• Objectives: Identify and write down the main goal of hosting the event in a single statement. Derive objectives that are specific, measurable, realistic and time-bound to reach your goal.
• Group size and profile: Presentation strategies need to be tailored for size and profile of the group that you will be serving. Look at ~ occupation ~ interests ~ backgrounds ~ experience ~ education ~ needs ~ expectations ~ technical/non-technical ~ opinion-forming ~ press ~ alliances ~ networking ~ promotion.
• Theme: Determine an overall style and tone sufficiently broad to provide flexibility for the group's diversities. List the meaningful ways in which your event would engage the group and generate excitement, enthusiasm and goodwill about your business and strengthen relationships. It's preferable that the theme also complements your brand and branding of the sponsors.
• Venue type: Clarify, depending on the scale of the event, what type of venue would be ideal: ~ hotel ~ convention centre ~ business premises ~ special venue ~ church/school hall ~ library ~ restaurant - the setting will affect the quality of the experience.
• Dates: Choose dates which would be ideal for the event, for further evaluation.
• Constraints: List any potential obstacles to the success of your event: ~ location ~ capacity ~ time ~ equipment.
• Risk: If you are sharing the financial risk with another business, be sure to draw up a legally binding contract.
• Insurance: Obtain applicable insurance coverage eg.: ~ cancellations ~ liability ~ property damage ~ bodily injury ~ personal injury ~ vehicle coverage ~ alcoholic beverage liability ~ earthquake insurance.
• Draft agenda: Set up a draft agenda of the event, including breaks.
• Reflect: What are the chances of your event being a success?

Promoting your event

Great publicity and effective promotion is the key to success! How are you going to sell your event?

