A 7 Step Plan to a successful event
Communication is at the heart of every successful event and a successfully executed event leaves an indelible impression on any audience. Rachel Hargrave, Senior Producer at Phoenix Partners gives you some tips with a "7 Step Plan" to help you with your next project.
By – Rachel Hargrave
- The Brief - The who, what, where, when and how of a job. To be able to deliver an event that matches everyone's expectations you need to first understand the following:-
- Who - are your audience? Who are your speakers and who are your stakeholders?
What -what is the objective of the meeting / event, what are the key messages to be communicated and what is your budget?
Where - do you want your event to be held? Here you need a venue that is within budget, gives the correct image and supports the key message of the event.
When - do you want your event to be held? Consider time of year, weather and travel issues, holiday periods and perhaps even time of day.
How - are you going to get it all done? How will you involve colleagues from other departments and suppliers?
- Understand The Job
If you are clear in your own head of what it is you're organising and the required outcome and what the event looks and feels like, then you are more than half way there!This is the place to start listing all parts of the event - mind mapping is a useful tool here. Start with listing the major parts and then underneath each of these headings list the components to making that part of the project work. Major headings could include - Venue, Timings, Delegates, Agenda, Advertising and Marketing, Equipment, Budget etc.
Underneath Venue the components could be - number of bedrooms, syndicate rooms, main conference / meeting room, disabled access catering, parking, convenience for public transport, cost and so on.
- The Budget
Split the budget up into its component parts and start allocating lumps of money e.g.- Invitation process
- Venue (including catering, accommodation and conference rooms)
- Travel costs
- Advertising and Marketing
- Speakers
- Technical or production costs
- Event theming
- Entertainment
- Delegate giveaways
- Ask For Help
Pull on available internal resources - has anyone else organised an event in your company? What were their experiences? Did they use outside help and if so were they any good? Would they recommend them?Above all, be realistic about what you can do and your available time!
- Suppliers
The types of suppliers that you may need to draw on are - event management companies, marketing companies, printers, advertising agencies, transport companies, venues, entertainers etc? Before you start sourcing these from scratch ask if anyone in your company has used these types of companies before. Ask them what they were like to work with. Where they trustworthy? Where they energetic and up for what was being aimed for? Did they have good attention to detail and did they deliver?Choosing the wrong partners or companies to work with you can cause serious problems. Alternatively choosing the right partners will add value to the event - they will come with fresh and new ideas of what you could achieve and better ways / methods of achieving them.
- The Message
Always go back to what the objective is - what is the key message and who your audience are - this will be a real litmus test of where you're at and what you're doing!Don't forget that your event might sit in an overall communications strategy. Are you aware of the full picture? What are the plans for follow up of the delegates and will this impact on your plans for the event? This could save on duplication or even worse mixed messages.
- Measure and Learn
Measure the events success. What did the audience really think? Do a post event questionnaire. There are many ways to ensure you get maximum replies - from treating it as a competition with a prize to allowing time in the agenda for delegates to complete a questionnaire prior to departing.
Good Luck - and remember planning and attention to detail are the foundations of a good event!
Rachel Hargrave has worked in corporate communications for 11 years and is Senior Producer at corporate communication and production company, The Phoenix Partners. Rachel is presenting a work shop entitled 'You Know More Than You Think You Do' at the International Confex taking place on 24th - 26th February at Earls Court 1, London. If you would like to discover how to use skills you already posses to your advantage; the pitfalls that can derail your event and how to avoid them and tips on how to negotiate the best deals with venues and suppliers.
