Whenever a major seminar, festival, concert, conference, convention or other public event is underway, issues arise surrounding its management. Event management is an overarching term referring to the techniques and actions used in the research, planning, preparation and execution of an event. There are event management teams and individual event managers that oversee these events from start to finish, ensuring that the event runs smoothly and has no setbacks.
My time at Intergage has given me the opportunity to help plan events and even run a seminar from start to finish. Of course I received a lot of support, who wouldn’t want help?
The preparation for the event started months before the due date. The first step was to find the location where we would have it. Normally, companies like us have a portfolio of all the recommended venues we like to work with.
The next step was to ask ourselves questions such as:
- What is the aim of the seminar?
- Who do we want to invite?
- Will it be local to the office?
- What is the budget available?
- How many staff do we have available to help on the day?
- What do we want to deliver on the day?
- What’s the most important thing the guests will learn from the seminar?
The questions are endless, so to simplify the task, we produce an event plan. The plan will have all the details needed for the day and for larger events. We use a Gantt chart.
The event Gantt chart is a really clear way for you to keep track of all the event actions. The bigger the event the more there is to do and the more precise you will need to be.
You can be as specific or general as you would like, the great thing about an event Gantt chart is it gives you the freedom to decide how you would like your event to be run.
THE PLAN
The plan works like a checklist but can also be sent to attendees to inform them of the event agenda, or perhaps other event hosts. This is especially useful if you have guest speakers as it will give them information regarding their presentation times and who else will be speaking. Also, it will help to allocate time to tasks, ensuring you plan your time wisely.
The plan is as follows:- Date and time of the event
- Venue/address
- The message we want to deliver
- The number of staff attending
- Allocate roles on the day
- Budget
- Social media
- Competition
- Pre-event
- Event
- Post-event
Post-event actions are just as important and they include social media updates and thanking your attendees.
With great organisation and knowledge of your audience you can plan and host a perfect event!
