Planning, staging, and evaluating events

Understanding the Process of Event Planning

Effective event planning and execution aligns with the event’s objects and expectations. This three-stage process is planning, staging, and evaluating.

Planning

Setting event objectives: This is the foundation for all decisions going forward. Objectives usually include specific goals related to attendance, revenue, or fundraising targets.
Budgeting: A detailed budget has to be set and should include all income sources and expenditure items.
Choosing the venue: The event venue should be suitable in terms of size, location, facilities, and availability on the event date.
Developing marketing strategy: A comprehensive marketing strategy is vital for event success. It involves selecting marketing channels and promotional strategies.

Staging

Pre-event checks: Make sure everything including food, beverages, seating, lighting, and technology is in place and in working order before the event starts.
Managing the event day: Requires coordination of the event team, monitoring event proceedings, and troubleshooting any issues that arise.
Delivering good customer service: This is integral for the attendees to have a positive experience. It includes being responsive to customer enquiries and providing the necessary assistance during the event.

Evaluating

Post-event feedback: Gathering feedback immediately after the event provides useful insights for future planning. This could be from attendees, sponsors, or staff.
Financial evaluation: Compare the actual income and expenditure against the budget to determine whether targets were met.
Key performance indicators (KPIs): These should have been set in the planning stage, to measure the event’s success. They could include attendee satisfaction rate, social media engagement, or total revenue.
Identifying improvements: All feedback and evaluation should be used to identify areas for improvement in future events. This helps develop and maintain a standard of excellence.