12 Event Planning Tips To Minimize Stress & Increase Productivity
Event planning can stress out even the most experienced professionals. There is never enough time in the day and problems always arise. Efficiency is of the utmost importance, as efficient planning makes for a less stressful existence and a much better event.
These 12 event planning tips have been sourced from the experts, ensuring that no task has a chance to slip through the cracks…
Event planning tip #1: Organize Your Work Space and Time
Work habits must be efficient. This creates a foundation for proper event organization. De-clutter the desk, make time to take breaks and structure your day properly. All it takes is a short break from the computer screen to cut down on fatigue significantly!
Take care of yourself, so that you can spend more time and energy on everything else. Keep some time free for unexpected occurrences. Last minute requests are a common impediment to productivity.
Event planning tip #2: Stick to the budget
“I love budgetary meetings!” said no event organizer ever. However, those who create a budget — and stick to it – can avoid making their way into the red.
Technology must be utilized to hone in on activities that offer the highest return in investment. The ToneDen app conducts A/B testing, letting you know which ads are leading to actual conversions.
Event planning tip #3: Selecting a reliable venue
The event’s location will often make or break our stress level. A nontraditional venue could offer an unusual experience. The venue must also be safe, easy to handle, trustworthy, and most importantly — ADA compliant.
Seating, lighting and catering should be provided by any venue. This removes some of the burden for event planners. What about WiFi, though? Is onsite IT available? Technological perks will serve to simplify your planning.
Event planning tip #4: Make sure contracts are detailed
An initial contract should be as detailed as possible, to decrease the chances of manipulation and misunderstanding. This goes for the contracts we create, as well as those offered by partners.
Full quotes must be asked for. If a venue estimate is provided, taxes, surcharges and scheduling contingencies should be included. Take the time to read the fine print, so that you can avoid headaches over the long haul.
Event planning tip #5: Keep last minute changes minimal
Orchestrating an event means working with numerous stakeholders: consultants, talent, and sponsors, just to name a few. Expectations should be set up front, letting each stakeholder know about the drop dead point for all changes.
Be clear with vendors, so they are unable to back out after a set date. Penalties must be instituted for artists who cancel. Last minute changes aren’t entirely avoidable, but they can certainly be discouraged.
Event planning tip #6: Remove ticketing burdens from the list
This is an extra burden that you do not need. A ticketing partner should be actively assisting you with ticket sales. Select a partner that assists with distribution. Discovery sites can be used to sell tickets directly. Utilize the platform’s integrations with other forms of technology — such as an email marketing platform — to promote the event and earn a profit with much less effort.
Event planning tip #7: Allow participants to spread the word
Social media can handle marketing for you, if you allow it to. Or, to be more specific, if you enable it to. Social media accounts have to be “seeded”. Brand messaging must be consistent, posts have to be strategic and each social media platform should be used as intended.
Facebook is wonderful for live video. Instagram is great for visually rich photographs. Twitter is the home of snappy quips. Custom hashtags for the event should be created on all these social media hubs. Upfront social branding is sure to pay off when fans are more willing to share your content on their own social media accounts.
Event planning tip #8: Connecting marketing platforms
Once social media is up and rolling, be sure to automate it as much as possible. A aggregation platform like Hootsuite lets us schedule our posts across each platform well in advance.
Use the tool’s analytic capabilities to monitor the success of each campaign, so adjustments and tweaks can be made. Social media is all about striking the perfect balance automation and a more hands on approach.
Event planning tip #9: Automate anything else that you can
There are a number of ways to automate various tasks. Nowadays, there is an app that can handle just about any task you can imagine.
For example, Trello offers better team communication. A task can be created in the app, so that your entire team can be messaged via Slack any time an update is being offered.
Event data can be synced with sales data when the event ticketing technology is integrated with Salesforce technology. Integrations like these help with automation and shorten your daily to do list.
Event planning tip #10: Utilize all data
Data removes much of the uncertainty when it comes to operations, sales and marketing efforts. Numbers should always be used to back up a decision making process. This keeps us from spending too much time fretting over our choices.
The more we know about ROI, the more we can justify our spending. We must also learn more about the channels our ticket buyers come through, so that technology efforts can be boosted in a more meaningful way.
Robust data gives us the negotiating power we deserve and allows us to analyze the effect of each decision, so you can continue to fine tune.
Event planning tip #11: Be ready to prevent backlash from attendees
Whether it’s a minor snafu or a major calamity, have a contingency plan in place for avoiding attendee backlash. Inclement weather, local traffic accidents, technological difficulties — each of these issues will derail an event.
Have tactical plans in place for any potential issue, because something will surely go wrong. Having insurance in place is a must. The majority of event organizers carry up to $1 million in liability insurance. A very large event may require a larger policy.
Event planning tip #12: Request feedback
Don’t miss an opportunity to improve future events. As soon as the event has concluded, issue a survey to all attendees. Responses allow you to hone in the efforts that bring the highest return for next year.
Provide attendees with an incentive to fill out the survey, and do it rapidly. The best practice is to send the survey within the first 24 hours after your event.
To remain calm and carry on, you must have the right technologies and processes in place from the very beginning. For even more pointers on how to remove the stress from your next event, download this free checklist and look it over before planning in earnest.