Beginner’s Guide: Dos And Don’ts When Organising An Event

Whether you’re a newbie or a pro, organising an event is not easy. It takes a lot of money, time, and effort to come up with a successful one. Furthermore, you need excellent skills in organising and creativity. So if you need to organise an event, make sure that you’re ready for it.

However, if you think you can’t handle it yet, there’s always an option to hire event planners. Aside from being experienced, they also know how the event planning market works. In the end, you’ll spend a lot less when you hire professional event planners.

 

On the other hand, there are times when you just need to lead the event yourself. So if this is the moment, here are some dos and don’t you shouldn’t forget during the whole process!

Dos

1. Plan things ahead

One of the things you should do when organising an event is to plan things. If you have ample time to prepare, then it’s more likely that you’ll encounter big problems later.

For starters, you can identify the objective of the event. From there, you can work on finalising the theme, venue, schedule, logistics, and designs. Then, you must work on the permits and other paperwork that may take weeks before getting approved.

Although the planning part seems easy, it’s just as hard as other stages of event organising. For instance, if you indicate a garden venue, then you must know a few options you can visit. Otherwise, you might end up changing it in the end, due to a lack of alternatives.

2. Prioritise the guests

When there’s an event, it’s guaranteed that there are guests. So it’s reasonable to prioritise them from the start-up to the day of the event.

When planning, you should have at least an estimated number of guests to consider when choosing a venue, catering service, and logistics. If the guests are not satisfied, there’s a great chance that they won’t enjoy it, and they may leave immediately.

So as the organiser, you must keep the event as interesting as possible. Think about things from the perspective of the guests, and ask yourself if you’ll be able to enjoy what you prepare.

3. Set a budget

It’s impossible to arrange things if you don’t have a budget to work with. If it’s your first time organising an event, then it’s not easy to think of an amount that will cover all expenses. So instead, you should first finalise the list of things you need, then come up with an amount.

If you’re on a tight budget, it’s essential to buy or avail things in order of urgency or importance. Moreover, avoid spending on other unnecessary things, especially if it’s not on the plan.

Since your budget is your best friend throughout the process, make sure that every purchase is recorded so that it’ll be easier to get back on track when you feel lost. More importantly, once you already set a budget, stick to it to avoid any confusion.

4. Communicate at all times

Communication is the key in every aspect of life, including when you’re organising an event. During the first phase of the event planning, gather all means of communication with everyone you’ll be working with. That way, once a communication platform encounters a problem, you still have other ways to contact each other.

In addition, even if you have a regular meeting, make sure to update and be updated at all times. It would lessen the possibility to encounter bigger problems if everyone is up-to-date with all the progress.

To be sure, gather the contact details of the vendors, caterers, venue coordinator, logistics head, design managers, and their assistants. So even if you can’t contact the team leader, then you can still enquire with their co-workers.

Don’ts

1. Forget to do research

Being prepared is one of the key factors to surviving your first-ever event. So if you don’t know enough details, it’s impossible to push through.

Whether it’s about the complete names of the owners or businesses, take some time to do some research. Aside from that, you can also gather techniques when it comes to event planning and even a list of the most-trusted businesses.

2. Do everything alone

No matter the circumstance, you shouldn’t do everything alone. When you have a whole team who can stick with you until after the event, then you can carry on. Unfortunately, if you don’t have a team, it’s impossible to move forward.

Instead of punishing yourself for doing everything, which you can’t, just hire professional event planners to guide and help you every step of the way.

Event planners will not only help, but they can also transform your event into something you didn’t imagine.

3. Skip drafting the event

Why do you think fashion shows and theatre plays have run-throughs? It’s not because they just want to spend more time and effort on stage, but it’s because they want the show to be perfect.

Aside from preparing a detailed schedule, try to have a walk-through of the event. It helps to identify problems you may encounter later on. For instance, if you play all the videos or songs you need for the event, you can check if there are parts that are not working and solve them before the event.

4. Forget to finalise the details

The small details can ruin a perfectly arranged event. For instance, if you didn’t indicate the time of the event in the invitation, even if you make up for it by messaging all the guests and participants, some might not be able to get the message.

So as much as possible, if you’re going to approve a step or details for the event, take some time to review it thoroughly before you make it happen.

 

Sometimes, we get overwhelmed with certain things, especially when we’re not used to them yet. Fortunately, you can always ask for help. In this case, it’s never too late to call for event planners when things don’t work as planned. And if they do, don’t hesitate to share your experience by leaving a comment below!