10 most important things to remember when organizing an event

Planning an event can be demanding. Any missteps can have critical consequences for your event and your brand, so it's important to put together a basic checklist while you're still in the planning phase and to fill in the details later.

That's why we've prepared a list of the TOP 10 most important things you shouldn't forget. These things will help you make sure your event runs smoothly and reduce the chances of something going wrong.

1. The goal of your event

Why is the event being held? You'll be surprised how many people think organizing an event is a great idea, but when you ask them about the goal of the event, they can't articulate it clearly. Make sure there's a clear mission and a business reason to hold the event - opening a new facility, a fundraising event with a clear financial target, launching a new product, an educational conference... If you don't have a defined goal, your event may ultimately be nothing but wasted money with no response at all.

2. Choose a great venue that visitors will want to attend

Your choice of venue will probably be one of your biggest expense items. If your company has its own premises - great - if not, you'll need to choose an external one. When selecting a venue for your event, don't forget to consider all the important factors: https://www.inviton.sk/blog/10-veci-ktore-musite-zvazit-ked-vyberate-priestor-pre-vas-event

3. Who are you inviting? (know your target audience)

Depending on the type of event you're organizing, you should carefully consider who should be invited to your event. Is it something that should be open to the general public? Is it something suitable only for selected members of your target group, such as business customers or partners? Defining the target group for your event is one of the keys to good attendance. We've already covered this topic from a conference perspective in one of our previous blogs. You'll find it HERE: https://www.inviton.sk/blog/5-faktov-ktore-musite-vediet-o-ucastnikoch-vasej-konferencie

4. Let people know about your event

These days people are flooded with social media and emails, but the fact remains that most people say they prefer to receive invitations by email. Do you have a reliable email database you can use to send invitations? Depending on the type of event, you should consider whether to send the invitations as a newsletter, or whether you'll also need feedback from attendees. In that case it's a good idea to send RSVP invitations. To avoid ending up with a flood of reply emails in your inbox after sending out the invitations, it's a good idea to use a registration system capable of sending RSVP invitations and collecting feedback. This way you'll also be able to gather additional information from your attendees, such as dietary preferences in case you'll be serving food.

5. Overall logistics (from signage and parking to food)

These may seem like small things, but in the end they can escalate into big problems if they aren't given proper attention. Well-organized transport and parking contribute to the safety of your attendees, and clear signage can help make sure everyone knows where to go – this is an often underestimated part of events.

Food. Will you be serving food? How much? What kind? Hot? Cold? The answers to these questions are often determined by three factors - the number of people you're inviting, the budget and the type of event. Catering can be expensive, and the last thing you want is to run out of food at your event and leave someone hungry.

6. A program for your event's attendees

You've got invited guests, food arranged, signage, a purpose for the event - but what now? How will you keep people entertained at your event? Depending on the goal of your event, you have plenty of options. Here are a few:

• Line up a great speaker: it could be a well-known personality, a host, or even someone from your own company.
• Offer a tour of the facility if the venue where the event is held is interesting in some way.
• Organize games – adults like to play too
• Additional online activities through social media: a Twitter chat, an Instagram stream, a Facebook contest, etc.

7. Gifts

Let attendees know you appreciate them coming to your event by giving them a gift once it's over. Depending on the type and goal of your event, or on your company, you can give visitors your product, or look for sponsors who can provide gifts, so you don't have to spend extra money on promotional items. On the other hand, the gift you give a guest also says something about your company, and the era of cheap, unoriginal promotional items is long gone.

8. Staffing your event

Every event has to be properly staffed, so it's essential to have your employees on board. Draw up a plan that works for your staff too. The worst way to start an event is with unhappy employees.

9. Document your event

Take photos, shoot videos and share them on your website and social media – it's a great way to show the interaction and another side of your company. It doesn't have to mean hiring a professional photographer, though. If your budget allows it, great. If not, talk to your employees and find out whether anyone enjoys photography as a hobby. Don't forget about GDPR, though, and the fact that visitors must consent to the publication of photos they appear in. An elegant way to handle this is to hand out stickers, and any attendee who doesn't agree to the publication of photos they're in puts the sticker somewhere visible, such as on their arm.

Another great way to document the success of an event is to publish testimonials from attendees. These testimonials can be used, again with their permission, on your website and in future marketing materials.

10. Recap and feedback

After the event is over, always go through the whole thing with your team and try to gather as much feedback as possible. Find out what worked and what didn't go according to plan, so you can improve when preparing your next event!