Event Planning & Management

DETERMINE THE FIVE WS AND H

What is your event? Why is this event happening? Who are your guests? When is your event? Where is your event? How much is in the budget?

What

Leisure Cultural Organizational Personal

Why

What is the events purpose? Is it a fund-raiser that will benefit from an extensive silent auction? Are you celebrating a corporate anniversary or a wedding? to give the attendee an event that in some way matches his contribution of the ticket price (charity gala) celebrate with family and friends (wedding)

Who

Age group

 Couples or singles

 Families
Entertainment Incidental entertainment, creative art stations, interactive talent, fun upbeat band Menus

 Mostly men or mostly women

 Do your guests know each other?

 Out-of-towners Work associates Number of guests

When Where - indoor - outdoor How

TAKE CARE OF THE NUTS AND BOLTS

Timing Is (Almost Always) Everything

What month are you considering? Is your month a high-season month?

What the day of the week is best? Must it be a Friday or a Saturday? Is it a long weekend?

What time of day is your first choice? Sunset, sunrise, luncheon, or brunch?

Picking a Date Time of year Time of week Time of day Conference dates No-no dates Christmas New Year Easter

Company Picnics Saturday or Sunday Consider a unique site

Galas Everyone is in town There arent many competing holidays

Holiday parties Reserve your space early Saturday, Friday, or Thursday Traveling

Weddings
Envision the ceremony Are you indoors, at a church or temple? Or are you on a beach? Family obligations Site availability Attire Friday, Saturday, Sunday

 Event with fireworks finale Your event includes a show with lighting Religious event has timing tradition

Tips for Picking the Right Date If your event is outdoors, consult the weather forecast Compare your date with your towns/citys calendar If budget is a concern, go for the out-ofseason time rather than high-season

 Check for holidays that surround your event Your chosen date will affect your event start time The time of day for your event will affect your dcor and attire Depending on what is happening on your event day , consider how that should (if at all) affect your event

Event Timing

THE FLOW OF AN EVENT

 Evening events during the workweek (Monday-Thursday) begin directly after business hours and ends early Friday events can go quite late Saturday events can happen all day

 A good start time for a day event is between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. If you start after 2:00 p.m. and end by 5 p.m., you dont need to serve a meal Saturday events are generally longer Can end between 11:30 p.m. and the wee hours of the morning

 Sunday events usually are held during the day and early evening Can start as early at 5:30 p.m. and usually end by 10:00 p.m.

Cocktail/Reception hours If this is a Saturday night event, 45 minutes for cocktailing can be plenty If this is right after work, you may need 90 minutes Is generally held between the ceremony for up to 1.25 hrs

 Dinner service
French Service English Service Buffet Russian Service Plate Service Family-style Service

Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner Breakfasts and brunches take an hour or more Lunches are quick Dinners (once served) usually take 45 min.

Coffee service About five minutes per table Engage in activity planned

Shows No longer than 45 minutes Leave them wanting more

Speeches and videos Videos should not be longer than 3-6 minutes Speech, probably about 10 minutes With video presentation; longer

Ceremonies Usually better if theyre shorter

People moving
Four factors to work with Larger numbers means a longer time Its harder to get people separate if they know each other If you have people to politely ask guests How are you going?

 Arrivals Dancing
During dessert and go until the partys over

Pad your Elements

Experience the Event

SITE, SETTING, AND SCENE

When looking for your right location, bear in mind that what you want to communicate with your event also should be stated by your venue

What does your location say about your event?

Location Cost Considerations All-In vs. Black slate

 Hotel Labor charges Most cost-effective venues Resturants logistics and constrictions

 Convention centers
Lots of storage, easy delivery routes, bid loading docks, huge spaces with high ceilings, and the capacity for as much as your creativity can muster Expensive

Lofts/Warehouses/Empty Spaces
They require a lot of imagination Youll need to bring it all in Cheap

 Tents
Expensive Labor Temperature control Power to run your temperature Kitchen

Historical venues, Museums

Beaches and Parks

Point of Contact 1. Make contact right away. Get them invested in your project. Keep them involved 2. Respect the persons position of authority and experience in the space 3. Dont go around or above your contact person (unless absolutely necessary)

Questions to Ask Get any information you can regarding access to your space Find out when you have access to the space for setup and when you must be cleared out from tear-down Ask what other events are happening at the same time as yours at your venue

 Get that list of preferred vendors or exclusive vendors If your event is outside, find out about local ordinances Ask to see the bathrooms your guest will be using When estimating capacity, ask to see photos or floor plans Ask if your contact person will be at your event

Tips for Site-Selection Success

 Have a few (or at least two) dates to choose from Do your homework on estimated costs If your event is outdoors, subject to the weather Try to anticipate your guests needs Plan around existing events Be flexible!

Event Planning & Management