Alberta Meeting & Event Guide Fall/Winter 2017/2018 | Page 21

Event planning 101
Building an event plan
Critical to the planning of any event is an Event Management
Plan. This document is your catch-all for everything you need
to think of and organize for the event. For every planner,
this document looks different, but the end goal is the same: a
document that outlines all the important details for the event,
while capturing who is responsible for what and when it needs
to be completed by. Here is a sample of one Event Management
Plan that you can use to manipulate to make it work for you.
Event Formation
Event Name Is the name unique, memorable, clear, and descriptive?
Event Date & Times Are there any other events at the same time that will be competing with yours? Is it around a holiday, or
long weekend?
Venue Does the venue have parking? Is there handicap accessibility, if required? Is public transportation
available? Is there a hotel connected/nearby? Do they have in-house catering?
Event Coordinator/Contact Person The person who is the main contact point
Event Purpose Why are you holding this event? What is the objective of the event?
Target Audience Who are your targeted attendees? Knowing this will help plan the messaging and marketing.
Risk Assessment What are possible risks and what can be done to help minimize them? i.e., not enough tickets sold, bad
weather impacting attendance, sponsorship withdrawls
Early Event Planning
Budget Where is funding coming from? What is the break-
even point? Estimated registration? Sponsorship
goals? Create budget projections
Proposed
Program Event theme? What will the format look like? Who
are the potential speakers/entertainment if needed?
Registration
Management How will registration be tracked? How will payment
be done? Who is the owner of the registration?
What is the maximum attendance?
Advertising/
Marketing/
Invitations How will people be informed of the event?
Do invitations need to be sent out? Are there
dignitaries/guests of honour who need to be invited?
Signage/Print
Materials What needs to be completed for marketing? For the
day of the event? What is supplied by the vendor
(washrooms, emergency exit, etc.) Make sure all
match your branding
Program/
Running
Sheets How will the timing for the event look? Are the
speakers/entertainment aware? Do the caterers
know when to serve? Opening/Closing/Housekeep
comments for the MC?
Person Responsible
Actions
Deadline
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