TOPIC 4: EVENT ORGANIZATION
Sub-Topic
1. Meaning of event organizing
2. Importance of organizing event
3. Process
4. Principles in event organization
5. Challenges in organization an event
MEANING OF EVENT ORGANIZING
Event management is the application of project management to the creation and development of small and/or large-scale personal or corporate events such as festivals, conferences, ceremonies, weddings, formal parties, concerts, or conventions
Definition According to Philip Kotler,
Events are defined as “Occurrences designed to communicate particular messages to target audience”. Events can also be defined as something noteworthy that happens according to a set plan involving networking of a multimedia package thereby achieving the client’s objective and justifying their need of associating with events.
A comprehensive multimedia definition states that an event is a multimedia package carried out with a pre-conceived concept, customized or modified to achieve the clients’ objective of reaching out and suitably influencing the sharply defined, specially gathered target audience by providing a complete sensual experience and an avenue for two-way interaction. It is evident, therefore, that an event is a package so organized to provide reach and live interaction between the target audience and the company.
E – Entertainment (Event includes entertainment involving fun, games and information)
V – Venue (Place for conducting the event successfully)
E – Equipment (Technical and non-technical equipment used to run the show successfully
N – News (News about the new product, movies, activities and offers which are going to take place)
T – Team (Event is a teamwork, group of individuals taking different responsibility to make it successful)
S – Strategy (different strategy used like financial, marketing, technical and human resources)
Tracing the history of events would entail the history of mankind, an event in its universal and literal form means an occasion when something happens or something needs to be done to organize the same. Events are attracting worldwide attention and at the same time getting corporatized. Events have proved to be a versatile marketing communication tool since they can be customized to cater to the needs of the industry and form an integral part of the modern-day marketing. However, there are events that aim at spreading awareness or events that do not carry a financial or marketing motive. Meaning The term events synonyms are occurrences, happening, incident,
occasion and experience. All these terms signify that events are occasions that occur on its own. At times, events can also be termed as a planned activity directed towards attainment of a defined goal or objective. Implications
● An event is an observable occurrence.
● It can be designed to achieve certain goals.
● It can also be termed as experiential marketing.
● It is objective oriented.
● It provides an avenue for interaction.
● Events are a worldwide phenomenon.
● Events are gaining worldwide attention and recognition
. ● The objective of events may not always be profit generation.
Characteristics of Events
1. Events offer a “once in a life” experience as the events entail a unique experience.
2. Events are aimed at fulfilment of certain aims and objectives.
3. As compared to projects, events generally have a shorter life span as they are specific occurrences designed to meet certain objectives.
4. Events involve a substantial and a huge requirement of funds and management of the scarce resources.
5. It requires judicious planning of activities, people and other resources.
6. Undoubtedly, events involve facing an environment of risks and uncertainties.
7. Events involve the important managerial functions such as planning, organizing, coordination, staffing, reporting, budgeting, forecasting and direction
Categories of Events
The competitive threats posed by globalization are forcing business owners to engage in innovative ways to engage their customers. In fact, there are very few events that cannot be used for a marketing purpose, as all communicate something to the target audience. Events can be used to perform a number of marketing functions; for example, communication, relationship and loyalty building, database compilation, targeting, brand enhancement, and promotion.
Following are the categories of events.
Political Events
Political events include a function initiated and organized by a political organization or political candidate exclusively to advance and promote political purposes or political candidate. A “political rally” is a gathering at which people of similar political beliefs listen to speakers or musicians. Political rallies are often high energy events that are used to raise morale and support.
Religious Events
Religious events are conducted to provoke the religious sentiments of the people and reinforce the belief systems and mark solidarity towards one’s very own religion and religious practices, handed over by the ancestors.
