My top 10 tips when organising an event
I love organising events and I started my working life working for a company who organised trade shows and this is where my love of organising events started.
Here are my top 10 tips when organising an event:
1. Organise your time and make a list
I feel less stressed when planning an event if I make a to-do list and then I can tick the tasks off as I complete them. I find by writing it down it helps clear my thoughts about the event. I also use a Google Calendar to add important deadlines etc for the event, so I never forget them!
2. Set clear goals
Set yourself clear goals for your event and stick to them. Write them down on a piece of paper and stick them to your wall where you can see them each day or add them as a note on your phone.
3. Stick to a budget
Set yourself a budget for your event, don’t forget to add a contingency into it just in case, as you never know, do you? Make sure you have itemised everything for your event, use a spreadsheet so that it adds it all up for you and then as you go along you can update this sheet and stick to the budget you have set yourself.
4. Do your research
You need to be thinking of how easy the venue is to get to by public transport or if parking is close by for people who wish to drive to your event. Are there hotels close by or if your venue is within a hotel, do they offer a discount for overnight accommodation? How much does the venue charge? Is this venue within your budget? Do they offer onsite catering if this is something you require, or do you need to also research this and the costs involved with this? Do you need to hire tables and chairs, or is this part of the package with the venue? Do you need to order stationery items for the event or again is this part of your package? Do you need sound equipment or staging? All these questions need to thought of when doing your research.
5. Choose a reliable venue
Look at the reviews of the venue you have chosen, everyone has an opinion these days! Read the reviews but also check out the venue’s website and any social media channels they have as well.
6. Visit the venue
Go to the venue as a visitor, see how easy it is to get to. Also, book to have a look around the space you have hired to make sure you like it and it fits with your criteria.
7. Let delegates spread the word for you
Advertise your event on social media and make sure the delegates can tag you in their posts to say they are visiting your event.
8. Make the event easy to book
Time is precious if it takes ages to book your event people will get bored and might not bother to book it at all. So, you need to make it easy and straightforward to book a ticket for your event.
9. Automate and delegate what you can
Depending on the booking system you use, you could automate it so that once a ticket has been purchased it sends the delegate an email with all the information they require on the event. You could also schedule in to send them a reminder email a week before the event. If you don’t know how to do this or don’t think your software can do this, then ask for help from someone who does know how to do this for you. You can also outsource tasks for the event to free up your precious time.
10. Ask for feedback and listen to it
Do you send a survey out after the event to ask for feedback to see if there is anything that you could do better next time? This is a great way to make your event the best it possibly can be. It doesn’t need to be longwinded just a few questions and maybe a little incentive to get the delegate to complete it, like a discount if they book the event next year by filling out the survey.
Lastly, good luck with your event and I hope it is a great success.