Events Made Simple: Organise Your Next Function On Time and Within Budget

EVENTS MADE SIMPLE

EVENTS MADE SIMPLE

Organise your next function

on time and within budget

Stefanie Lewis

First published in 2004

Copyright © Stefani Lewis 2004

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.

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National Library of Australia

Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:

    Lewis, Stefanie.

    Events made simple : organise your next function

    on time and within budget.

    ISBN 1 86508 854 4.

    1. Special events – Planning. 2. Special events –

Management. 3. a Budget – Management.

    4. Meetings – Planning I.Title

    394.2068

Set in 11/13 pt Bembo by Midland Typesetters, Maryborough,Vic Printed in Australia by Ligare Book Printer, Sydney

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Acknowledgments

Iwould like to thank the following people for their contribution, advice and support in the preparation of this guide:

Sharon Auld of Conventions & Incentives New Zealand, Australian Event Protection, Xanthe Bates, Jane Corby, Julie Ellis of Positively Wellington Tourism, Sonia Ferlauto, Maori Treasures, Michelle Foulcher of Sydney Visitor Convention Bureau, Julia Gelhard-Franklin of White Space Consulting Group Pty Ltd, Nicola Hirschhorn, Tom Lewis, Phil Lockyer of New South Wales Department of Aboriginal Affairs, Stephanie Ridgeway, Anna Soo, Mauro Vianello, and Maureen Wooldridge.

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. Getting started

Where to begin

Common events

Templates and checklists

Your event brief

Timing

Keeping planning on track

Setting a budget

Managing multiple events

2. Guests, running order and venue

Guests

Concepts and themes

Finding the perfect venue

Event running order

Venue inspections

3. Eating and entertainment

Catering

Planning a menu

Entertainment

Audio-visual equipment

4. Invitations, handouts and booklets

Invitations

Invitation booklets and registration forms

Printers

Invitation distribution

RSVPs

5. Venue plans, room decorations and gifts

Venue plan

More on venue plans

Exhibition and display areas

Room decorations

Gifts

6. Other things to consider

Security

Insurance

Transportation

Responsible serving of alcohol/host responsibility

Protocol and etiquette

Sponsorship and fundraising

7. Countdown to the big day

The final week

Event set-up

The day of the event

8. After the event

Follow-up and future planning

Appendix I: Sample forms

Event brief

Event management sheet

Event budget table

Income sheet

Guest list

Venue checklist

Event running order

Catering brief

Entertainment Brief

RSVP checklist

Speaker confirmation letter

Security brief

Transport brief

Appendix II: Helpful websites

Appendix III: Questionnaires and surveys

Introduction

One of my earliest experiences in event planning was the time I was working at an art gallery and had to organise a wine-tastingfor an important sponsor. It was only a two-hour function but the experience I gained was fantastic.

Everything that could go wrong went wrong—from the tables and chairs not being set up properly to the red wine being accidentally put in the fridge. Even though this sounds like an absolute tragedy, I learnt the three most important aspects to event planning—be calm, be positive and deal with problems head on.The thing is that even though everything seemed to go wrong, I was able to solve each problem in time so that at the end of the event, people were coming up to me saying that it went really well and that they wanted to do it again soon—again soon? At least I would be better prepared next time.

This experience led me to develop my own event planning templates and checklists so that I would never have to experience that level of stress again. Looking back, it would have been great to have had some kind of event-planning guide to refer to, and that is the aim of this book—to provide you with practical information so planning your event is an enjoyable and positive experience.

It is hard to think of everything that needs to be done when planning an event for the first time. But there is a real sense of satisfaction to be gained when you look at a crowded room of people enjoying themselves, knowing that you were responsible for organising their fun.

Event planning is really a process with three main phases:

• Pre-event The period from when you decide to organise an event, until the week before it is scheduled to take place;

• Lead-up The week before the event is to take place; and

• Post-event The weeks after the event has taken place.

No matter what kind of event you are planning the processes involved are the same—you will always have pre-event, lead-up and post-event phases.This book not only takes you through each planning phase but includes user-friendly templates and helpful hints and tips from personal assistants, executive assistants, secretaries, service providers and professional event organisers. At the end of each chapter a continuing hypothetical event scenario applies theory to practice.

Planning an event for the first time doesn’t need to be an overwhelming experience—it really can be a lot of fun and I wish you every success in planning your first event.

