By Victoria Phillips – Event Co-ordinator at drp
When planning and delivering a successful event there are so many crucial elements that go into each stage. When a client brief lands on your desk, you have to ask yourself what are all of the elements that need to be considered in order for the event to really come alive? What are the key objectives the audience should walk away with? Where will the venue be? All of these questions and more need to be asked and broken down.
With the right planning, organisation and execution for any event can be highly rewarding for you and your client. Below is a list of some top tips of things to consider and do when planning and delivering a successful event.
- Set objectives
This is the most common starting point. As event organisers it is important to ask all of the relevant questions and set the objectives of the event from the offset. Without these important questions being asked and knowing what you want the outcome of your event to be, will make the event planning process more difficult and harder for you to help navigate the team in the right direction. Set out the objectives from the start and set a clear path.
Some key questions that need to be discussed with the client when setting an objective are; what is going to be the outcome of the event? What do you want people to learn from your event and leave away thinking? Is it a new launch, product showcase? Will there be an impact on delegates learning? The list goes on – set objectives that are realistic and smart for you to achieve.
- Budgets
Always ensure you have the right budget for the right event in order to deliver. Some key questions to ask when planning an event is; Are you looking for a small intimate, niche event? Or is it a large-scale event? Having a budget in place will play an integral part of your planning process as your budget will determine how big or small your event will be and keep you on track to what the budget should be spent on.
The budget should also be specific. It is important to ensure that you keep in line with this as there can be a multitude of problems if not, and a not so happy client! Always remember to expect the unexpected, extra expenses will always arise so make sure you have accounted for this, and plan correctly.
- Venue
The venue will probably be the largest cost of any given event, especially if you pick a venue in a popular area. For example, venues in London will be more expensive in contrast to a venue in the midlands region. Ensure you do a thorough search of a range of different venues dependent on your location and give yourself enough time to book as venues do get booked up in advance, especially during seasonal times such as Christmas and summertime.
Having the right style of venue for the right type of event you are showcasing is so important. Do you want a warehouse venue for an automotive event? Or maybe a conference room for an employee conference which is already fully equipped? Speak to different venue establishments and see what other events they have done in the past – should you require help with this.
Another element to consider is the location of your venue. Is there easy access to the train station for delegates to get to and from? How long will the journey take via car? Are there any events taking place in the area that may cause delays? All important things to consider, as you don’t want the venue to be too far for people to be travelling or any delays on route.
- Delivering on the event
Up to a week prior to the event, there needs to be a full run through with the client and all team members involved to ensure that everyone knows what they are doing and opens the floor to ask any questions they may have.
The run through is also very vital as everyone has to be aware of what to do in case of an emergency, so briefing for this scenario will also need to happen before the event commences.
- People
Without a doubt, people are your most important asset when delivering a successful event. This includes your own team, volunteers if you have any, caterers and all other suppliers. Make sure you have enough people to perform all tasks needed for the event and when hiring, ensure they have the appropriate experience to deliver that exceptional service.
The delegates also fall under the category of people. Make sure you have created an event that is interactive and engaging – experiential. People will always want to get involved in something interactive, as there is nothing worse than having to sit down all day just watching a PowerPoint presentation with no engagement – so get creative and get the people involved!
- Evaluation
It is always a good idea to have a follow up with your client and evaluate post-event. Ensure that this happens immediately after so that all of the event details are remembered., and its fresh in everyone’s mind.
All feedback is classed as valuable feedback whether or not there were a few hiccups on the way. This is the best opportunity to be honest and open and look at what things can be improved or changed next time to make an even better event than the last. Delegate feedback is also very important, as you want to know how your audience felt at your event. Collating this data is key and great for comparison in the future.
There you have it, some top tips on how to plan and delver and successful event. This list is not exhaustive, but it gives you a guideline of what things need to be in place in order to deliver the perfect event.
Author: Adam Parry
Adam is the co-founder and editor of www.eventindustrynews.com Adam, a technology evangelist also organises Event Tech Live, Europe’s only show dedicated to event technology and the Event Technology Awards. Both events take place in November, London.
