minute to secure specific items may result in higher costs. This is why its important to contact the speaker agency as soon as possible so that you get the best price.
Final Thoughts
As with any event planning process, organizing and executing the event will require time and preparation. When choosing to create the event yourself, in an effort to save costs, be sure to use your calendar to map out the path for the event, negotiate with dealers and suppliers early, and delegate responsibilities to vendors, suppliers and volunteers, clearly stating what is expected in terms of deadlines. In doing so, your event will be a success.