• Event team: Choose individuals who are eager to work and enthusiastic about the event. Determine a suitable event role for each team member, like event coordinator, media liaison etc.
• Brainstorm: Assemble the event team for a few brainstorm sessions throughout the preparation period to develop innovative ways to meet the event objectives and goal. Make changes to the draft agenda.
• Templates: Templates and software available on the internet will save you lots of time: ~ planning ~ budgeting etc.
• To-do-list: Consult your calendar, delegate tasks with sub-tasks and set deadlines for event preparation activities. Free to-do list software can be found on the internet. Factor the timing and deadlines for producing event materials into your plan. For complex events, a project management chart that lists tasks and their dependencies is essential.
• Contact management system: Ensure that all team members have access to contact details of each other and build up a database of service provider details.
• Document and contact management: Keep all plans, agreements, documents and emails organised for easy access and create backups of everything kept off-site.
• Budgeting: Set and strictly tract the budget, and budget for unexpected expenses. Even before you reserve the venue, you need to know the budget – the budget will control everything else.
  • Revenue: ~ sponsorships ~ donations ~ attendance fees ~ sales ~ public funds ~ grants, etc.
  • Expenses: ~ printing ~ equipment ~ food ~ security ~ presenter fee ~ venue ~ support personnel costs ~ postage ~ transport ~ waiter tips ~ insurance ~ refreshments ~ give-aways/souvenirs ~ miscellaneous, etc.
• Venue logistics: Finding a suitable venue is a critical success factor.
  • Internet research: Most venue companies have informative websites.
  • Consider: ~ location ~ operating hours ~ in/outdoor ~ capacity ~ tables/chairs ~ ramps/elevators ~ podium/stage ~ special equipment ~ room size/layout.
  • Wireless internet: When choosing a venue, decide if you want participants to have access to wireless internet - sometimes it would mean that no-one will pay attention to the presenter.
  • Transport: ~ How participants will get to the event ~ how they will get home ~ where they will park.
  • Parking: Ensure that there is ample, secure, easily accessible parking.
  • Loading zones: Find out where delivery, caterers and special equipment trucks can best unload.
  • Safety aspects: Ensure that all safety aspects of the venue is checked.
  • Get several quotes: It is advisable to ask several venue companies for comprehensive quotes.
  • Preceding events: Find out who will use the venue before you - if no changes would be required, it would be saving you money.
• Venue inspection: After receiving and evaluating the offers, do site inspections of the most suitable venue(s). It's advisable to create a checklist of questions beforehand to ensure that all aspects are covered. Find out the following: Who are the contact persons and what are their capacities, what are the booking terms, payment conditions, general terms and conditions? Are services and equipment included/provided? If not, what recommendations are there for suppliers? Obtain references and a floor plan.
• Venue booking: Secure the venue as early as possible, assuring peace of mind. Reserve your venue with a cushion of time before and after for setting up and clearing the venue.
• Service providers: Many events companies have their own service providers and/or keep lists of companies that they regularly work with. ~ audio/visual ~ translation ~ hostess.
  • Interviews: Interview and book your prospective service providers early on, and obtain at least three references.
  • Reference check: It is advisable to obtain references on all service providers, since many service providers have bad reputations for leaving clients in the lurch.
  • Contracts: The chosen services provider will fax or email you their contract. Read the contract and small print carefully, make changes if necessary, sign and fax it back.
• Schedule date: Fix a date asap! Consider ~ conflicting events ~ events which will improve or overshadow your event results: ~ external events ~ events at the selected venue ~ weekday ~ holidays.
• Date established: Once a date has been established, count to develop your timetable of ~ deadlines and ~ critical dates
• What will work in your favour.
• Presenter: Presenters would need to know the group profile and size. Presenters often have an agent, who does the bookings for them and who could tell you what has to be provided for the presenter.
  • Requirements: ~ Laptop ~ projector ~ screen ~ cordless microphone ~ equipment ~ support personnel ~ technical requirements ~ transparencies ~ handouts ~ booklets ~ feedback forms ~ pens ~ markers ~ white-board ~ presentation paper ~ items for hands-on activities. Travel and accommodation arrangements.
• Equipment: List all equipment requirements not provided by the venue company: ~ projector ~ screen ~ video camera ~ monitor ~ VCR ~ television ~ dvd player ~ microphone if more than 20 people ~ music appropriate for an event and for everyone's taste ~ tech-savvy person to fix problems. Have the audio and visual technician's name and cell phone or pager number.
• Book catering service: Make your catering request 10 business days prior to the event.
• Food: What kind of food will you serve? If the food budget is low, do not host your event at a mealtime.
  • Health conscious: If planning a menu, don't forget to have vegetarian and low fat foods available.
  • Snacks: If your event is longer than two hours, you should have an accessible array of snacks.
  • Breakfast/brunch: Most people eat a very light breakfast if it's before 8am.
  • Afternoon snacks: ~ Fizzy drinks, finger foods and snacks work well at 3-4 pm. Think ~ veggie sticks ~ chips and ~ dips.
  • Alternatives: ~ lunch ~ dinner ~ buffet ~ sit down
  • Guard refreshments from passers-by who think: Yeah, free food!
  • Left-over food: Ask for to-go boxes from the catering company - they will throw leftover food away.
• Beverages:
  
