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December 1, 2022

Event Planning Checklist & Platforms: A Quick Guide


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To build a memorable, impacting, and smooth-running event, there are many elements to keep track of and the key to success is to iron out all the kinks. Sounds obvious, and is something you were doubtlessly intending to do anyhow. But when there are so many areas to have an acute awareness of, it is easy to lose track of your intentions. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, your best bet is to construct a checklist for event management.

To coordinate your event as best as possible, meticulous planning is better than insufficient planning. This doesn’t mean that you have to check and recheck every tiny thing, or that if you don’t follow up on every idea birthed for your event, it will be a failure. But taking stock with an event checklist can benefit you hugely. What’s more, an event planning checklist is essential for evaluating success. This article will explore both of these factors to you in great detail so that you will have a full and objective picture of the positives of using an event organization checklist.

The Benefits of Maintaining A Checklist

The benefits of using an event planning schedule are unquantifiable because there are simply so many of them. Out of all of those benefits, there are a number of definitive ones that will always come to the entrepreneur who approaches their event with great planning tactics.

1: It Establishes Your Goals

An awareness of your goals will streamline the planning process and help you to evaluate the result of your event later on. You need to know what your goals are, and having them summed up in a ready document allows you to check and bring everything to the table to achieve those goals.

2: It Helps With Budget Logistics

When you have your strategy mapped out in thoughtful detail, and you go as far as to tally up the costs of everything one at a time, you reach a point where you get a good idea of how the event is going to cost. That’s useful to know. It keeps you in a pragmatic mindset about what you will spend, and gives you an image of the scope of your event. This makes it easier to scale elements up or down, depending on budget logistics.

3: For Event Design & Personal Touches

It assists you in making an occasion that is personal to you, and by extension, to your audience. That doesn’t just come down to the schedule of the day, but also the layout of the event if it is in person, as well as its tone.

4: Coordinate An Experience

And most importantly, it will ensure that what you create is memorable for your attendees. Because brand management comes down to a lot of things and word of mouth is an important one. A good experience with effective communication will confirm an enhanced reputation.

The Goal(s) of Your Event

An event in itself is beneficial, but the person organizing it needs to assess and reassess their goals. Why? Because the opportunities that one lays out for themselves when they conduct an event are multitudinous. Therefore, business owners and entrepreneurs should do their best to optimize the results, and try to establish extrinsic values too. Doubtless, you have goals. So, think about them in the context of your event, and then take the steps that will lead to achieving them.

What’s more, knowing your goals helps you to streamline your event and keep your endeavors on track. When it comes to event preparation and assessment, there are generally three steps to the process.

1: Planning

In regards to your event, there could be a number of logistics at stake: catering, budget, and who is attending to name but three. Not to mention the costs of presenters, industry professionals, and decor. Then there’s parking, God help us all. Whether the event takes place virtually is yet another factor, because that determines whether you need a space to begin with, and will benefit your budget. In the case of the latter, you should determine its appropriateness – but it is a big planning factor.

Furthermore, a schedule is important, especially when you have speakers. And as for industry professionals, you might want to get them some badges. Much of this depends on your goals and the overall scope of your event. But a solid plan leads to a confident approach to the event. This means before it begins, during, and of course, when planning future events.

2: Maintenance

On the date that your event takes place, you will have a lot to do and an event preparation list is very helpful in this situation. The practical aspects are important: knowing what you need to do next. But further than this, having an assertive and confident sense of what you need to do will energize the event and keep the features concise.

Also, how about communication? If you are leading the event, it is likely that you will have people awaiting your instructions. With all of your event planning tasks at your convenient disposal, you can impart information to your staff and volunteers with ease. Overall, this makes the process less stressful.

3: Evaluation

Finally, you can use the checklist to evaluate your success after the facts. This should take place a few weeks after the floor has been cleared to accurately perceive the spoils. Firstly, measure those results against the initial goals outlined in your event planning to-do list. Was it a success? If it was, which areas were the most successful? And for the areas that didn’t live up to the plans, what was lacking and how can it be improved for future events?

Overall, the evaluation process is cumulative. It prepares you for your next event, and this should be evaluated to the same degree, and compared. It is an effective way to track your achievements and keep your finger on the pulse.

Tailoring The Event Planning Checklist To Your Event

When it comes to your event, your vision comes first. The planning and organization thereafter should be shaped around this, not the other way around. Because a good event for the audience is one that you care about. i.e if your passion and drive are injected into every facet of the organization process, the event stands the best chance of coming alive.

Furthermore, don’t feel like your first Google research session in regards to event planning is the answer. Nothing that comes up there is mandatory. You have the power to select and act upon, or discard the bullet points at your will. So start with a vision and build your organizational requirements from there.

Useful Platforms

There are many tools that can be used for event planning, many are subscription-based payments while others are free. There is a lot of variety when it comes to these useful platforms. The thing is, they aren’t all carbon copies of one another. That’s where your research skills come in. When doing this research, make sure you look beneath the surface.

Without numbering them from best to worst, but rather as a sporadic list of suggestions, here are 10 platforms that are great ways to produce a checklist for organizing an event. One part of it that is inescapable of course is where to host your event if it is virtual. For that purpose, Everytale is an excellent choice. Make sure you check it out if you are looking for somewhere to host and promote your event internationally.

1: Google Sheets

This is the most accessible one out there. Free too. However, it is relatively simple and might not cater to the more multifaceted events. But it suits many, and you can’t put a price on something that is free.

2: Top Table Planner

Top Table Planner is a great service that offers a free trial period – this might be all you need. But it has some terrific unique features such as a seating plan organizer.

3: Asana

Asana is a good one for organizing complex situations. This service operates as a database and features the ability to drag and move your projects around. Better than all, this is a database that all of your staff can access.

4: Bizzabo

Bizzabo is a highly rated system that pulls data and statistics. It’s great for putting reports together and keeping track of all of the nitty-gritty elements that are less enjoyable to keep tabs on with embedded analytics.

5: 24me

24me is a smart personal assistant that incorporates a calendar, to-do lists, notes, alerts, and many other items. It’s like having a secretary on your phone. It’s a great way to manage events, amongst many other resources.

The Verdict

Depending on the complexity of your needs, a free system such as Sheets might do. Conversely, you may need a more complex database to cater to your deadlines. You may have emails to keep track of, as well as equipment and the location of your event’s happenings.

Staying organized is part of the business of event coordination and an event planning checklist is a great way to avoid falling into event planning 101. With a good service, you can get your goals on paper, manage them as you progress with your vision, and assess them later on. But remember to follow your vision and make the decisions that will bring it to life. There is no better way to build a buzz for an event.