Social Events
Man is a social being. Social gatherings have been in vogue from time immemorial. In a world of texting, instant messaging, and emailing, the tradition of holiday gatherings fall by the wayside. A social gathering is generally a large gathering organized to celebrate major life events and religious ceremonies. Common social events include: anniversaries, weddings, birthdays, and bar/bat mitzvahs. However, the advantages of social gatherings are numerous and still hold value. Weddings, anniversaries, and other social gatherings are popular in Indian society. A
social gathering or party, sometimes of a ceremonial nature, can be classified as a social event. A gala is a large-scale dinner gathering or party that often includes entertainment and/or awards ceremonies following dinner. Receptions are often informal, and attendees will usually stand up and socialize rather than sit down at a table. Weddings and other social events, receptions are informal celebrations or gatherings that follow a more formal ceremony.
Networking Events
Networking is the process of intentionally meeting people, making contacts, and forming relationships in the hope of gaining access to such business-related benefits as career advice, job leads, business referrals, useful information and ideas, and emotional support. For example, a small business owner’s network might include clients, vendors, fellow members of trade or professional associations, bankers, accountants, professors at a local business school, friends who are employed in similar industries, and other small business owners. Ideally, networks serve both social and business functions and are mutually beneficial for their members. The relationships formed in networking help people create a larger world for themselves, with a variety of new relationships, opportunities, and resources. Networking events can run from informal schmooze and booze affairs at a local bar to full fledged galas complete with an open bar. It aims at attempting to build one or more relationships; for self-actualization or for establishing a connect for enlarging business activities. Its an event where exchange of ideas takes place. An example is the business networking event organized in a community by its
chamber of commerce. Networking events are common practice within professional organizations, which may also link up with other bodies to stage a joint event. Business networking has received a tremendous boost in the recent times. There are networking sites
such as LinkedIn. However, an event creates a different and a unique impact informing long lasting relationships. Entertainment Events There are many forms of entertainment. One could watch a movie or visit a mall. However, Entertainment industry conducts its events on a large scale and invites word wide attention. Ultimately, though it is the viewers that will determine what constitutes an event on television and its viewership, after all there is only one Oscar telecast, one Grammy Awards Show and one Golden Globes.
Awareness Causing Events Certain events are indented to create awareness among the general public. They may be in the form of mass campaigns or drives and are intended for the common good of the people. A good example of social responsibility could be the Go Green Events, etc.
Crafts and Creativity Events
A fair is a trade show or expo organized for the purpose of exhibiting arts and crafts, industrial products and agricultural products, but more local and on a smaller scale. At times, these events are also used to sell products designed and made by the physically challenged. It helps you discover unique, one-of-a-kind merchandise that can be marketed for a social cause. Such events, features a blend of contemporary, traditional and unique Rocky Mountain Regional artwork including jewellery, woodworking, pottery, glass, paintings, metalwork and much more.
Sports Events
An event conducted to promote the sports activities which include cricket, hockey, football, basket ball, karate, etc. is called a sports event. It improves the relationship between nations as countries participate in international sports meet. Sports events cause high viewership and also aid in improving and strengthening political relationships amongst nations. Trade activities receive a makeover and the countries are able to generate revenue through such events. The increasing popularity of sports have caused a rich culmination and interchange of culture, lifestyle and resources.
Educative/Academic Events
This is an event where students, academics and representatives from companies meet and discuss topics related to education. The goal is to approach the positions of the three stakeholders in education through the exchange of opinions and experience. Seminars for career
counseling, mentoring programs and higher educational programs have gained significant importance. A graduation program at colleges can be an example of such events
Business Events
A variety of events are hosted by the corporate too. Corporate generally host events in the form of meetings, conventions, workshops, seminars, presentations, etc. While the term “Board Meeting” technically means a gathering of a company or organization’s board of director, it is also a gathering of decision makers. At such gatherings, important facts are presented and decisions are made as to the best course of action to be taken in the future. At a convention or conference, breakout sessions are meetings (workshops, seminars, or presentations) intended for small groups are conducted. These meetings can be held in smaller meeting rooms within a convention center or hotel as well as off-site meeting and boardrooms. Formal celebrations are organized by a company or organization to celebrate achievements within the organization and to boost employee and member morale. They may be in the form of business dinners or
banquets.