  • Water: Have containers with ~ ice water and ~ glasses or ~ bottled water on the tables or on side tables.
  • Minimum: Serve at least ~ coffee ~ tea ~ water and ~ biscuits - no matter the time of day or event.
  • Type of beverages: What beverages will be available and how will they be served? ~ juices ~ fizzy drinks ~ energy drinks ~ caffeine, served in a ~ can ~ punch bowl, or some other way?
  • Designated drivers: Ensure enough ~ designated drivers are on duty to drive those who are unable to drive, home, if you will be serving alcohol.
• Travel/event agencies: Depending on the travel agency, it can handle flight bookings, hotel sourcing and the organisation of social programmes. Some travel agencies now have affiliated event agencies.
• Invitations: Send invitations out at least 3-4 weeks in advance, and make sure to request that your guests RSVP.
• RSVP/Registration: Provide attendees with a map and mark the closest parking area and event location. You cannot over-inform regarding events - don't think "they must know", because they don't.
• Emergency plan: Know where all the fire exits are and provide a copy to all support personnel.
• Special provisions: Find out whether you would need to make special provisions for the disabled or hearing impaired.
• Introductions: Prepare and practice a short introductory statement about yourself, the event sponsor, and a short bio on the presenter.
• Production schedule: For the convention itself it is advisable to create a production plan. This should document both installation, dismantling and the entire programme including who is responsible for what.
• Agenda: Indicate the time allotted for each workshop segment on your plan and on your agenda. Be sure to schedule breaks that are long enough and frequent enough. Two hours is probably the longest time participants can go without a break. If your participant groups will need to move among several locations, be sure to allow time for this.
  • Sponsors: Find out whether your sponsor plans to use some time for announcements or activities.
  • Padding: Remember to pad. Events start late and speakers run long.
  • Networking: Informal interaction is one of the most important reasons why people go to events, so provide for maximum networking time.
• Invitations: Provide a phone or cell number for last minute questions or directions from guests. Ensure that invites direct visitors to the parking area.
• Seating: Whether creating banquet plans, catering plans or conference plans, you will need to decide whether a seating chart is appropriate. You may want to set it up by company, by last name, by potential networking partners, or leave it open to chance. Different situations will require different plans.
• Name tags: Alphabetise name tags on a welcoming table. Have blank name tags and markers for unexpected guests. Confirm the spelling of names. Name tags are placed on the right shoulder. Have a bin to discard the backing of stick-on name tags.
• Respect everyone's time: By using a visual time system, the event will run on schedule, respecting the time of participants and ensuring that each speaker has equal time.
• Water for presenter: Place a container with water and a glass next to the podium.
• Final prepping: Voice message: Record a voice message with pertinent info about your event in progress. Leave a copy of all event information with a couple of people in your office who are likely to get calls.
• Visualise the event: Visualise your way through the entire event, giving attention to every detail. Then repeat this visualisation, to make sure you will remember every detail.
• Pick-ups: If guests are picked up from the airport, have the shuttle service display a clearly marked banner with the name of your event and/or the name of the guest/s. Also, ask for the driver's cell phone number and give it to guests.
• Arrive early: On the day of the workshop, arrive early enough to handle unexpected emergencies. Inspection: You should always check the cleanliness of the room and restrooms prior to your event.
• Event kit: ~ scissors ~ tape ~ safety pins ~ paperclips ~ Band-Aids ~ extra laptop ~ extension cords and ~ other odds-and-ends. After a few events you learn what you need at hand.
• Testing equipment: Ensure that all equipment works.
• Cancellations: If an event is cancelled, notify all affected parties (your venue reservation contact, food services, parking, etc) as soon as possible. Don't forget to 'un-reserve' your venue, in case another event planner is in need of the venue.

• Introductions: During the workshop, deviate from your script only as advisable to take advantage of the participants' interests, experiences, and questions. Take advantage of the participants' interests, experiences, and questions.
• Agenda: Express these on your agenda and on a transparency.
• The end: At the end of the event, hand out an anonymous and short feedback form to the participants.

• Evaluations: Ask participants to provide feedback on the event so that you can determine how successful it was. Keep the feedback in a file for reference in case the same group asks you to present again and to help you plan for other workshops.
• Reflect: Take time to reflect back on the event to help you improve the event for the next time - consider the entire planning process and the feedback provided on the evaluation forms. Identify what you could do differently next time. Acknowledge what you did well!
• Milestones: Determine whether you have reached your objectives.

• Interactive: Incorporate as many as possible interactive experiences in different groupings within the larger group. Plan stages of interaction before, during and after the event.
• Mingle: Walk among the participants and take up position in many different areas in the room.
• Sharing experiences: Ask participants to share their own experiences - involve them at every stage of the event.
• Application: Ask participants how they will apply what they have learned.
• Seating: Participants can be seated comfortably around round tables to facilitate group interaction. If participants must be seated in rows, plan special strategies to allow for participant interaction