Event Planning Tips
We follow 5 'W's (i.e. Why, What, When, Where, Who) and 1 H' (i.e.How) principle to create an event plan.
Why
'Why' means, why you want to organize the event i.e.
event objective.
What do you want to get from the event? For eg: do you want to organize the event to enhance your company's brand image, to increase company's sales, to promote your client's products/services or to promote a social cause etc.
Defining event objectives at the very start of event planning is very important as it gives you the direction in which you should proceed to accomplish your objectives. Organizing an event without clear objectives is a huge waste of both time and resources.
What
'What' means what you are going to do in the event i.e. what will be the:
Event Name
What will be
the name of the event? For eg: 'Auto Expo 2007".
Food and Beverage Menu
It
contains the list of food items and beverages you
will serve during the event to guests and target audience.
Always consult a caterer while deciding your food
and beverage menu as he knows the best which wine
is served with a particular course (i.e. meal).
Keep event theme, preferences and religion of target audience and guests in mind while deciding the menu. If majority of your target audience are vegetarian, then it is not a good idea to serve non-veg in the event. Similarly if majority of your guests are very health conscious then there should also be some low calories food items in your menu. You don't want them to go back with an empty stomach.
Also keep climatic conditions into account. Don't serve out of season food items and beverages. Like serving ice cream/cold drink in winter, food (like spicy food) that provides warmth during summer or food that provides coolness during winter.
Event Profile
What the event is all about?
For eg: This event is an International exhibition
on new models of Cars and its accessories
Guests Profile
Who will
be your chief guest and other guests? Your guest list
must include organizers, sponsors, partners, clients
and specially media people. Use your imagination to
create good titles to woo your guests. Like 'Guest
of honor', star guest etc. Never give special treatment
to one particular guest or guests' group.
Event Theme
Theme means
subject. An event can be based on a particular theme
like : hollywood, hawaaian, egyptian, balloon, clock,
red, white etc. Theme based events are generally parties
or wedding. Like we can have party based on flowers
theme. Such type of parties are known as theme parties.
In a theme party, everything from dress code, decoration,
games, music, gifts, favors to food and beverages
are based on a particular theme.
Service Providers
Who will be your service
providers? Any professional providing any type of
service in lieu of money is a service provider.
For e.g.: DJ, anchor, florist, videographer, photographer,
make up artist, performers, decorator, models, technicians,
usher etc.
Obligations
These are
the compulsions on the guests like dress code or
the knowledge of salsa dance.
Type of Entry
Decide how will be the
entry. Entry will be by ticket, pass or through
invitation only.
Favors
These are the gifts given to guests.
We can give gifts to guests when they enter a party,
when they win a game or when they leave the party.
Entry fees
What will be the entry fees?
If you are going to charge entry fees, then be prepared
to pay entertainment tax. Your entry fees should
be according to your target audience's status. If
you overcharge you won't get any audience.
Event Highlights
These are those activities
which you do to catch your taget audience and media's
attention. Like inagrauation of your fashion show
by Tom Cruise, performance by Latin singer Shakira
or display of the world most expensive car etc.
Promotional Campaign
How you are going
to promote your event, organizers, sponsors, partners
and clients pre-event, at-event and post-event.
Programe Menu
It is the list of various
activities that will occur as a part of the event.
Sample Programe Menu of a Conference.
Event Budget
To determine your event budget
find out what will be the cost for producing and
marketing the event. To determine production cost,
create a list of logistics used in the event and
then sum up there hiring/usage cost. You can determine
marketing cost on the basis of historical data like
past advertising expenditure for same or similar
events.If you are a first timer, then take help
from an ad agency. On the basis of production and
marketing cost, determine your operating cost (i.e.
cost to run the business). On the basis of operating
cost decide your own fees and the staff salary.
If you are organizing event for a client, then the client will bear the production and marketing cost of the event. If you are organizing your own event then you will bear the production and marketing cost. As an event manager, you must be able to recover your production, marketing and operating costs plus you must be able to make considerable profit also. Developing event budget and managing cash flow pre-event, at-event and post event is quite difficult and requires help from an experienced professional. Better leave this job to an Accountant if you are organizing
When
When you are going to organize the event (i.e. date and time)? Keep following things in mind while selecting date and time for the event:
1) Select date and time according to target audience convenience and availability. For e.g.: don't organize events during work days, examination days or festival times. The best time to organize events is during weekends like Saturday or Sunday.
2) Make sure that your event's date and time, don't clash with other event's date and time specially bigger event's date and time. For e.g.: it is not a good idea to organize your music concert on a day when there is Bon Jovi concert.
3) Keep climatic conditions into mind while selecting date and time for your event. It can be disastrous to organize event outdoor on a day when the weather is stormy or heavy rain is expected. Here you can take help of your own experience if you are familiar with the climatic conditions of the region where you intend to organize the event or you can take the help of the meteorological department for the weather forecast. Find out how the weather will be on the day of your event.
Where
Where you are going to organize the event (i.e. venue)? Check out the venue selection tips.
Who
Who will be your organizers, sponsors, partners, clients and target audience? How many target audience you are expecting to visit the event and why? You must have very good reason to this 'Why' as you will have to convince your prospective organizers and sponsors that why particular number of people will attend the event.
How
How exactly are you going to market and produce the event.