Has anyone ever approached you to help them plan an event? If so, you’ll know that, whether it’s a baby shower, a birthday celebration, or an office party that needs to be organized, plenty of planning is required for the event to be a success.
Visualize the event
This first step will often be the most challenging and time-consuming part of your planning. While visualizing the event, it is important to consider the following factors and how each of them will influence the event:
- What are you going to call your event? For example, 'Sandra’s Going Away Party'
- When is the event going to take place?
- Where is the event going to take place? Will you need to hire a venue?
- How many people will be attending the event?
- What entertainment will you need to organize?
- Will you need to arrange publicity for the event?
When you have answers to the above questions, the visualization process should be nearing an end. It's also important to discuss a few alternative scenarios with the relevant parties, so that you have a backup plan in place in case things go wrong leading up to, or on the day of, the event.
Draw up a budget
If you are planning the event on behalf of someone else, make sure to establish what the maximum budget is and plan the expenses accordingly. Also, make sure to allow for unexpected expenses. Some tips for reducing costs include:
- Do your research to find out where you can get the best prices.
- Negotiate with caterers and other service providers to get the best deal.
- Where possible, buy decor items in bulk to qualify for wholesale prices.
Develop a timeline
Set up a schedule to determine the dates by which each part of the planning process needs to be complete. You can also delegate certain tasks to other people at this stage if you are working with a team.
Put the plan into action
Work according to the schedule that you set up for yourself and make sure that you carry out all activities on time. For example, book the venue, confirm the caterers, buy the decorations, and follow up on how the rest of your team members are doing with their allocated tasks.
Use these 7 steps to plan a successful event
Double-check the project plan
A few days before the event, take a step back and go over your initial planning to see whether everything is in place and to see whether you may have missed something the first time around. This will allow you adequate time to take care of anything that may have slipped through the cracks.
Host the event!
When the day arrives, get an early start and arrive at the venue a few hours ahead of schedule. Check that everything is in place and use this time to discuss the backup plans with those who will be assisting during the event. Remember to have fun!
Evaluate the event
Make a few notes on how the event was executed. Take note of what worked well, what went wrong, and what could be done better in the future. This will help you tremendously when it comes to planning future events even more successfully!
Want to find out more about how to plan a successful event? Click here to view Events Management Courses.
