Event Planning: The Most Essential Stuff You've Probably Overlooked

If you’re looking forward to organizing an event, there are certain rules you absolutely need to respect if you want everything to go smoothly. You can benefit from technology by using online tool to plan events as well. Lucky for you, we’ve made a list that’s easy to read and remember so that you don’t have to go in blind into your next venture.

Define the Purpose

First thing first: you must establish your event’s main objective. What do you want to accomplish by organizing it? Why should people pay you to participate? These are the two most basic questions you need to ask yourself before starting the planning process.

Determine the Size and Scope

After establishing the goal, you should consider how big you want your event to be and where it should take. Do consider multiple venues just in case the price for your first choice is too much to handle. And if you can’t afford an in-person event, you could read these tips on hosting virtual events.

Track Your Budget and Spending

We assume you’ve already established your budget when determining the purpose, size, and scope. But now comes the tricky part: keeping tabs on it. Keep a sheet handy with everything you’ve spent so far and the estimated price of everything you still need. And don’t forget to set aside some cash for unforeseen expenses.

Search for Relevant Sponsors

If you’re hosting an event with public access, looking for sponsors that fit your target audience won't hurt. You’ll have much higher chances of getting them to sign up, and thus, you’ll decrease the hit that your budget takes. However, convincing sponsors to give you money can be a little tricky, even if they’re a great fit. So you should read about these steps.

Don’t Forget About Branding

Simply creating a marketing strategy isn’t enough these days. There’s too much noise, and you need to stand out to succeed. You need a catchy name, graphics that fit your theme, and a great overall visual identity. Oh, your name and slogan should also pop as much as possible. Otherwise, you’ll be one of the thousands of events that almost go unnoticed by many potential attendees.

Promote Your Event on Social Media

If you want to attract a large crowd, there’s no better medium to promote your event than social media. Depending on your target audience’s age group, you can identify what social media platform they use more often and focus your leading advertising there. For example, if you’re targeting Gen Z, you should primarily focus on TikTok and Instagram.

Have an Emergency Kit Ready

As mentioned near the beginning, during the part regarding the budget, unforeseen things can happen during your event. In this case, it is wise to prepare an emergency kit so you won’t have to deal with stuff unprepared. Here are some things that your kit should contain:

• Zip ties
• Meds
• Fire extinguisher
• Multi-tool
• Gaffing tape
• Bandages
• Safety pins
• Disinfectant
• Medical sewing kit

Other Small Considerations

You should create an emergency exit plan in case the venue you’re renting doesn’t have one based on the capacity and setup of your event decorations. Also, think about food and hydration, as they are essential to your participants regardless of age and physical ability.

Bring food and beverages based on what most people like to consume - you can determine this by creating a small questionnaire a few days before the event and sending it to the participant mailing list.

The Bottom Line

Organizing events doesn’t have to be a painstaking process, at least not if you follow the advice above. However, we would also appreciate it if seasoned event organizers would be so kind to leave a comment below with any other advice they might have for newbies. Our community will kindly appreciate it for sure.