Do you know the U.S’s event and party planning sector is expected to reach $3 billion in 2021?
Planning an event can be overwhelming, and it’s best to prepare yourself in advance.
Having an event planning checklist table covers wholesale is a smart move to ensure everything will proceed as planned. A well-structured checklist will help you stay on track as you plan different aspects of your event.
Here are seven items you need on your event planning checklist.
- Event Budget
The first step to organizing a successful event is coming up with a budget. Having values allocated prior will help you pick a favorable venue and locate the best entertainment vendors.
Also, the budget will help you decide whether to host a free event or attendees will need to purchase tickets.
In case financing will be coming from executives and shareholders, ensure you present the budget ahead of time. This offers space for preparation, considering items like the venue, catering, and entertainment could cost thousands of dollars.
- Venue and Catering
Once you’ve determined the event budget, the next item on your checklist should be the venue. The venue will either make or break your event, so be extra careful.
Ask yourself questions like how many people will be attending the event? What is the best location for your event? Will the guest be comfortable sitting or standing?
The answers to these questions should steer you in the right direction.
To save on money and stress, opt for venues that offer discounted catering services. There are a few venues that offer pre-set menus. Such venues are the best alternative where guests don’t have specific dietary requirements.
However, if the pre-set menu doesn’t fit, look for alternatives like food stalls and superb food trucks. Guests will find this an existing aspect of your event. Ensure you select a venue that is easy to get to and one with all the requirements you need.
- Your Guests
Choose your invitees carefully, depending on the type of event. Is it a commercial event with successful businessmen, or a graduation party?
Ensure you define your guests for a great turnout to your event. You don’t want to answer questions later for not inviting people you were supposed to invite.
Prepare a list of your guests and ensure you send invites to every one of them. As the event approaches, send reminders to all invitees and anyone else speaking or presenting at the event.
- Logistics
Event planning is tedious, and most people forget to take care of the little things—for example, failure to consider logistics specific to the event you are planning.
Some of the general things to consider include hosting your event at a reasonable time. No one wants to attend an event on Sunday night when they must be at work on Monday morning. Host your event at a convenient time for your attendees.
Also, communicating with guests where they will get dropped off and park their cars will enable smooth flow at your event. Obtaining event insurance is also necessary to keep you protected in case anything occurs.
- The Theme of the Event
If you are planning a commercial event, aim at providing information about your organization and its objectives. Creating related content and presenting it to your audience should be your objective.
Don’t just throw an event to cheer up the attendees; ensure you have a message to share through the event. To pass the message clearly and build trust to the attendees, prepare content that will attract your audience.
For hybrid events, make sure you are creative when creating content and that you are engaging. This is the only way to beat Zoom fatigue.
Capturing the attention of virtual attendees can be difficult as you are in competition with background noise and social media icons. Luckily, a well-drafted run of the show will help capture the attention of the audience.
Engage with virtual event producers and experts and try out the recommended run of show template prior to the event.
- Entertainment
The aspects of a good event are what attendees learn, great entertainment, and good food. Based on the type of your event, ensure you have the right category of entertainment.
The type of entertainment you use should amplify your event’s objectives. For example, if you are hosting a fundraiser, your entertainment should focus on the event’s financial goals.
Moreover, if you are planning an annual celebration party, hiring a band or a DJ will keep your guests entertained.
Also, a photo booth will help capture the fun moments of the events. Photos are amazing at keeping memories and a great way to remember your event.
- Build an Event Team
Planning an event is stressful – more so hybrid events where you must cater to both online audiences and in-person attendees.
To avoid event pitfalls, ensure you build two teams to focus on both event experiences. One team should help prevent hybrid event pitfalls, while the other should cater to in-person attendees before and after the event commences.
When building up teams, be sure to consider the key roles and functions of each team. Some of the key roles you should allocate to each team include event production, communication and coordination, and marketing.
Host a Successful Event by Following This Event Planning Checklist
Having these important things on your event planning checklist guarantees you a successful event. You are less likely to forget something crucial concerning your event with a well-prepared checklist at hand.
Once you have a strong event team in place, you are assured all guests will be invited and well taken care of at the event. Moreover, event insurance should also protect you and your guests against the unknown.
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