International Events
International events draw national and international audience. International events aid in improving relationships among nations. Our country has started getting more media coverage and recognition abroad. Mega events are organized in collaboration with event managers of other countries. This has greatly improved the scope for people engaged in the event management industry to try their luck in international market. Professionals in this field also get the opportunity to showcase their talent at international events where delegates from our country participate in cultural festivals and exchange programs, trade shows, conferences, exhibitions, corporate events and so on.
Promotional Events
Promotional events can help elevate your business above your competitors. Your promotional event’s creative theme and the fact that you’re holding an event set your business apart from your competitors. Introducing a new product in the market, advertising, etc. would require promotional campaigns. Nowadays, more companies resort to conducting events for creating awareness and popularizing their products and services. Modern-day business houses do not rely on traditional media for generating publicity as much as they depend on events to establish business relationships with their clients through live interface and communication Prior to planning for events, the event activities have to be analyzed and classified for effective management and effective performance.
The aim of analysis is to understand the various important elements of events in order to avoid pitfalls and problems that may occur at the later stages. Before start-up, the event manager popularly known as event organizer has to study these specific areas:
1. Objective: Since events are tailor-made to suit the needs of the customer, it is essential to ascertain the main objective of the event. It is essential because the success of the event lies in the fact that the objective has been accomplished.
2. Competitors: Competitor analysis is a must. There is a possibility that the competitor event could also be scheduled around the same dates. This could reduce the footfall in the event leading to non-accomplishment of objective. Before starting up with event planning, it is
essential to look at the timing, duration, of similar events running in the vicinity that may pose a threat to the others.
3. Skills: Before taking up an event, it is also essential to do a careful self-analysis to find out if you are equipped enough to handle the particular type of events. A sports event preparation is entirely different from an arrangement for cultural events. Event organizers should ensure that they possess relevant expertise to handle events otherwise it is advisable to let go to another to handle.
4. Community Impact: The impact of an event on the local or wider community and others is a major consideration of the planning stage. Because local lobby groups can create extreme difficulties for the unprepared event organizer, it is essential that the community benefits are explained and other impacts are considered as part of the event proposal.
5. Budget: The budget of the client should be known at the very onset of any event activity. Budget is the basis for all other planning and decision making. The Budgeted income and expenditure should form the basis of all other arrangements involved in the conduct of the
event.
6. Rules and Regulations: A wide range of rules and regulations govern the hosting of events.
An international event to be hosted in the country requires the approval of the government and various other regulations and procedures must be adhered to.
7. Risks and Uncertainties: A careful planning of the risks and uncertainties that surround the event should be chalked out and alternative plan of action in case of deviations should be chalked out to prevent and manage any foreseen and unforeseen incidents.
8. Cash Flows: An estimate of the cash inflows and outflows should be prepared. This statement can serve as a tool for cost control in all circumstances and to ensure that there are no deviations from the standards.
9. Media: The costs of media as well as the mode of transmission of information should be planned so that the event reaches the masses in the way it is intended to. Media plays an important role in publicity and brand building especially in case of business events.
10. Security: Another important aspect of the event is the security arrangements for the events.
Nowadays, we hear of various field accidents, such as stampedes, which dislodge the successful conduct of the event.
Functional Areas in Event Management
An organization that is into event management business offers numerous functional positions.
The following are some of the departments in a typical event managing company:
● Public Relations: Managing a vast gamut of people ranging from clients, artists, stage performers, government officials, and public and so on.
● Promotion and Marketing: For promoting the sale of products and services of the organization and marketing to achieve highest turnover.
● Brand Development: A talent pool that is responsible for managing client requirements pertaining to brand restructuring and brand repositioning.
