No matter what path in life you choose to follow you are probably going to be in charge of the organization and execution of something. It may be your wedding, a friend's birthday, a loved one's funeral, anything. It is a basic human skill that most people have. This is good for personal social lives, but terrible for the world of professional event planning.
The fact of the matter is, thinking "I did my wedding" or "My parties were always the best in high school," does not translate into success on a grander scale. This belief also causes those "casual-event-planners" to look down on those of us who have done larger ones. To lay it out there: As the numbers increase you don't just have to buy more chips and dip.
I have been involved in planning large fundraising efforts, conferences, banquets, and a number of other events and I wish that I could have documented all the steps necessary. Turns out, though, that it is impossible to record every little thing needed, since there is always something which can be done or improved. The constant need for innovation alone is enough to drive you crazy!
I'm not going to attempt to make a list/timeline of everything needed (probably impossible as things aren't linear), but I will go over a few very important points to consider during every event planning process...
Determine the Purpose
Everything happens for a reason. Events are no exception: None of them happen without a reason. It could be as simple of hosting a dinner for friends whom you haven't seen in a while, but there is still a purpose there. Even if you don't consciously think about the purpose, be assured that there always is one.
Addressing the larger scale purpose is vital. Are you raising awareness for a product? Addressing shareholders? Is it a fund raising effort? Without purpose (and a correct one at that) you will not be able to accomplish the goal(s) of your event, wasting lots of time and potentially lots of money.
A sub-heading of this would be managing expectations. You need to have a budget as well as ensure you are only making promises you can deliver.
Identify the Stakeholders
Like it or not every single event is a business venture, no matter what the size or timeline. Because of this the needs of all interested parties must be taken into consideration. This extends far beyond the attendees.
There could be corporate partners who have paid to be involved with the event and you better make sure that their goals are accomplished as well (this would also fall under setting realistic expectations). There is also the venue, any presenters at the event, etc.
Once they are identified take them into consideration for all decisions. I know it's been said that "You can't be everything to everyone," but as an event planner you must be.
Negotiate, Negotiate, Negotiate
I can't stress this enough. From the venue, to the marketing costs, to speakers, to centerpieces everything can be negotiated. Do this even if you have a huge budget! If you have lots of cash to work with and you still negotiate it just means you can do more, which is always good. This leads into...
Doing the Extra Things
This is the most vague and hardest part to master. Most every event wants to stick out in people's minds. In order to do that you have to focus on the extras that will make your event "pop". The main things should be done, regardless (having food at a gala dinner), but no one's going to take notice of all that. It's expected. It's everything after the job description which counts.
Notice that I don't say "the little things" like others may/do. They can be small, for sure, but those things often are left unnoticed. Doing a great number of little things is "bringing the event to par". For example people won't notice or comment if their cutlery is perfectly aligned, but they will if it is not. This is an extra you have to take care of, but it's not the "pop" you need.
The extra that I'm talking about is something far more unique. If you're planning a guest lecture for cardiologists, hook up the presenter to a heart rate monitor, project the data, and see when they are nervous during their talk. Give everyone coming to a smaller networking event a key when they come in, and the lock in which it works is their seat. You get the drift.
Don't Sweat Too Hard Night Of
A short-coming of a good number of event planners is that they (myself included) care too much about what other people think. Their value as a human hinges on how the event goes over. Any deviation from the plan is an immense failure. Something I tell all planners that I have managed is that no one knows something didn't go by the plan unless you let them know. Think on your feet, roll with the punches, and even if things aren't 100% be sure to stay as calm as possible. Or at least appear that way.
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4 comments:
These tips are very useful especially for an event planner. These tips will help to make the event that is being organized by the planner to turn out into a success. This will also help the event to gain the trust of the customers and get more business in the future.
Planning an event is not as easy as it looks. And there are tons of events that can be planned. I've planned an event once near Bay Area. Tent rentals there have better choices, so you can choose what suits for your event that you are planning.
Yeah actually I never try to organize something maybe could be a nice business if you know how to do it, but in my case i lik computers and work in generic viagra labs, but i guess i should try sometime because I have to much free time right now.
Event management is really a creative job. You need to hire a best event management company for your corporate or personal events. Thanks for sharing such an amazing post.
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