Event Checklist 

Event Checklist: What Is It?

Event preparation tackles many factors—budgeting, food preparation, venue reservation, equipment rental checklist, and more. If you have lots of things to memorize to run an event, don’t make the process any more difficult. Use an event checklist. It refers to the official document that notes the overall process of managing events, down from tradeshows, pageants, conventions, etc. Event planners only need to follow everything written in the list and check every item that has been fulfilled. Planning couldn’t get any easier than that.

event-checklist-templates

According to Entrepreneur, the amount spent on special events globally reached $500 billion every year.

Meanwhile, a 2017 report confirmed that there are over 250 convention centers in the US.

Also, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported in 2016 that an event planner’s median salary annually is about $47,350.

Why Are Event Checklists Necessary?

Event checklists are necessary to specify all the details to complete an event as planned. Whether you plan a business conference, dining party, or an acting seminar, you can tell that programs have different forms. So you do not just create the same plan for each event. It would help if you customized an event checklist specific to your purpose. What’s more? You can monitor how the progress goes because the event checklist is not only limited as a task checklist; it can also work as an evaluation, budgeting, or preparation checklist. Gone are the days you get confused at dealing with a program since you should have laid out the 411 in the checklist.

The Important Elements to Note in an Event Checklist

It is expected for events to start with brainstorming, where you should determine your event’s purpose, smart goals, resources, and the like. But let us not forget vital elements that cannot be overlooked. Without such components, there might be a chance for your entire checklist to fail. So on your event checklist, be sure to take note of the following important elements:

Title: What is the event in the first place? Write the event title on top of your checklist to clarify what the list is for. And a brief introductory statement would help to discuss a bit about what to expect, the goals to achieve, and more.Theme: Many parties and programs require a specific theme, and you may need to note it down too. For example, should a birthday party use a Barbie-inspired theme, Coachella vibes, or maybe a prehistoric wonderland theme? That is essential to write. Thus, the guests would be prepared with their attire and fit the theme.Budget: The budget is one of the crucial elements for any event to happen. Remember that the money spent for most special events worldwide is nearly $500 billion yearly. With that said, budgeting is no joke in events as they are quite costly. But an event planner must make sure the budget pays off or even to find a way to save money in managing an event. Distribute the budget carefully.Audience: Who are invited to the event? List them as well. Knowing your audience is even helpful as your guide in dealing with your event plan’s marketing efforts. And you must aim to meet their wants and needs to observe a satisfying event. A tip is to conduct audience analysis to assess your guests and audiences very well and meet their needs promptly.Venue: Decide the location for the gathering. What is an event without a clear venue to do it anyway? In the US, many events happen in convention centers. According to Statista, around 250 convention centers are available in America as of 2017. But you can also go to other places. But make sure you are permitted to prepare the event in such locations because maybe a venue is off-limits or reserved for others.Transportation: Should guests cover for transportation, or will there be prepared vehicles for them? Planning for transportation can also be included in the budget section. You would need the contact list of everyone invited to the gathering to help them with the transportation and accommodation details.Food: Many events take long, and guests may get hungry soon. So be sure to include food preparation plans for lunch, snacks, or dinner. Planners often coordinate with catering services and other staff in the food department in listing the needed tasks and plans for the meals.Equipment: Tools, equipment, and certain facilities may be needed in your event. For example, concerts are incomplete without musical instruments, microphones, speakers, and lighting systems. So should you buy for accessories or consider an equipment rental instead? Hence, dealing with the equipment is part of an event checklist to ensure they won’t be absent during the actual gathering.Backup Plan: Finally, prepare a contingency plan in case things don’t go according to plan. Unexpected conflicts and problems might be present anytime. So it works best to prepare for such matters than allow the problem to take over. Risk assessment plans will help you identify the risks and create solutions to produce a risk-free event.

How to Work on an Effective Event Checklist

You were already introduced to an event checklist, its importance, and its elements. Now from everything you learned earlier, apply them to action by working on your event checklist. As you can see above, there are many sample event checklist templates to choose from. And you can download the best one that fits your choice. After downloading, observe the following steps on how to make an effective event checklist:

Step 1: Finalize the Purpose of the Event

You should know very well about your event ahead if you plan to run a fashion show, sports event, or any. In fact, recognizing your event’s purpose is important since you will layout the event checklist according to that purpose. Your checklist is already wrong if you followed the content and format for fun wedding party plans, yet your goal was supposed to be a formal business meeting minutes. Relevance is key. It would help if you brainstormed about the plans in a draft before writing them on the checklist.

Step 2: List the Tasks and Details in a Template

After you brainstorm ideas and plans for the event, write the tasks and things to fulfill in the event checklist template of your choice. But do not just write without aim because you should input what is relevant for the event only. Can you still recall those elements of an event checklist earlier? Down from the title to the backup plan, make sure you included those in the document. The best part is to edit the template if you wish to add more items, checkboxes, and other designs. Make sure you won’t miss a thing, or the entire program could go wrong.

Step 3: Group the Details to Specific Categories

Good job if you already enlisted all the elements. But it would help if you worked on the organization of your event checklist too. Maybe all data inside were jumbled. A tip is to arrange the details by adding categories. Create specific categories on which items refer to pre-planning, on-the-day checklist, and post-event list. You can also divide the items according to tasks, budget, guest list, etc. Or perhaps, you put numbers to set the sequence of which items must be followed first to last. Whatever your way of organizing is, make sure it makes the event easier to manage rather than turning it difficult.

Step 4: Make a Timeline of the Activities

As we talked about sequence earlier, don’t forget to create a timeline of activities. You can’t tell when certain things will be finished, but you can always estimate how long some tasks take and what time they must be done. If you don’t set a clear schedule, there would be no assurance when certain activities happen. Be sure you made a schedule wherein the activities to do in a day are doable. And most importantly, no time is left wasted since productivity is crucial in event planning. In observing the right order for events, things go smoothly for sure.

FAQs

What are the 5 Cs of event management?

5 Cs of event management guide you in forming an effective and successful event. And they refer to the concept, coordination, control, culmination, and closeout.

How much does an event planner earn?

An event planner’s earnings usually depend on which company he or she worked for. But according to a BLS research survey in 2016, every event planner’s estimated median salary is around $47,350 per year.

What are the stages of the event planning process?

Generally, there are five stages of an event planning process. Each of which helps you reach the kind of success you dreamed of. And the stages are the following:

  • Research
  • Design
  • Planning
  • Coordination
  • Evaluation

What are the major classifications of an event?

It has been said that events are classified into three major types. Such types are based on an event’s size, type, and context. And those classifications refer to private, corporate, and charity. Make sure you know the type that best suits your event.

Isn’t it exciting to handle event planning, especially for first-timers? That’s true when you have a bunch of creative ideas and strategic plans to offer. But behind the excitement, do not ignore the possible pressure and work incorporated in such tasks. Whether you are a veteran event planner or just on your debut, proper planning for event management is no doubt essential. And with extra help from event checklist templates, expect things to run smoothly until your event is worth remembering.