● Designing: Team of creative people who visualize and then prepare design layouts for the stage, costumes, accessories and layout.
● Administration: Team that is responsible for back office and general administrative tasks.
● Media: Team comprising of media professionals who manage the production and editing of audio video related media.
● Printing: Department that takes care of printing all sorts of marketing collaterals and promotional items.
● Logistics: Team that takes care of the logistics for the event.
● Financial team: Team that monitors and handles the flow of cash for the event
Essential Skills include for organizing events include :
● Public Relations: To manage clients, their agents and a vast gamut of professionals you would meet in the line of your profession.
● Creativity: From the initiation of a concept to management and to its final delivery.
● Marketing skills: To sell your idea to your clients in order to make their events memorable.
● Analytic ability: One must have the ability to analyse and solve all sorts of problems and even have the foresight to anticipate unforeseen issues.
● Organizational skills: To carefully plan for tasks for self and for the entire team.
● Networking skills: This industry thrives on the shoulders of personal networking and you must have the ability to utilize it and expand it in your favour.
● Management skills: Ability to plan, organize, staff, direct, supervise and control.
● Leadership skills: An event manager should essentially be a leader who can plan and coordinate all the activities to successful carry out an event
● Negotiation skills: Events require negotiation with several vendors and the event manager should possess the ability to negotiate deals arising in the course of its activities.
IMPORTANCE OF ORGANIZING EVENT
1.To raise money
The first and often most important reason to run a special event is to generate income. In many cases, a fundraising special event is designed or even timed to provide a significant boost to your organisation’s coffers so it can undertake a new project or continue operations in the coming year.
2. To get publicity
Staging a successful and noteworthy special event can also attract positive publicity for your group. That publicity, if used well, can then be turned into more money for your group.
3. To raise awareness
A well-run and well-publicised special event can raise awareness for your cause that in turn will help you attract more members, supporters and donors.
4. To improve reputation
A well-run special event can add to your reputation as an efficient, effective, well-organised group. Again, this can help your future fundraising efforts.
5. To say thanks
Special events can give you the opportunity to recognise staff, volunteers or supporters who have made a significant contribution, or to mark particular organisational successes or milestones.
Whatever your reason for staging a special event, it’s important to be clear about one major point: If your event is supposed to raise money, make sure it makes money.
PROCESS OF PLANNING AN EVENT
1. Develop Your Event Goal and Objectives
Setting a goal with quantifiable metrics of success will make it easier for your team to ensure that you reach them.
2.Organize your Team
Any event takes a concerted team effort to handle all the details. Consider identifying one key
Event Manager or Event Chair as well as individual Chairpersons for subcommittees, such as:
venue management;
speakers;
entertainment;
publicity;
sponsors;
and volunteer management.
3. Establish Your Budget
Establishing your event’s budget is one of the most important parts of planning an event. I’ve seen many great ideas fall by the wayside because the team who originally came up with it forgot to take their budget into consideration before beginning to plan. Some of the critical expenses
you need to include in your budget are:
Venue: This cost should encompass the rental as well as any insurance you need to purchase.
Food and Drink: This field is pretty self-explanatory. However, remember that the amount you can afford here might also dictate the number of tickets you’re able to sell.
Entertainment: This field can be customized however you need it to be — whether it’s allocated for speakers, a DJ, or even a talking pig, make sure you have wiggle room for travel and accommodation costs as well as any compensation.
Décor: what décor will you use
Establishing your event’s budget is one of the most important parts of planning an event. I’ve seen many great ideas fall by the wayside because the team who originally came up with it forgot to take their budget into consideration before beginning to plan.
5.Create an Event Master Plan
Once you have a good idea of all the costs and the timeline associated with your event, it’s time to start the real plan! Creating your event master plan will allow you to ensure every aspect remains on track, as well as making it easier to coordinate with volunteers and event committee members.
