Planning an event can be daunting and time-consuming, especially if you have never done it before. Not only do you have to find the venue, but you also need to book the performers, publicize your event, prepare food, and on top of that keep track of all the little details so that everything goes off without a hitch. This article will tell you how to plan an event that will make people remember it fondly for years to come, while saving both time and money in the process.
Know what you want the event to accomplish
Don’t just plan an event because you think it will be fun. Make sure your event has a clear purpose or objective—one that’s tied to business goals or helps achieve important objectives for your team, organization, or community.
Do your research in advance
One of the most crucial parts of event planning is doing your research ahead of time. And although it’s always fun to be spontaneous, if you want an event that runs smoothly, take some time beforehand to read up on planning tips, materials you’ll need, vendor suggestions and cost estimates.
Create a detailed budget and timeline
Having good time management skills is important in event planning. It’s crucial to have a budget planned out in order to know what you can and cannot spend money on. For example, if you have $5000 for your event, don’t plan on spending $3000 of it on decorations – figure out how much money you should allot for each component of your party (food, venue space rental, entertainment). In terms of timeline: Set realistic deadlines for all aspects of planning.
Make sure you have enough help on hand
Whether you’re planning an intimate birthday party or an enormous concert, it’s important to make sure you have enough help on hand. It’s amazing how quickly plans can go awry when you are trying to execute them on your own. Your guests will be much happier if they aren’t inconvenienced by long wait times for food or drink. Don’t try to pull off anything too ambitious when you are lacking staff—that can lead only disappointment.
Keep track of who is coming
The trickiest part of event planning is keeping track of all those RSVPs. Use an online spreadsheet tool, like Google Docs or Evernote, to keep track of your guest list. They both have free options available so you don’t need to pay for another service to manage your guest list. You can also write out lists on a piece of paper and make copies for every person helping you get ready for your event.
Invite guests early
When planning an event, it is important to invite your guests as early as possible. You don’t want to get caught at the last minute trying to figure out who will attend and how many guests will be coming. This can be stressful, but inviting your guests early takes some of that stress away from you. Since they are invited so far in advance, there is plenty of time for them to find a babysitter or take off work if needed.
Review, revise and repeat as needed
Once you’ve got your own word lists, keep adding words until you’ve got several hundred. At first, it will seem like no matter how much you learn, your lists aren’t growing fast enough, but keep at it and eventually they will explode. It doesn’t matter which words are on your list, just so long as it’s every single word you could possibly use in a given context.