1

Getting started

While this book has been written with mostly corporate events mainly in mind, the areas I have covered and the focus I have designed can be just as applicable to private events—from parties large and small, to weddings and receptions, anniversary celebrations and so on.

Where to begin?

How do you begin planning an event? What exactly is involved? These questions may seem daunting but there is no need to feel as if your world is about to crumble when you suddenly find yourself landed with the job. Successful event planning is all about being able to visualise how your event will look, then breaking that picture into the tasks that need to be done in order to make your event happen. Often the hardest and scariest part is getting started.

What is an event?

Events are gatherings where people come together to exchange and discuss ideas, make decisions or to celebrate an occasion. It is best to start by defining the type of event you are planning and working out the time you have to plan it. Event planning is a process and if applied correctly will set you up for success every time.The event planning process involves the following steps:

• confirming the type of event you are planning;

• developing an event brief;

• establishing the planning timeframe;

• developing an event management sheet;

• confirming your event budget; and

• working through your event management sheet.

Your involvement with an event should first and foremost be as a facilitator.

What type of event are you planning?

An easy way to answer this question is to refer to what I call the Five Ws of event planning—the who, what, when, where and why. The Five Ws are a guide to help you visualise your event. Applying the Five Ws to your event planning will help you get started.

• Who: Who is this event being held by and who is it to be held for? How many people will attend the event; does this include partners and their children? Will you need to arrange childminding services? (This could prove very popular with parents as it is often overlooked!)

• What: What kind of event will it be? What would be appealing to your attendees? Will it be a black-tie dinner, an outdoor picnic, a small dinner at a restaurant, a board meeting or an educational seminar?

• When: When is the event going to be held? Will it conflict with other key events that may be of interest to your audience? How much time do you have for planning? How long will the event run—for example, two hours, two days? Will it be held in the morning, lunchtime or at night?

• Where: Where should the event be held? In a major CBD area, close to transport, interstate or overseas? What kind of venue will be required? Will it be a function centre, restaurant, major hotel, resort or local park?

• Why: Why is the event being held? Is the organisation seeking a specific outcome? Is the event intended to increase the knowledge of staff, build relationships with potential clients, reward staff for a job well done or celebrate the achievement of a colleague?

Helpful Hint

Try to allow at least three months for planning and organising any event. This may not always be possible, but this timeframe acts as a good guide to ensure all tasks can be completed within a reasonable time.

At this stage just run through these questions in your head to get a mental picture of the way your event may unfold. It isn’t important that you write an essay answering all aspects of the Five Ws—that will come later.

Common events

What kind of event have you been asked to plan? Is it a meeting, sales conference, dinner for senior managers, staff Christmas party or retirement luncheon? Different events achieve different aims. There will be times where you will definitely know you have to organise a conference or a luncheon but there will also be times where you will have to decide the type of event you should be planning. Just thinking about some of the common event types will help with visualisation.

Meetings

A meeting is a forum where two or more people come together to discuss business-related issues; for example, you may meet with your manager to discuss the latest sales figures or the CEO may call a meeting to address all staff. Meetings are often used when a group of people need to discuss issues or make a business decision.

Some meetings require special planning such as the preparation of an agenda (a listing of what will be discussed) and the taking of minutes (a record of what was discussed). Minutes and agendas are usually required for formal business meetings such as committee or board meetings. Any good bookstore will have a number of publications on taking minutes and setting meeting agendas if you require further information.

Conferences and seminars

Conferences are gatherings where people come together to gain information and learn skills that may be relevant to their professional development. A conference is usually one to five days in duration, while seminars can range from one hour to one day in length.

Breakfast, dinner or luncheon meetings

Breakfasts, luncheons and dinners are really meetings that include a meal.They are more informal and can be used to achieve many aims, including thanking a particular client or celebrating a particular occasion such as a birthday or retirement.These meetings can sometimes include a guest speaker or a particular form of entertainment—depending on the aim of the meeting.

Templates and checklists

Now that you have had some time to think about the Five Ws of your event, this is a good place to mention templates and checklists. On planning an event you are often working on a number of tasks at the same time and it is all too easy to forget something. Using templates and checklists prevents you from wasting time on unnecessary tasks.The more templates and checklists you can use, the easier it will be to consistently implement the event planning process.

Your