Your event master plan should encompass all aspects of the event, including:
Venue, logistics, & catering management (contracts, permits, insurance, etc.)
Speakers and presenters (identifying, confirming, logistics & management)
Activities and entertainment
Publicity and promotion (online & off-line, such as web page & online promotion; events calendars; printed programs; media relations; signage; social media, etc.)
Registration (online sign-up, payment and tracking; on-site sign-in, etc.)
Sponsor and partner management
Volunteer management and responsibilities
While planning your event, consider also creating a detailed timeline, so that everything moves smoothly. Include when any permits or insurance policies need to be submitted, when registration ends, and a detailed timeline of the day-of.
6.Set the Date
The date might already be pre-set for a recurring event, but if this is a new event, be sure to consider the following before firming up your date:
Give yourself enough time! Ideally, you should have 4-6 months to plan, if not more (depending on the nature of your event)
Be aware of statutory and religious holidays
Avoid school holiday time periods (winter, spring and summer holidays)
Check dates with key participants – speakers, presenters, VIP guests, etc.
Once you’ve set the date (and have already outlined your budget), you can start booking any external staff (such as caterers) you need right away.
7.Book Your Venue
Some things to consider when picking a venue for your event are:
Accessibility. Does the venue have accessible entrances and elevators? Are there all-gender washrooms? Will you have space for interpreters? This and many other factors go into choosing a space that all participants will feel comfortable in.
Size. An event for 50 people will need a very different space than one for 500. Additionally, consider whether or not you’ll need separate rooms for breakout sessions or the like.
Parking. Is there a parking lot, or is it easy to access via public transit?
Insurance. Will you need to purchase separate insurance? What are their liability rules?
Audio Video. If your event needs speakers and microphones, make sure it’s easy to set them up in the space that’s available. The same goes for Wi-Fi access (and cell phone connection!), or any other technological needs your event has.
Costs. How much of a deposit is the venue asking for? Will there be additional costs? How much will you get back if you (heaven forbid) need to cancel?
8 .Branding the 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.
Brainstorm names: When you are brainstorming the event name, think about:
o How is your event different from other events in your sector?
o What are you hoping to convey through this event?
o What are the main components of your event?
Create a tagline: Once you’ve come up with a name, also try to craft a tagline – a short, memorable branding slogan that describes the event.
Design a logo: The final step will be having a logo created to represent your event. A logo can be an effective branding tool – offering immediate recognition of your event in all your publicity and promo items (such as t-shirts, water bottles, bags, and more).
Once you have your name, tagline, and logo, use it in all your marketing collateral so that people who are unfamiliar with your organization will start recognizing your brand – and remember that the event is happening!
Create a hashtag for all your marketing materials and for attendees to use when talking about your event on social media.
9.Identify and Establish Partnerships & Sponsors
Consider:
Seeking corporate sponsors to fund a portion of the event. This can range from national organizations that might want to sponsor a dinner, offer a door prize or a key silent auction item, to local businesses that might be able to provide goods or services, such as flowers for the tables, gift bag items, etc. Partnering with community organizations who might be able to offer a venue and/or assistance with organizing or staffing an event.
10.Create a Publicity Plan
Event promotion starts with the initial notice or page on your website, note in your newsletter or email to save the date, and then builds to include online and off-line publicity, media relations and on-going outreach to encourage registration.
Some components you might want to include in your plan are:
Web page announcement
Social media
Email blasts
Press and media connections
Printed materials
Finally, no promotional plan is complete without the post-event thank-you’s, sponsor acknowledgements and articles about the event’s key messages or fundraising success.
11.Determine Day-Of Processes
To ensure you’re prepared for anything, prepare an agenda that will walk you through the whole day from set-up to clean -up. Including every detail, no matter how small, will help you feel like you have it all under control!
