5 Planning Tips for a Successful Event

Hi everyone! I’d like to formally introduce myself. I’m Courtney, the founder and face behind Planit Events Inc. I’m a mother to two beautiful children and a wife to a loving husband, Dave. I created Planit Events Inc. back in 2015 when I truly realized that event planning is the passion I want to pursue. So I went back to NAIT and completed the Event Management Certificate. This certificate, along with my previous education in Fashion Design and Apparel Production, gave me the management skills and, most importantly, the creative edge to produce events in Alberta. Needless to say, I haven’t ever looked back at that moment and regretted my decision. Anyways, that’s enough about me; let’s get to the content that you’re really here for! 

(Lauren Voisin Photography)

Along my journey as an event planner, I have developed some best practices that I follow that allow me to produce a successful event each time, and today I’d love to share them with you! But, don’t worry; these same tips can be applied to virtual events as well!

Tip 1: Start Early and Create Attainable Deadlines

Starting early is the best way you can guarantee to have a successful event. By starting the process early, you will have ample time to plan, implement and run an event just as you envisioned it. So how do you know that you’re starting early enough? As soon as you have set a date or rough date for your event, it’s time to start planning! 

Once you’ve outlined your plan, it’s essential to set deadlines. Make sure these deadlines are attainable and aren’t going to have you wanting to pull your hair out. Some tasks may be composed of multiple pieces, so it’s important to break these down and write out each required step with its own deadlines. 

Special Planit Event Inc. Tip

Use an app, planner, or your phone to help keep you on track. Here are a few ideas of tools you can use to help ensure you are sticking to your deadlines.

• Use the calendar app on your phone and set reminders
• Prefer the pen and paper method? Opt for a new planner/agenda
• Monday.com is a great project management tool as well

Tip 2: Create a Budget with Specifics (Allow for Some Flexibility)

Budgeting for an event can be one of the most daunting tasks, but it doesn’t have to be! If you have a specific budget that is already allocated, half the struggle is done, but if it isn’t, it’s time to get to the drawing board. Ask yourself the following questions to help you decide what an appropriate budget for your event will be:

1. What is the goal for the event?
2. What are the must-haves at the event, and how much do they cost?
3. How much do I need to set aside for unexpected costs?
4. Are there different vendors I can use to cut costs without losing quality?

Once you’ve answered the questions above, it’s time to start allocating parts of the budget towards components. Start by ranking your event components from most important to least important. Then, distribute the budget accordingly, and see where adjustments can be made. It’s also key to note that unexpected costs can arise even with the most precariously planned events, so set aside a percentage of your budget for that, your contingency plan!

Tip 3: Have a Backup Plan

Whether it’s unexpected weather changes, event location mishaps, or anything else, it’s important to have a backup plan in place. Think about the critical components of your event that you outlined when allocating your budget. If any of those pieces were to fall apart, will your event still run smoothly? If not, it’s time to set up a contingency plan just in case. It’s better to have a backup plan and not end up using it than not having one and running around like a chicken with its head cut off.

Back-up plans will ensure that your event runs successfully, and it will put your mind at ease when things out of your control happen.

Tip 4: Create the Dream Team

Ok, whether we like to admit it or not, having help when planning and executing an event can be significant. That being said, you want to make sure that the team you choose is organized, can work under pressure, and is detail-oriented. If you decide to go with the team approach, select your team wisely. Assess strengths and weaknesses. We all have weaknesses but ensure that another team member has one person’s weakness as a strength. 

Tip 5: Create a Checklist

Last but not least, create a checklist! This is by far one of the most valuable tips I can give. Not only does checking completed tasks off the list provide a great sense of excitement (ok, maybe that’s just me), it will help keep you on track and easily visualize what needs to be done and by when. Not sure where to start on your checklist? That’s ok, I’ve got you covered! Check out the starter checklist and the extra tips below to help get you started! Keep in mind the checklist below only outlines some of the major tasks, your event checklist will be much larger than this, but the checklist is a great way to start!

Special Planit Event Inc. Tip

Creating a checklist for any event can be daunting when the hundreds of tasks are on multiple sticky notes, agenda pages, and so on. Here are some of the tips that I use to help me create a dependable checklist.

1. Start with the big items. Once you have your more significant tasks, break them up into smaller tasks.
2. Put your checklist in order by date! This will help you stay on track.
3. If you have a team, use colour coding to help delegate tasks to each team member, so everyone knows who is responsible for what. 
4. New tasks always come up! Keep a working document on Google Drive where each team member has access to the live up-to-date version!
5. Ensure that team members can mark off which tasks were completed and when.

Hopefully, with the tips provided in this blog, you can put your mind at ease and tackle the next event you are planning with more confidence. Still looking for more help? Feel free to reach out; we can discuss ways that Planit Events Inc. can help make your event planning and execution seamless and easy!

-Courtney