The 5 Must-Know Stages in Event Planning

Wow, I can’t believe we’ve already wrapped up the first quarter of 2022 and are moving into Q2! I know in many places around the world, and in Edmonton and surrounding areas, in-person events are starting to resurface and I am so excited to see what the rest of the year holds in the events world! I thought it would be a great time to go over one of the fundamentals of event planning, the 5 stages. Going through these stages is a great way to ensure that you don’t miss out on any important pieces and you plan the right event for the right audience. In today’s blog, I will go through each step, give a few examples when applicable and send you on your way to getting started on planning your next event!

Stage 1: Research

First things first, research. It’s always important to conduct research before diving into an event. Why? Conducting research helps you understand:

What is the event for?
Who do I want to attend the event, or who is the target audience?
What goal am I trying to achieve with this event?

The main question that your research needs to focus on is, ‘What goal am I trying to achieve with this event?’ By setting objectives you will be able to determine what factors you need to research to meet these goals.

An example of this could be: You want to organize an event to raise money for your local animal shelter through a gala. Some of the research you would need to conduct is who would attend, what type of event would you hold, how will you raise money, what is the charitable amount goal, and much more.

Research can be the toughest stage in event planning. Practice using SMART goals to keep your research on track. Not sure what a SMART goal is?

Check out this Planit blog post.

Stage 2: Design

Now that you’ve done your research, it’s time to start envisioning your design. What is the event going to look like? Remember to keep your SMART goals in mind throughout each of the steps. But this is where we start getting further into the details. My favorite place to start is choosing a venue. This is a great starting point to build further design details off of. Need help choosing the perfect venue for your upcoming event?

Check out this Planit blog post.

Stage 3: Plan (w/ Brand in Mind)

If you’re a regular reader of the Planit Events’ blog, you know that I talk about planning… A LOT. Planning is the fundamental core of your event, so don’t take this stage lightly. Planning includes everything big and everything small, every major and minor detail. In terms of the 5 stages, the planning stage includes finalizing the venue, the budget, and all timelines. Don’t make this stage harder for yourself than it needs to be. Numerous tools on the market are free or paid, to help you during this stage. Looking for some tools?

Check out this Planit blog post.

Planning takes the most amount of time, so if you have the resources to build a team to help, I recommend doing so. Your team can be made up of colleagues, project managers, or professional event planner(s).

Stage 4: Coordinate

Coordinating, this is where you get to see your event come to life! I’ll warn you, this is probably the most stressful stage of them all. This is where things will happen (and trust me, no matter how meticulously you plan, something will always happen) and will test your reactivity, adaptability, and adjustability. But that’s ok! After you’ve been in the events world as long as I have, you become accustomed to adapting plans quickly and having contingency plans in place. Event rental vendor backed out on you? Not a problem, you have another one you can contact. But it’s important to remember that things do happen, but you and your team can handle them. Take a deep breath, evaluate the situation and create a new plan.

Want to learn more about creating a contingency plan for your event details? Check out this Planit blog post.

Stage 5: Review & Evaluate

Reviewing and evaluating after an event tends to get forgotten about, but this is where you find your key learnings. Ask yourself the following:

What went well with the event?
What did not go well?
Did I meet my objectives? Why or why not?
What would I have done differently?
Did I have the right contingency plans in place?
Did my team coordinate well?

These questions will help you evaluate your event and you can take the key learnings onto your next event to make it even better.

I hope that by shedding some light on the 5 stages of event planning you can move forward confidently with your event. As always, Planit Event Inc. is at your service, whether you need help with the entirety of your event or just one of the stages. Feel free to contact us to learn how we can create the event you are looking to achieve.

Courtney’s 5 Special Event Tips
Check out this blog to learn about the 5 most valuable tips Courtney from Planit Events Inc has learned in her years as a professional event planner.

Courtney’s 5 Special Event Tips

For those of you who are returning to the Planit Blog, it’s great to see you, and for those of you who are new here, my name is Courtney and I’m the owner of Planit Events Inc. I’ve been in the events industry for many years now and I’d say that I’m just as passionate about it as the day I started. I love curating event designs and putting my client’s visions together to ensure that they have a successful event. Usually, I pick a topic to focus on for each of my blogs, but I thought I would switch things up a bit for this one. In today’s blog, I will be sharing 5 tips that I have learned throughout my experience as a professional event planner in the Edmonton and surrounding area.

Tip 1: Plan Ahead

I apologize in advance to those who are returning, but I’ve said it once (ok, more than once) and I’ll say it again, always plan ahead! Planning your event is the core structure that your entire event relies on. Planning has the following benefits:

Gives you time to troubleshoot when problems arise
Allows you to potentially test out ideas
Gives you ample time to research

So, when you are planning what things should you consider? I like to start with deciding what the event is for, who the audience is, and what my goals are. I then like to decide on a budget. This aspect can be tricky sometimes but don’t worry I’ve got you covered. Check out the Planit blog to learn how to plan out your event budget.

Once you have your budget you can start to make decisions on the details. Think about the venue and how you picture the event. Need help choosing the right venue for your event? Check out the Planit blog. Work on the details from biggest to smallest.

Tip 2: Stay Organized

Now with details, it’s important to stay organized. Planning an event can become messy, fast. But if you stay organized from the start, things will be much easier for you and your team. So how do I stay organized?

Plan out my days (ensure to make time for yourself too!)
Use reminders on my phone and calendar to keep me on track
Make lists and monitor them
Use digital tools (read more about this in the Planit blog)

Organization is different for anyone, so try a few things out and see what works for you.

Tip 3: Ask for Help

Planning an event can be super overwhelming and take up a tremendous amount of your time. Don’t forget that it’s ok to ask for help! Believe it or not, most large events aren’t just put together by one lone person. Make yourself a team of friends, family, colleagues or vendors. I know sometimes we don’t always have a team available, but you can also consider hiring an event professional to ease the burden. To learn more about how hiring an event planner can help, check out the Planit blog.

Tip 4: Don’t Be Afraid to be Creative

I think sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the latest trends or get nervous to try out something completely different, but I’m here to tell you to be elaborate and think outside of the box! The best events that I have attended have always been different than the typical event and that’s what makes it so memorable. The only tip I have to give is to make sure the idea you have fits the audience that will be attending your event. Will your creative idea help you reach one of your event goals? If the answer is yes, then give it a try! Event planning in many cases is about trial and error. I didn’t find my favorite food vendors quickly, it took years of trying different ones out.

Tip 5: Always Evaluate

Last but not least, always evaluate post-event. This tends to get overlooked but it’s important to address how well your event went. Ask yourself the following when evaluating your event:

Overall, how did the event go?
What went well? What did not?
Did I meet my event goals? Why or why not?
What would I do differently next time?
What would I do the same?
Which aspects can I improve on for future events?
Did I stay within the budget? Why or why not?
What unexpected challenges came up?
Did I deal with the challenges well?
How did my team perform?

Although events are a lot to plan and put together, the reward of a successful event is priceless. To learn more about the services I offer at Planit Events Inc. visit our website. If you have any questions or you want to inquire about any services please feel free to reach out.