Organising an event can seem like an incredibly overwhelming task, however with good organisation and forward thinking, your event is sure to run smoothly. If you follow the few steps below you will be well on the way to a successful event!

1. Define the event’s purpose

Having a sentence or two in your head will help you lead the event in the right direction. Think about why you are doing it and the type of audience you want to attract.

2. Set Goals

• What exactly do you want to accomplish? How many people do you ideally want to attend?
• What is the desired outcome of the meeting/conference/event? To educate on a specific subject? To raise money? To promote a new product?
• Think of the primary things you wish to happen as a result of the event and concentrate on making them become a reality.

3. Gather volunteers

If you can recruit good team members with different skills they can help you with everything from preparing schedules and budgets to organising invitations and posters, to welcoming guests on the day, right through to clearing up afterwards.

Collaboration will make the job easier. Make sure your team members are kept up to speed with your plans.

4. Prepare a budget

All possible expenses, incomes, sponsors and contingency costs should be included. Find ways to keep cost down. Can you get volunteers to work for free. Look at as many venue options as possible. The Venue Booker will source venues to fit your budget and requirements!

5. Decide on a time and place

The date and location are of paramount importance. Think about where your delegates are travelling from. If it is a London based event, has it got good connections to major airports and mainline stations? Which are the nearest tube stations?

Make sure you have a long enough lead time to source a venue as some get booked up months in advance, especially in peak periods such as March and November which tend to be two of the busiest months of the year, particularly for conferences.

Another important thing to consider is the availability of key speakers. You will need to contact them well in advance as their availability is often limited.

6. Think about logistics

What layout do you need and can the venue comfortably accommodate it? How big are the breakout areas if needed? What about disabled access? is there parking on site? What equipment will you need. What extra items may you need to bring in or order from the venue at additional cost? How many people are needed to ensure the smooth running of the event?

7. Marketing and advertising

Think about the title and branding for the event. How are you going to get the word out about the conference/event?

Do you need to prepare flyers or organise an e-shot to potential attendees? Will you be putting word out via social media?

What do you need to do before the event to get people there?

Also what materials do you need during the event, such as posters, pop ups, banners etc.

8. Organise yourself

Prepare draft schedules for the event well in advance. Create spreadsheets to help organise your thoughts and put things into order.

Prepare a timeline and allocate tasks to each member of your team with a deadline for each activity.

If you need assistance with finding the right venue for your next event, contact us and we’ll do the hard work for you completely free of charge.