Event planning, for first-timers, can be exciting. You can have numerous creative ideas to share, along with that extra pressure in ensuring that the occasion will turn out as a success. Nevertheless, those who have been in the events business for far too long may still struggle. Struggling comes in many forms, like in guaranteeing that their next event is much better than their previous projects. Or perhaps, getting tired in the industry already. Even a veteran event planner needs a little push to move forward and improve too. How do you solve this issue? Incorporate a little bit of inspirational factor into your event planning checklist.
What is event planning? It refers to the systematic process of handling projects (e.g., meetings, tradeshows, parties, conventions, and more). These plans deal with a lot of factors, such as budgeting, finding a venue, getting a permit, preparing food, arranging equipment or facilities, and so much more. Meanwhile, a checklist refers to your reliable guide in finishing tasks. Instead of remembering every detail inside your head, you can simply depend on the list. This tool will remind you of what to do and what you have accomplished, based on the checkmarks you placed on the boxes. Combine these terms, and you form the event planning checklist. Thus, it is a dependable guide in completing all the necessary errands to manage an occasion.
Did you know that the budget spent on special events reached $500 billion worldwide annually?
According to Statista, there were approximately 250 convention centers in the U.S. back in 2017.
Moreover, Statista confirmed that the average cost per attendee among American conferences or shows was $534.
Some people who are fond of surprises might ask, “why is planning for an event essential?” Aside from the obvious answer, which is increasing the success rate of operations, you should know that planning and hosting events even apply to the olden times before technology advances. For example, Cleopatra was known as an event planner. Based on historical accounts, Cleopatra organized a special occasion in the Nile River with a boat embellished in candles and scents. It was all for the sake of impressing Mark Anthony. Other parties can be traced back to the Medieval French Royalty. Music and costumes often filled these events. By this period, aristocratic women dominated event management. And some famous names of planners include Madame Pompadour and Marie Antoine.
If people from the past succeeded in organizing parties successfully, how much more now that technology is continually developing to help keep things more efficient? Before, registration had to depend on the handwritten approach. Nowadays, one can fill out these documents online or via email. With the Internet, it gets hassle-free to locate specific destinations for gatherings, too, due to online maps. And probably the best invention is how easy it is to contact people. Gone are those days where people have to meet first or send snail mails in sharing a message since social media and phones helped improve communication. With such contributions, individuals can take advantage of using innovative ways for planning events.
A birthday party, wedding ceremony, concert, or a small business conference—each program comes in different forms. But one thing in common is that you can manage them efficiently with event planning checklists. So how can a checklist save a gathering? It is all down to the details. In preparing, part of the process is to monitor or keep an eye on the progress. Details also matter from the smallest things. In fact, both who are new and experienced in event planning should not underestimate a checklist’s power.
Furthermore, checklists prevent unforeseen accidents and mistakes. American surgeon/writer Atul Gawande even iterated that these lists are known as crucial productivity tools, according to his book called The Checklist Manifesto. With a lot of ideas, maybe you get unsure of what to prioritize. Therefore, lists help in providing a detailed sequence about everything you and your team need to comply with. When every task gets finished and checked, that signifies that you are done with the plan. And, the event is finally ready.
According to Entrepreneur Magazine, research by Dr. Joe Goldblatt (CSEP) showed that the annual budget spent on special events is around $500 billion globally. With that many projects, imagine how many different plans were associated with organizing every event. But what does a standard event planning checklist contain? Here are the typical elements to include in the sheet:
Now that you know a checklist contains a series of tasks with boxes, circles, or lines to check, it is not the only instruction you should do to make that list. Expect a bunch of tips to help you create the best event planning checklist for your next project. How do you conduct this? Follow these simple steps:
First of all, do not aimlessly enumerate the tasks to fulfill for your list. A project plan is a basic step to take for this. After coming up with the plan along with other organizers, enlist the things to do in a sheet as your draft. Why come up with a draft first? This approach is to avoid mistakes on your final checklist. Your only concern now is to prevent forgetting every activity to complete in managing the event.
Did you finish your draft already? Great, proceed to group tasks into specific categories. Grouping is useful to keep errands well-organized. To establish this, segregate the activities according to the elements of an event planning checklist, as discussed earlier. One category may involve all the tasks relating to the venue, another for the equipment, and so forth. This way, there will be lesser confusion when you need to look after particular elements. Hence, you only track specific tasks according to their group.
Providing a sequence on what to accomplish first, second, and so forth is possible when you schedule activities. For this, you have to input the time and date of when to perform a specific task. In case you are not fond of a particular schedule since the time to finish certain activities is unsure, just arrange these tasks in order. Maybe the first on the list is meeting with a client while the second is to pay for the workshop venue. How the arrangement goes is up to you as long as you make it doable. By that, it means processes undergo a smooth run since you arranged errands in the right order.
How can you incorporate that inspirational factor in the checklist without adding some creativity into it? Do not forget that we have different event planning checklist templates available to download, edit, and print. Therefore, make the most out of these templates by enhancing the design. With its easily modifiable features, changing the appearance by adding more tables, shapes, and artistic designs can happen. Or perhaps, add motivational quotes inside the document to help you get through with your project earnestly with these inspirational event planning quotes. If there is any way for a design to help you finish tasks quickly and effectively, then apply it.
A standard event planning process generally comes in five steps. These are feasibility, design, operations, on-site execution, and evaluation. And these steps must go in order. In the absence of one step, the process might not go according to plan.
A good event planner must have organizational skills, resilience, creativity, and wisdom in planning. Moreover, he or she should be network savvy, dedicated to clients, and in full understanding of the event. With the right qualities and tools to use for event planning, you are on the right track.
Data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics stated that the annual median salary earned by event planners was around $47,350 back in 2016. Also, it had approximately 116,700 employees to boot.
Despite being new or experienced in the event management business, there is nothing wrong with asking a little bit of help from event planning checklists. Indeed, stress and mishaps could occur in planning. But not doing anything to avoid such issues is much worse. Hence, complete all tasks successfully and quickly by involving inspirational aspects to your list. This sheet is even every planner’s best friend. And maybe what you think is a tad help from a checklist might bring a huge difference when things run smoothly in the end.
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