10 Essential Event Planning Tips

While there's almost always something that goes wrong during the event planning and execution process, a good event planner is well-prepared and ready to take on the challenges.

We've put together a list of 10 essential event planning tips to help you put together a successful event.

1. Set clear goals and objectives

   Define your event objectives. Ask yourself these: What do I want to achieve? Who do I want to reach?

2. Gather the right (and reliable) team

   Whether you just need a sounding board or need to delegate tasks to, pick people whose opinion and professionalism you trust.

3. Get to know your stakeholders and target audience

   Who benefits from this event? Who is going to be affected by your choices? Who is this event for?

4. Create a plan - and always be one step ahead

   What will you need? What will the event timeline look like? How will people get in? How can you organize attendees? Do you need a caterer? Do you need tickets, tags, wristbands, scanners, security personnel? Write out all the details. Make a list of all the items you need and all the staff you need to hire. Create a flow chart.

5. Select a location and a date

   Take into consideration where your audience and stakeholders will be coming from. Choose a day when a lot of people would be free. Avoid having an event on the same day as a major holiday like Christmas or New Year (unless of course it's a New Year's bash).

6. Brand your event

   Make the event look appealing to your target audience. Find out what they're interested in, what they connect with, what would catch their eyes...

7. Promote your event

   When you're ready, promote the event on social media, print, digital ads, e-mail marketing and/or whatever platform it is that best reaches your target demographic.

8. Take note & take notes

   Always be aware of what's happening around you.  Keep track of how things are playing out. Know how your attendees are doing. Check whether the staff can keep up. Observe how the event flows, how people interact, how people respond to the performance/giveaways/emcee/food/etc. If you notice something that *might go wrong, find a solution immediately.

9. Say "thank you" to attendees

   After the event, make sure to show gratitude - this is a great way to maintain client relationships and...

10. Measure success

    Get your attendees' feedback. Use what you learn when planning your next event.