20 Apr 8 Stages of Event Planning
when planning an event there is a list of components and factors that need to be considered. whether you are planning a small party or a large conference event, you need to consider a clear strategy of the event planning cycle to ensure it is a success.
SevenEvents offer a range of event planning services with a team of professionals to help plan and run your event.
this blog will take you through the different stages of planning an event:
1. set your objectives
before starting the planning, you need to take a step back and consider what purpose you want this event to have, what are your outcomes? it is easy to get lost in the mix of planning, but it is important to set your end goal of what you want to achieve.
every event will have a different purpose, and this is the core to your event planning. event organiser companies like SevenEvents will always sit down and map out the goals and objectives with you as this will stay at the foundation for all the event elements.
2. creating a budget
the next step in your event planning is putting a budget together. this must be done at the start as you are building out all the features of the event and what needs to be included. this stage might take a bit of time but once put together it can also work as a checklist.
you need to be realistic when putting a budget and once this is created you will work on updates throughout the event cycle to ensure you are staying on track and keeping to the budget.
3. team
when planning an event, you need a team behind you to support in the event cycle. this team will also be a big part for the event running on the day. allocating roles to the team helps with everyone’s tasks through the duration of planning. there will be different roles such as a delegate management support, production lead or an onsite team.
4. venue and location
this may have already been decided in the first step, but you need to confirm the venue of choice and date. this will help set the initial frame to your planning, choosing a venue may require site visits to see that it works for your objectives. for example, if you are planning a conference with separate breakout rooms you need to see how this will work in the venue.
5. suppliers
once you have confirmed the venue, location, and date you can now start sourcing and securing your suppliers for the various event elements. it is important to contact suppliers as early as you can, especially if they are preferred suppliers. you would have initially budgeted for each event element so that can be used as a basis when receiving quotes.
6. communications
you will need to consider your communications to your audience in the run up to the event. for instance, are you sending out information as pre-read, promoting the event before for people to sign-up or are you giving notice of when the event will take place.
you also want to create excitement for anyone attending so it is important to put together a communication plan to ensure there isn’t a big gap until the event before you connect to the audience.
you can also think about your marketing such as positing on social media, newsletters and creating that awareness or posting during the event.
7. event day
from the first step you can see how your event planning has come together, now you need to consider the event running on the day. you want to make sure everything runs smoothly, which is as important as the pre-planning. event organiser companies like SevenEvents will put together a running order which we will run through with clients, suppliers, venue, and internal teams. a detailed breakdown for the day minute-by-minute detailing everyone’s roles and agenda. this also keeps everyone on track for the day and helps you assess if everything is running on time and to plan.
8. post-event feedback
your event planning and running has now been completed, now you want to go back to the start and look at your objectives. it is important to sit down and look at if these objectives were achieved and what worked well. it is key to see if objectives have been met with success and how this can continue for future events.
as an event organiser company, SevenEvents oversee the entire process, we have years of experience and can work with you to cover all these steps, our goal is to make your event a success and worthwhile. if you need help organising an event, get in touch today at info@sevenevents.co.uk