12.Post-Event Review
A survey/research should be conducted to get the views of attendees for future improvements
Once you’ve gotten back your attendee survey and talked to your staff, a few questions to ask yourself are:
How did we perform against forecast? This can be your attendee number forecast, your budget, or any other prediction you made about the event. If you ended up on target, great! But
if not, review what you could do better for next time.
What was attendee feedback like? Some one-off comments can be written off, but if there are some points that come up several times whether positive or negative, they’re worth taking into consideration.
How did our team perform? You can use your event as a great feedback generator for everyone else who helped you with it – as well as earmarking volunteers for particular tasks in the future.
How did our marketing do? Which activities provided the most Return On Investment? Whether it was creating an event on Facebook or talking to the local press, determining which one performed best will help you decide which route to take next time.
PRINCIPLES IN EVENT ORGANIZATION
1. Detailed Planning – Planning is critical to event management and production. As the event manager you should be knowledgeable about all aspects, tasks, goals, and timelines of your event. This type of planning is more than a list of tasks to complete. This type of planning
requires a detailed timeline of events, outline of responsibilities, easy to read schedules, and how each plan is interconnected with all others in the production schedule. When done, this document will be your detailed map of your event.
2. Know Your Audience – While these principles apply to every type of event – Concert, Meeting, Convention, Etc. – it is critical to know why you’re producing the event. Know who your customer is and why you’re producing the event. This will drive programming, venue selection, marketing, etc. Attendees will know right away if you have planned an event that isn’t for them. They will vote with their feet and their wallets. Events can be designed for education, entertainment, engagement, championships, and celebration to name a few.
3. Know That Something Will Go Wrong – Great job planning every detail of your event.
Now, expect something to either pop up that you weren’t expecting or something to go wrong. You will encounter situations that you either may have planned for and someone dropped the ball or situations that you could not have planned for. Either of these scenarios should be budgeted for and planned for. You made need more electrical, tables, tents, or other equipment you may not have planned for. You may experience and emergency. You must have clear instructions for incident command, purchasing/procurement, security, and other pop up issues. Create an Emergency Operations Plan for every event and for every venue.
4. Trust but Verify – We all lean on others’ expertise. We all rely on vendors to enhance our customer’s experience. Build relationships with vendors and use local organizations if producing and event in a new city (Convention and Visitors Bureaus (CVBs) are great
resources to liaise with the local business community. Sometimes you will need a deposit or the vendor may need a deposit from you. Create supplier communication plan to include on-site contacts, decision makers, and cell phone numbers. Ask for photos of equipment, ask for references, utilize the internet, and over-communicate. If the vendor finds that bothersome, another vendor will happily take your business.
5. Evaluate – How do you know where to go if you don’t know where you’ve been? Evaluations are critical to your success. Identify areas for improvement or edits during your event. Event planners and managers must have, as part of their event gear, a notebook and pen. It can get hectic but there is no replacing looking at something in real time and identifying a way to make it better for your customer. You know where the weak links of your event live, make sure you are following those areas closely and take notes as to what happened and what you could have done to make it better. Schedule pre-event meetings, during event catch up quick meetings, and post event evaluation meetings. Get as many of your stakeholders into the room as possible. Utilize surveys to gain insights from your best stakeholder – the paying customer.
CHALLENGES IN ORGANIZATION AN EVENT
1. Lack of real world work experience can be an event challenge
This is not a cheap shot at beginning event planners. In fact, arming yourself with this knowledge now might actually save you headaches in the future. Because let’s face it – you’re not going to know what to do in every scenario. But here are some ways you can figure it out
on the job:
Have a go-to resource for event planning news, trends, and education that you can quickly search within for advice as needed.
Assign one or two unofficial mentors to yourself. Anyone who has event planning experience or is good at improvising solutions to problems can be very helpful when things go wrong. Have their number (or email) on speed dial and make sure you ask for
their permission ahead of time.
