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The complete guide: 10 steps to planning an event successfully

Planning an event is no easy feat for anyone to accomplish. It takes a grueling process and a long checklist to ensure that the event you plan runs smoothly on the day and behind the scenes. Whether it is a birthday party, business networking event or a gala dinner, planning events take a lot of effort and preparation.

Here is a step by step guide for planning an event:

1. Set a purpose and goal

Before you start planning for your event, sit down and map out what the event itself is about, what you are trying to achieve with this event and what is the end goal for making this a successful event.

Are you trying to get attendees to mingle and communicate? Are you trying to raise money for a cause? Or are you simply just trying to make a person feel special? These are questions you need to ask yourself in order to determine the theme and setting for the event as a whole.

2. Establish a budget

The most important and challenging step in event planning is setting a budget for the project, many people struggle to calculate a definitive spending range for their event.

However, it is vital to set a budget because the budget determines what kind of venue the event will be held at, what food & beverages will be served on the day, the amount of décor for the location, the entertainment budget, how many guests you can invite, how much the guests have to pay to attend and many other important factors.

3. Set a date and time

Setting a date for an event is easy, once the budget is set and you’ve decided on the date, you could start the full process of planning right away. When setting a date, consider guest’s time availability. Try not to set non-holiday themed events on public holidays and also try to stay away from office hours as well if it is an event full of office workers as attendees. Look at your intended target audience when setting the date to ensure that people will be available for the event. Besides that, you must also consider the responsibilities on your shoulder as an event organizer, always leave sufficient enough time for yourself to carry out the planning process.

4. Decide on a location and back-up location

After you have set the date for the event, it is time to decide and check on the availability of the event venue. Always decide on the venue as early as possible in the event planning process. When deciding on an event venue, you must take into consideration the costs of renting the place, parking convenience, the size of the venue and also the accessibility of the venue.

Besides that, always have a second venue in mind as a back-up location just in case the initial location doesn’t work out quite as you hoped. Keep revisiting and familiarize yourself with the decided venue multiple times to map out the seating arrangements, booth arrangement, test out mics and video presentations etc.

5. Have a team, allocate tasks

Planning an event is a pretty stressful task and not one that you could possibly take on alone. Have a team of people working alongside you and allocate the many different tasks for them to carry out. Break the teams up into different categories eg: catering, logistics and operations, registration, videography and many more. Give each member of the team a specific task to carry out so that people will be able to know who is responsible for what.

6. Invitations and RSVPs

When writing out an invitation, be sure to include who it is directed to, the name and purpose of the event, the time and venue of the event, an RSVP link, a dress code, and contact details should they have any enquiries. Be sure to include a deadline for the RSVP and also an event capacity limit if there is one.

There are many different ways to send out an invitation, the invitation type really depends on the type of event you are organizing. If a WhatsApp or Facebook group already exists as a platform, it is easier just to post the invite there. If it is a wedding event, the attendees will expect a letter in the mail for their invitation for sincerity.

7. Photography is a necessity

Pictures create lasting memories, and what better way to make an event memorable than by taking many photos. Set aside a budget and hire a photographer or a videographer to capture the special moments. If it is a birthday party or a less formal event, consider renting a photo booth to capture the images, believe me, you won’t regret it. You could also upload the photos to social media during or post-event to promote and market the events sponsors and the event’s purpose.

8. Send out reminder messages

People have busy schedules and lives, they might unintentionally forget about the event itself. When you get people to RSVP for the event, ask them for their contact details and keep them in your records. When the event is approaching, send out reminder messages to the attendees or if it is a wide-scale public event, you can post a countdown reminder on your social media platform. This could be done anytime from a day in advance to a week in advance, depending on your event.

In the reminder messages, you could include the itinerary of the day, the date and venue of the event, and also the contact details of the person in charge in case the guests have any enquiries. Sending out a reminder message makes guests feel special and welcomed at the event, it also makes your planning team look more efficient and professional.

9. Day of the event schedule/checklist

To ensure your event day runs as smoothly as possible, prepare a checklist in advance, list down everything you need to do and bring on the day of the event so that you don’t forget or miss out on anything. Whether it is the registration sheet, brochures, balloons, cakes, soft copy videos etc. List down what you need to bring on the day to make life easier for yourself.

Besides that, have a list for everyone in the event planning team as well so that they will know what their allocated jobs are during the event. Brief everyone on your team before the event begins and make sure that you and everyone on your team have familiarized yourselves with the schedule and itinerary, have a few printed copies of the itinerary on hand.

10. Get feedback from attendees

Last but not least, when the event is over, thank the attendees for coming and ask them how the event was. Be brave enough to ask for any valuable feedback or if there is anything you can improve on. Remember this, no matter how well you planned the event, there will always be flaws and room for improvement. The more events you plan, the less mistakes you will make, keep improving your event planning skills by listening to the advice of people that’ve experienced it.

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