by It’s important to have an event planning checklist when you organise an event. There is a lot to keep track of, and you don’t want to get stuck on details.
That’s why it’s best to first create a macro vision of what you want the event to be like. Once that’s established, you can move into the granular elements.
The two main questions you should ask yourself are:
- What do you want out of the event?
- How many resources do you have to work with?
Once you’ve answered these two questions, it just becomes a matter of filling in the blanks. And there are a lot of blanks to fill in.
We’ve created this very concise event planning checklist so you can maintain focus on both the macro and the micro. It’s made broad and general to suit the majority of events.
We’ve divided it into six phases of event planning:
- 6–12 months before the event
- 3–6 months before the event
- 1–3 months before the event
- 1–2 weeks before the event
- Just before and on the day of the event
- Right after the event
Feel free to print it out and carry with you—and check all the boxes!
Billetto is a ticketing platform that helps you manage, promote, and host events. Set up an event page and start selling tickets in 5 minutes.
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6–12 months before the event
The first phase of event planning is about deciding on your objectives and doing research.
- Determine your success metrics
- Tickets sold
- Donations collected
- Profit made
- Awareness raised
- Pick a time and date that doesn’t clash with bank holidays
- Write up a timeline for the event preparations
- Shortlist venues and collect quotes for venue hire
- Make sure there is enough space for your guests
- Create a budget with approximate costs for:
- Venue hire
- Equipment hire
- Entertainer or speaker fees
- Marketing collateral
- Miscellaneous expenses
- Recruit an event team to help you with
- Planning and logistics
- Technical issues
- Marketing and social media
- Research and shortlist potential entertainers or speakers
- Use your target audience to determine the most appropriate choice
- Decide if you want to go direct or through a booking agency
- Research and shortlist potential event sponsors
- Find companies working within your niche
- Check who sponsored events similar to yours
- Build an event page or website
- Make sure it reflects the event theme
- Optimise website infrastructure to handle traffic
- Use a mobile-friendly design
- Create social media accounts
- YouTube
3–6 months before the event
The second phase is where things start to take shape. Confirm everything and start promoting the event.
- Organise ticketing for your event
- Find a ticketing platform
- Decide on a price per ticket
- Offer early-bird discounts
- Estimate guest attendance
- Revise your budget accordingly
- Do preparatory work on the event venue
- Find out if you need any licenses or permits
- Get public liability insurance if applicable
- Find out if the venue includes catering or technical equipment
- Make sure there will be enough parking and seating
- Review health and safety procedures
- Book the speakers or entertainment
- Sign a detailed contract
- Agree on live performance or keynote speech
- Add their photo and bio to your event website
- Arrange for travel and accommodation
- Secure event sponsorship
- Send out event kit
- Get a verbal or written agreement
- Begin your event marketing campaign
- Post promotional content on social media
- Images
- Videos
- Blog posts
- Podcasts
- Create a press kit to send out to media outlets
- Event background
- Time and place
- Prominent guests, entertainers, or speakers
- Send out invitations to your guest list
- List your event on all relevant event calendars
- Order marketing collateral from a print shop
- Event programme
- Posters and banners
- Flyers and stickers
- Post promotional content on social media
1–3 months before the event
The third phase is mostly about confirming guests, speakers, and sponsors. It’s also the part where you ramp up marketing of the event.
- Remind interested guests to confirm their attendance
- Confirm logistics with speakers or entertainment
- Go over your contractual obligations
- Double check their travel and accommodation
- Confirm event sponsorship agreements
- Check if your sponsors are still onboard
- Potentially upsell them on sponsorship packages
- Ramp up event marketing
- Post countdowns on social media and via email
- Announce the end of early-bird discounts
- Send a press release to media outlets like blogs and newspapers
1–2 weeks before the event
The last few weeks ahead of the event is for making sure everyone and everything is on track.
- Review the event programme
- Revise any parts that need to be changed
- Think of backup plans in case of last-minute disruptions
- Confirm event plan with everyone involved:
- Event team
- Attendees
- Speakers and entertainment
- Sponsors
- Venue
- Catering
- Equipment supplier
- Confirm the final number of attendees
- Finalise the seating arrangement
- Make sure there is someone on the door to handle registrations
- Arrange for a videographer to capture special moments during the event
Just before and on the day of the event
The day is almost here and you’ve got to make sure that nothing is left to chance.
- Test all technical equipment
- Check the weather and traffic forecast
- Double check that food and drinks will arrive on time
- Make sure that the venue is decorated and all signs are in place
- Make copies of important documentation
- Event plan
- Seating plan
- Guest list
- Media list
Right after the event
- Clean up the venue or organise a clean-up team
- Edit footage from the event into a post-event promo video
- Continue your event marketing
- Post photos and videos from the event on your website and social media
- Reach out to the media that was present and ask for quotes
- Make sure that everyone knows what a roaring success the event was
- Review your finances
- Check the total number of tickets sold
- Collect all receipts for expense claims
- Update the budget for your event
- Follow up with everyone involved and personally thank them for attending
- Event team
- Sponsors
- Media people
- Speakers and entertainers
- Guests
- Send out guest surveys to get feedback on how you can improve for next time
Billetto is a ticketing platform that helps you manage, promote, and host events. Set up an event page and start selling tickets in 5 minutes.
CREATE YOUR EVENT >>
Have we missed anything?
Every event is unique, so feel free to personalise your event planning checklist.
If you feel like there is something general that we’ve missed, let us know in the comments.
Good luck, and remember to use the event planning checklist!
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