Event Coordination

The Event Planning Checklist

If you have ever been responsible for planning a very large event then most likely you already know most of the stressful feelings that come along with it. Indeed, there is much to be stressful about when event planning for several hundred people, but chances are that you probably already knew about the event a great deal of time before it was actually here. This is the case in many situations, though, as large events will usually be scheduled weeks, months, if not years ahead of the scheduled date.

Depending on how large the scheduled event is then there should be ample time to have everything completed. But if you need a little bit of advice and help, one suggestion that many people use is to actually use an event planning checklist for all the things that need to be accomplished. Some of the things that should be on your event planning checklist that need to be done well in advance of the actual date of the event include:

Choosing the Theme: If you are creating this event from scratch then chances are that you will also need a theme. When it comes to event planning then choosing a theme should be the least of your worries although it is an issue that definitely does need to be thought about and given some consideration. This step should be done at least 12 months prior to the event, or immediately decided as soon as you knew the event has to be planned.

Looking at Event Sites: This step that should be on your event planning checklist should also be done as soon as you know about the event and many times this is at least 12 months in advance! But visiting multiple sites for the event is an important task on your list simply because you'll need to make sure there is enough room for all the guests that are going to attend.

Obtaining Food and Drink Quotes: Whenever any large event is being planned the number one thing that should be on your event planning checklist right after the locations for the event are visited is the gathering of food and drink quotes from multiple caterers around the area. This step should also be done at the same time as the previous two.

Booking Entertainment: If the event that you are planning to have will host some form of entertainment then it may be up to you to choose the individual or group that is going to be the guest entertainer for the event. When event planning the most important thing you could do is to make sure that entertainers know that they have a scheduled date well in advance of the actual event so taking this step is also important as soon as you found out that you should plan the event!

Of course these are only some of the first steps that should be taken in order to make sure that everything within your event planning checklist is taken care of. From the food and entertainment to securing a location for the event, all of these things are very important when event planning!
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Event Organisers

Event Planning: One Week Before the Event

As the story goes, there are actually very many people who actually do not have the best of event planning skills. If it were up to many people throughout the world many of the event planning responsibilities would not be done until the last minute or the week before the event. However, if one is going to truly excel with their event planning skills then the first idea that one must get his or her mind wrapped around is that organization is crucial to having a successful large event.

Many large events are scheduled at least a year before the date of the actual event, which leaves plenty of time for event planning and other important duties. The big issues should be taken care of as soon as the event is known about, but what follows are some things that an event coordinator should do about one week before the scheduled event :

Last Minute Details

If you were not solely responsible for the event planning duties of the large scheduled event then chances are that you designated some of the responsibilities out to different sub-committees and sub-groups so that things would get accomplished in no time flat! One week before the event, though, the main leader should meet with all of the sub-committees and groups in order to go over last minute details. Much of this might typically be called "housekeeping" issues, but they are still very important to the event planning mentality and making sure that everyone is on the same page that close to the event!

Follow Up Phone Calls

Another thing that must be done one week before the scheduled event when performing event planning duties is follow-up phone calls. Follow-up phone calls are very important because there are some people for whom the event could have slipped their mind. The most important people that phone calls must be placed to, though, include the entertainer for the event, the main speaker, the food caterer, the music group (if any), and whoever else was hired to help with the main event!

Gather Volunteers

It is highly likely that the day of the event that you will be rushing around trying to get a lot of things done at once. For this reason, though, gathering volunteers to help with small things, including initial registration and check-in of attendees, is very important! Any event planning professional knows that volunteers are frequently used, and there are very good reasons that they may be put to work the day of and throughout the whole event!

Of course there are many other things that one should do the week before the main event takes place. For example, a few of the other last-minute event planning details that were not discussed above include confirming the number of people that are attending the event, making seating arrangements if any, creating nametags for the people attending as well as the people who are volunteering for the event, and distributing last-minute flyers and advertisements. It is important that everything goes according to plan when it comes to the actual date of the event and all of these things are important to making sure everything is right on schedule!
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