Planning an event is a challenging yet rewarding process, to ensure a successful event we have created this helpful event planner checklist with 10 simple steps for you to follow. We have identified the key components for planning an event: event preparation, event promotion, event day management and post-event evaluation.

Our comprehensive events planning checklist will help you to keep focused during your event planning and will give you the support you need pre-event and post-event.

 

Step 1: Identify event goals and objectives.

Having clear goals and objectives will give you an idea of what you want your event to achieve, you will need to consider the following:

• Why are you hosting this event?
• What are your objectives for the event?
• Who will be attending the event?
• When and where will the event take place?
• Will this be an online event?

Step 2: Choose the event date and time

When it comes to event planning choosing the best date and time for your event is extremely important and you will need to make sure that you have taken into account the following:

• Are there any public holidays or celebrations on the same day?
• Have you got alternatives dates as a back-up?
• Is there a particular day of the week that is best for your particular audience’s needs?
• What would be the best time for your event? Remember to consider time-zones and your attendee’s work/travel commitments.

Step 3: Establish an event budget

Your budget is unlikely to be an exact number at the event planning stage but it is always helpful to have an idea of what your budget is, we suggest you are realistic and flexible when considering your event costs and to plan a way to keep track of your spending. An event budget will help you to make the majority of decisions from your event theme to how many guests you invite, to whether you have guest speakers and your audio/visual needs. With the uncertainty the events industry is currently in, it might be worth considering a virtual event as costs are considerably lower, you could consider having a free event and any upcoming events could still go ahead.

Step 4: Select a location, venue and vendors

The success of any event can all depend on location however the location for your event will also depend on the size and scope of your event. Whether your event will take place in a grand hotel, conference centre or as a virtual event, the venue you choose is crucial to the event success. You will need to choose the location that is right for your events needs so remember to consider this when applying your event budget.

Step 5: Event speakers

A confident, passionate and engaging speaker can significantly enhance the quality of your event which is why you need to find the speaker who is the ideal fit for your chosen event. Make sure you research speakers pre-event as there is a wide range of speakers available that will be able to engross your audience whilst also competently getting the message of your event across.

Points to consider:

• Identify any speakers who have spoken at your previous events.
• Always be clear with your expectations of the speaker so they can plan and prepare.
• Think about your budget and how this can impact your choice of speaker.

Step 6: Event marketing and branding

When it comes to event marketing and branding, the possibilities available to you really are endless, with a little creativity and imagination your event has the potential to be highly successful with optimal audience attendance. We consider this to be a vital step in our event plan checklist as effective event marketing is the key to event day success.

In modern-day marketing, there are many options out there that can help promote any size event regardless of location or theme. We have a few suggestions for event promotion which you can continue to use post-event.

• Be consistent with your marketing and branding strategy, this will help keep your audience engaged and well informed.
• Social media campaigns are a powerful tool to effectively advertise your event.
• Consider having a press release especially if the event is on a larger scale.
• Entice your attendees with extras or giveaways at the event registration. (You might need event registration software)
• Use your existing digital marketing tools like email and social media pages to connect with prospective attendees.

Step 7: Create an event schedule

This step in our event checklist might seem like an obvious step however creating a purposeful and useful event schedule will definitely benefit you not only during the planning phase but also on the event day itself. Your event schedule will be what you need to keep focused and on track during the day of the event as this will be the running order of your event.

This is the step in our checklist where you should include a contingency plan in case of complications on the day of the event. You will need to update your schedule regularly and make sure it is finalised and distributed to all involved in your event.

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Step 8: Coordinate with venue and suppliers

Communication is the key to event success! You will need to have regular and consistent contact with your venue and suppliers so that everyone is aware of the expectations for the event. You will already have planned your timings for the event so it is important that your venue and suppliers are aware of these so that they can adapt and plan accordingly. We suggest sending a copy of the event schedule to your suppliers, vendors and the venue as this will ensure everyone knows what to expect on the day of the event.

Step 9: Managing the day of the event

Now providing you have followed our event checklist step by step then on the day of your event you will hopefully be feeling calm, relaxed and most importantly prepared to host a fantastic event. You have your event schedule to keep you focused during the day and remember if any last-minute complications or issues should arise the show must go on, so you need keep calm and make sure you use the team around you to resolve any problems.

Helpful Tip: You might want to consider having a member of your team keeping a live social media presence during the event, this can boost engagement and further advertise your event.

Step 10: Post-event evaluation

This may be the final step in our event planning checklist but it that does not make it any less important because this is the step where you can evaluate the success of your event and make relevant and beneficial changes to how you might approach your future events. Gaining feedback from everyone involved in your event including your team, the venue, suppliers and most importantly your attendees is how you measure the success of your event and how you can make improvement for your future events.

Final thoughts

Our checklist for planning an event is the vital tool you need to follow to ensure that your next event is the best it can be, we believe these 10 simple yet effective steps are just what you need to confidently plan your next event. Even though a successful event requires purposeful planning and creative marketing, here at Eclipse we hope you have found this checklist helpful and useful and we are always available to answer questions and to give extra advice.