Planning and coordinating events can be a complex process. You need to consider your preparation time, your budget, and the list of deliverables all in advance. You might even need to contact suppliers if you intend to hand out giveaways and freebies for your audience. This is why event preparations are always done months in advance.
Some event management tips and tricks include keeping your communication lines open, delegating specific duties to your teams, and knowing the venue’s layout for smooth team coordination. While these are crucial, making a checklist is a good way to keep track of your event prep’s progress. That way, you’ll know where you stand and how much work is left. Here are some essential items any coordinator and planner will need on their checklist.
Make Your Timetable
Setting a strict schedule allows you to keep track of how long each task is supposed to take. This lets you set deadlines on priority tasks like confirming the guest lists, or booking performers for your show.
From confirming the venue, planning the theme, and executing the setup, you need to allocate ample time for each phase of the preparation. It’s also important to give time allowances as contingencies. There may be times when a talent would back out at the last minute, or a venue might be booked and you need to find a new one as soon as possible. This is why you might want to give a few weeks as extra time just in case something happens.
Set a Budget
Setting limits on the amount you can spend for your event is one of the first things you need on your list. By establishing a budget, you can cut down on the extra bells and whistles while keeping only the essentials. Some of these priority expenses could include talent fees, reservation payments, and promotional material costs.
One effective way to plan your budget is to make a breakdown down of the costs for setting up your event. By doing so, you can allocate the funds to the areas that need them most. Will you need more for promotion? Will you need more for the talent fees? It all depends on which department you think will need more funding.
The Deliverables
This part of the list comprises the bulk of your event prep. Promotional materials, talents to hire, and venue décor are some of the things that you need to keep track of here. Will you need posters, or will simple social media promotion suffice? How many performers will you need? Additionally, you may also need to segregate which of these items need to be prioritized over others. Other things like sponsors’ materials can also be included here if your event will have them.
Confirm the DRIs
This is known as the “Directly Responsible Individuals” list, a term coined within Apple Inc. It lets you see who’s in charge of what, like liaising between the event committee and the talents or preparing the promotional materials.
Assigning committee heads in charge of booking, promoting or selling can instill a sense of accountability. That way, each person knows the exact scope of their duties to avoid any overlapping of responsibilities.
Consider the Memorabilia
If your budget allows it, you can sell cost-effective memorabilia like posters, lanyards, and even silicone wristbands or event wristbands. This has the dual benefit of letting people spread the word about your event and giving you a chance to generate a profit from the sales.
Before considering this, it’s best to list down possible items that you can produce and sell. You can try to contact possible suppliers to get a quotation before you can consider making this an option for your event.
By adding these five main items in your checklist can cover most of the main requirements for every event. This also allows you to plan more efficiently and have backups in case something goes wrong. While it might seem tedious to list down everything at the start, doing so will save you from headaches and unforeseen problems.
