Event Planning Basics: Tips for Creating A Great Event

05 Aug Event Planning Basics: Tips for Creating A Great Event

Planning an event, no matter occasion, is not easy. Some events can take months to plan and the process of plotting out every single detail can be tedious, but it can also be fun. We all want to create the best event we can. Here are some important tips to follow to make sure your next event is a success.

Guest gift items that doubled as table decor for a My Black is Beautiful Event – Pretty (mechanical) Butterflies in a jar, we got on Amazon and branded with labels.

Set a clear vision –  Before you even start planning your event, make sure that your overall vision and goal is well defined. You can begin by answering this question: How do you want your guests to feel or what would you like for them to think when they leave the event? Once you have answered this, then you can laying out the logistical details.

Simple flower displays and bright table drape to pull together the room. Event Tip- Preset the salad if you know you have a tight program schedule.

Identify your team – Even if you are producing the event solo, you should still tap others to help you brainstorm the concept and be a sounding board for your ideas. You don’t know what you don’t know. Make things a lot easier and don’t do your planning in a vacuum. This doesn’t mean that your trusted comrades  get to dictate what you do, but rather they get to help insure that what you do makes sense.  This will save you create a clear theme and plan and avoid a lot of headaches in the later stages of your planning.

Tables angled instead of in rows provide all guest line of sight to the stage, so everyone has a great view.

Hold yourself and your team accountable – Deadlines need to be met. If you commit yourself to certain results, you need to make those results happen. If in the end you can’t produce the results needed, you need to access what happened, proactively update your client and work to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Always have a back-up plan – Even the best laid plans sometimes fail.  This doesn’t mean your event will be a disaster. Take the time early in your planning stage to create a back up plan and you’ll be able to keep everything moving forward. I know. I know You can’t plan for everything, but you can take a smart approach to make sure you are prepped for the biggest challenges. Planning an event outside? What will you do if it rains? Planning an event at a sporting event? What will you do if someone gets hurt? There is no way that you can predict every potential pitfall, but if your cross off the big ones it will be easy to work through any small ones onsite.

Looking for some ideas on how to promote your event as well? Check out my post on leveraging social media for events.

Happy planning.