Spend your time between events acquiring or refreshing your event planning certifications so that you are as prepared as possible when your next project begins.
2.Having more guests or attendees than you planned for is an event mistake.
Your event is at capacity – time to celebrate! But not before you figure out how they heck you’re going to organize/feed/seat everyone. It’s a best case scenario practically no one plans for (except for you now) but it does happen.
Whether or not you sell out tickets or fill up on registrations ahead of time, experts note that there are plenty of ways to anticipate this major event planning problem, as long as you know what to look for.
Keep a close eye on event forums, social media mentions, and activity on your event app.
If the number of people engaging with your event on these platforms is higher than the number of people you were expecting to attend, make sure you adjust your plans accordingly.
3. Not having a structured event management process can be a challenge.
Streamlined workflow, centralized communication, and a scalable event planning process aren’t just buzzwords. They’re the tools you need to maximize your productivity and, ultimately, the success of your event. The good news is there are plenty of free event planning software and tools out there.
4. Forgetting to create an attendee engagement plan for before, during, and after the event is a challenge.
So you’ve planned a perfect event. That’s great! But what about your attendees? If they’re not engaged, then what’s the point?There are 4 main types of attendee engagement you need to touch on for any event you plan:
o Content involving exhibitions, speakers, and other event activities.
o Connections between attendees and sponsors in genuinely creative and authentic ways.
o Communication regarding event logistics and any questions/comments that come up.
o Engagement between attendees through online forums, in person networking, and community management.
5.Over-programming your event schedule is a problem.
No matter how cool your schedule line up is, everyone needs a little down time here and there.
Make sure that your event schedule has plenty of the following:
o Designated free periods where there are no events, activities, or keynotes going on.
o Clearly stated or suggested program lunch breaks.
o Down time that is completely separate from networking events, where your more introverted guests can take a breather.
o Early wrap up times at the end of multi-day events so attendees don’t burn out.
7. Not confirming your vendors can be an event mistake.
This event planning mistake is more common than you might think. In addition to paying your deposit, looping them in on relevant email chains, and confirming your venue set up times, you need to get one final confirmation within 48 hours of the event.
8. Not having a backup plan for bad weather is an event problem.
Extreme weather (think hail storms, tornadoes, and hurricanes) has increased in both frequency and intensity this past decade. Which is why it’s good to err on the side of caution when preparing for your event, even if it’s in beautiful, sunny Southern California during its best weather months.
Whether you need to disaster-proof your outdoor wedding venue or come up with a plan just in case your company cocktail garden party gets rained out, here are some tips for dealing with an unexpected drop-in from Mother Nature:
o Always have a second venue in mind. One that lets you book last minute, is located nearby, and isn’t in high demand this time of year.
o Consider purchasing event or weather insurance in case the event gets postponed or cancelled. This is especially important if your event is selling tickets because guests will need to be refunded. Create event plans B, C, D, and E.
o 8. Forgetting to track schedule or budget changes it an avoidable event problem.
You should feel empowered to approve or reject unforeseen schedule or budget changes as they come up. And when you do approve anything, you have to make sure you follow through and adjust your plans accordingly.
This means following up with key stakeholders, keeping communication to one centralized and accessible platform, and organizing your event project notes so that nothing slips between the cracks.
Experts also suggest using a formal change tracking process when event planning. Having a repeatable system in place lets your clients or company know that no matter what happens they’ll always be kept in the loop and they can trust that you’ll make sure it all works out. 10.Budgeting is the number one most challenging aspect of event planning, according
to experienced event professionals in recent surveys. Because lots of little things change or unexpectedly come up during the event planning process, it’s best to keep your expenses modest. Compare previous event budgets and assess what you can do better this It’s also important to make sure that you assess all requests for event-related changes through the lens of how it those changes will affect your budget and your timeline. Even if the person making the request is above you, kindly let them know that the event as a whole will be affected and you’ll need to double check all the numbers, just in case.
