10 Ways To Organize A Successful Event
With summer just around the corner, we are often overwhelmed with tasks of organizing sessions. From an attendee’s standpoint, the best events appear to have just come together effortlessly. However, in the event industry, the “effortless” appearance takes a lot of work. It takes teamwork, a budget, a little bit of luck, and a whole lot of management. The following tips will help you to plan a successful event.
1. Develop Event Goal and Objectives.
The very first step is to establish a tangible goal and objectives,that is why are you organizing this event and what do you hope to achieve? Before you do anything, you’ll need to identify your event’s goals, and your aim is to achieve them.
2. Be Organized.
It’s very possible you feel like a ferret with its head cut off right about now. Take a breath and open up Excel. Prepare a draft schedule of the activities in the event. Make a few spreadsheets to organize your thoughts. It may seem like needless paperwork now, but in two months you’ll be profusely thanking your past self for looking out for you.
3. Prepare A Budget.
All possible expenses, incomes, sponsors, and contingent expenses should be included. If you don’t budget, you’ll end up with a wad of receipts, an empty pocketbook, and no idea what the heck just happened. Be realistic from day one so no surprises are seen the day of!
4. Get Volunteers.
Good team members with different skills are a necessity. They can help with everything from preparing schedules and budgets, to making invites and posters, to welcoming in guests and doing the dirty work of cleaning up afterward. In other words, they can help you get things done. And if you can, get volunteers who you trust!
5. Prepare A Contact List.
You’ll need all relevant phone numbers, addresses and emails of team members. Also, make a similar contact list for VIPs and suppliers of any goods or services. When someone doesn’t show up or is running late, this will be what you refer to.
6. Publicize Your Event.
The key to hosting a successful event is to publicize it well. You can put in all the time and raise all the money in the world, but if no one knows about the event, attendance will be low. If you plan on inviting the public to an event, it is a good idea to publicize the event as much as possible and make use of every available publicity resource.
7. Brand Your Event.
If you want your event to stand out, you need to choose a timely and compelling theme that sets you apart from your competition. This means that you need to come up with a dynamic overall theme and you need to take great care with the actual name – since it can be a key attention-getter, especially in online media.
8. Exhibit Leadership and Confidence.
The most successful planners are confident and are great leaders. Leadership and confidence can be put into one section because they’re so interconnected that it can actually be hard to tell the difference. It may be tough to hear this but, not all event organizers are leaders. Without confidence in yourself, in your event’s mission, and in your team, you won’t be able to lead others towards the shared vision of your event.
9. Be Flexible.
Being flexible is king in event planning as things come up last minute on a regular basis when organizing an event. However, being flexible also means that you’re a team player who has the confidence to listen to others and be flexible in your stance when you’re presented with alternative opinions.
10. Deliver a Great Finished Product
No matter how great (or not so great) things are behind the scenes, the final outcome is what people will remember and talk about. As you spend several months focused on your event, keep in mind the impact that it will have on your attendees. You want them to be reminiscing and talking about it for years.
