What kinds of events do you remember, months (or even years) later? The very best ones and the very worst ones, right? Events that are just fine are often quickly forgotten, but the ones that stand out usually do so for very good or very bad reasons.
If you are planning an event, you want to fall into the former category. No one wants to have their event remembred for poor planning or for giving all of the guests food poisoning.
Before you plan your next event, use this event planning guide to make sure your guests remember it for good reasons.
Determine Your Goals and Vision
Some events have a clear goal, like birthday parties or weddings. Others are less clear, such as a product launch party, corporate dinner, or black-tie gala. Whatever your event is, you need to determine the goals, whether they are celebrating, fundraising, or networking.
Once you identify your goals, decide on a vision or a theme for the event. Your theme will depend on the type of event, time of year, and your guests.
Wizard Studios can help with things like audio and visual services, event staging, and can bring your vision to reality.
Set Your Budget
Once you know what you want to accomplish and what kind of theme you want to have, you’ll need to set a budget. It’s important to set a budget before you make any concrete plans for the event, as finances will drive most, if not all, of your decisions.
Pick a Venue, Food, and Entertainment
Once your budget is set, you can begin researching venues, food and drink, and any entertainment you want to have at the event. Things to keep in mind include your audience, the theme, time of day (for example, if your event falls at dinner time, you likely will need to serve a meal or heavy appetizers rather than light hors d’oeuvres).
Things to think about as you choose a venue: is parking available, is the facility accessible, how much space is available, and does it fit your overall vision for the event?
Advertise the Event or Invite Guests
Once all of the big details are worked out, it’s time to advertise your event or invite guests if it is an invitation-only event. Be sure to give guests plenty of notice and ask for RSVPs.
Depending on the theme and feel of your event, you can get creative with the invitations. Electronic invitations are becoming more and more common and are a sustainable way to invite guests while saving money and not creating paper waste.
Handle the Little Stuff on the Day of
Once the day of the event arrives, make sure you handle all of the little details or delegate to someone who can. No matter how carefully you plan, something will inevitably go wrong. The true test of a successful event is how you handle it. Handle it well and guests will never even know.
An Event Planning Guide for an Event to Remember
This event planning guide should get you started on the basics to ensure your event goes off without a hitch and your guests talk about how amazing it was for years to come.
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