Ten-Step Guide to Event Organizing

Knowledge + Heart: Ten-Step Guide to Event Organizing

Chances are you have planned an event before — a company, industry, or family event.

But you may still have these thoughts: will I mess it up, have enough time, will people enjoy it, will I get good speakers or enough people to show up, etc.?

Having organized industry events for over 10 years, I would like to share a few planning guidelines that will help you along this journey to make the event an enjoyable and likely success.

In a nutshell, have a plan, and put your heart in it. Knowledge and heart are the ingredients of a successful event.

STEP 1

Have a goal for your event.

The key is to make the content relevant and enjoyable for your participants. Even better, it is a topic or theme you care about. People may not always remember what was being said at the event, but they always remember their good experiences.

A good event with great content and set-up will naturally attract people.

STEP 2

Fit the appropriate planning time frame to suit your event.

If the format is a panel or fireside chat, assume at least eight weeks from planning to launching. If it is a conference, allow at least half a year and sometimes up to a year for planning. If a speaker or sponsor offers to do an event, planning time can be within eight weeks.

STEP 3

Form your event committee.

This can be yourself and a co-lead, or yourself as the lead overseeing a small committee. Be sure the division of tasks is clear:

• drafting invitation
• inviting speakers
• finding sponsors and a venue
• marketing the event
• managing logistics, managing speakers and hosts, etc.

Doing an event indeed takes a village!

STEP 4

Set the date, or a few possible dates, then find your host and sponsors.

The host can provide the venue, and the host plus other sponsors can usually pay for the food and drinks. Avoid moving targets, but be adaptable to your sponsor's needs. Tell your sponsors and host what benefits the event might bring to them or whether the event aligns with their particular interests.

STEP 5

Invite speakers.

Once the date is set, you can search for your speakers, and, if appropriate, a moderator for your panel. Alternatively, if you already have a speaker, work with her to find a date that works; then, you can find the host and sponsors.

Having a date and an anchor speaker often makes it easier for event planning. Ask your speaker to invite other speakers they already know. Having one more speaker in your mind as backup may be helpful if one of your speakers has to back out last minute.

STEP 6

Get the word out.

Send out your invitation at least one month before your event. Apart from distributing the event within your industry association or network, reach out to other organizations within your industry. For example, if you are doing a financial planning event for women, reach out to other women's associations in the same industry, the women's groups within big corporations and universities, and collaborate with them.

Send multiple reminders. Allow people to bring a guest if necessary. Allow for at least 20% of no-shows.

STEP 7

Prep the speakers.

Work with the moderator and organize a prep call with your panel. The prep call allows the group to get to know each other and appreciate each other's expertise.

You and the moderator can design the questions to be addressed and share them with the speakers before the call. Check with the speakers about topics they care about and what expertise or experiences they would like to share. Have the moderator assign the questions to each speaker.

STEP 8

Work with the host on the logistics required.

Do you order food and drinks, or do you use a caterer? How should the seating be arranged? What visual and audio equipment is necessary? What about name badges and speaker tents? How will the stage be set up? What about check-in and security procedures?

STEP 9

Find volunteers to help out at the event.

You may need someone to check people in, a photographer to capture the moments for social media, a timekeeper, an event scribe, etc.

STEP 10

Prepare for last-minute logistics items.

Decide who is doing the introduction. Check with the host if there is anything they need to admit the participants. Inform the host and the caterer of the final guest counts.

What if at the last minute, a speaker cannot make it? See step 5; have a backup. Be ready to jump in yourself as the moderator. These seldom happen, but it is good to be prepared.

The most important thing is to make the process enjoyable for everyone involved. The event lead has to look at whether everyone is pulling her weight and jump in if necessary. Have a checklist in place to avoid last-minute panic.

Be kind to your team. They are not usually paid event organizers but volunteers. No one needs to yell even if things are not done on the dot. Plan early. Never rush to do an event.

After the event, thank everyone involved and send a follow-up note to the participants to share presentation materials. Ask for audience feedback. Write a post-event note and post it through social media such as LinkedIn.

Knowledge and heart are the ingredients of a successful event.