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Planning a successful event requires a lot of advance work. When hosting and planning an event — large or small, it can sometimes be best to get a date set along with simple details and plan backwards. This blog will cover event planning for hosting an event and how you can think backwards for guidance. Be sure to follow up next month when I cover event marketing.
You’ve decided to host an event, but now what!? No matter the type of event, whether it is a multi-day conference or small birthday party, you’ll need to know some details to get started. Let’s start some basics — who, what, when, where, and why.
Beyond those basics, you’ll probably also want to know the scope of your event. A very basic schedule of events can help you plan for all the moving parts of your event. Think about and research your event’s schedule. This could include simple daily schedules if it is a multi-day event, what type of entertainment you’ll have, if there will be food served, etc.
Goal Setting For Your event
The next phase of planning for your event will be setting goals, but not just any goals, SMART goals. SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. These goals need to align with the ‘why’ question mentioned earlier.
How will I measure the success of the event? Attendees? Revenue? Number of speakers? What do you want people to walk away with after your event?
Example: Secure 100 registrations before the event starts. This will be measured by tracking ongoing marketing efforts and registration number each week on Monday.
Goals can be anything, depending on the company, business, or host, but remember to make them SMART goals. Also write them down and keep them in mind during the entire event from planning to the after-event review. Consider hanging up goals somewhere you (and your team) will see them every day in comparison to the tracking numbers, something like a money fundraising thermometer.
Did you know? According to Hubspot, hosting or participating in events is a key way for companies to establish and grow their brand. 64% of event marketers reported that the primary reason for hosting events is brand awareness for their company or products.
Event planning Timeline
When planning an event, I like to think backwards. Thinking backwards can help you map out a course of action so deadlines don’t sneak up on you (and your team). This will help you be more proactive in your marketing and planning, versus being reactive.
“You can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So, you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”
Once you have the basics nailed down (date, time, location) and your SMART goals set, it is time to start thinking about how you will achieve those goals. Start building out your timeline — thinking backwards.
A great way to get started is to list out all the things you need to consider. As previously mentioned, what does your schedule need — food and beverage (F&B) and/or speakers? Next, thinking big picture, how will your event look — will you have branded signage? Do you need to contract out photographers or videographers? What other audio and visual (A/V) needs do you have, especially for speakers or presentations. Sometimes you must think about logistics like trash can locations or renting portable restaurants.
Getting a list of all the things to tackle (big and small) is a great way to start building out a timeline. You will be able to get an overview of all the items ahead of you and how they relate and can impact one another. You will also see items you need to handle and others you need to work with a vendor on and follow their timeline.
Example:Do you want to have a t-shirt designed? When do they need to be ordered to arrive on time? If you need to order them a month before your event, how soon do you need to hire a designer to design and get a shirt approved?
Once you have a list of things, you’ll need to tackle to make your event happen, time to start timeline building!
Start with deadlines you can’t change – ‘anchor’ deadlines that will help shape your overall timeline. These can be related to vendors deadlines or location deadlines. When do you have to turn in numbers for F&B?
Next consider thinking back from the day of event to plan check-in meetings. You’ll want more check-ins (maybe weekly) as the date approaches, but you can space them out further apart earlier in the planning. Start with a monthly meeting with your team and/or vendors. Use these meetings as reminders to check on your measurable goals!
What other items will impact others. Consider the example of sponsors above — if you need sponsors, what timeline do you need to put in place to secure sponsors, get materials from them, and include them in your marketing? Start putting together this puzzle keeping those anchor deadlines in mind.
Some items that should be early in your timeline will be items like assigning roles and tasks with your team and determining a budget. Next secure vendors such as F&B so you can review their contract for time requirements.
And of course, the timeline won’t end with the event. Be sure you don’t forget about after the event — clean up, surveys, and a debrief with your team and volunteers.
Additional tip: If this is a recurring event, consider having a template to use each year. This will help you get ahead in planning and staying on top of deadlines. You can use a project management tool to build out a timeline and then create a template for future use. Check out my blog to learn more about using Trello for project management.
Conclusion
Event planning, depending on the size, can take months (even years). Be prepared to focus on the non-negotiable deadlines and be flexible with other deadlines as there will always be things that go wrong and impact your timeline.
Something I’ve always remembered and kept in mind are Murphy’s Laws. Murphy’s First Law: Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Murphy’s Second Law: Nothing is as easy as it looks. Murphy’s Third Law: Everything takes longer than you think it will.
It is never too early to start planning. Remember to stay proactive to avoid being reactive. This will help you set your event up for success! If you are looking for project management, marketing, or graphic design assistance for an upcoming event, let’s chat!
