The Day of the Event

One of the most important and main actions to take in the process of holding an event is done before the event and includes the planning and preparations, but the day of the event is the time to implement and operationalize

Operational Activities on the Day of the Event

The actions to take on the day of the event include the following items:

1. On the day of the event, provide the operational team with the list of their tasks. This list must be given to every individual according to their tasks and in the form of a file or on paper, but they must have a printed version, so if their phones turned off or got lost, they can still have access to the plan.

2. As the event manager, you need to have a brief meeting with the whole team and review the plans before starting. Redistribute the information you have already given to the members and make sure that the list of tasks, schedules, and all the information is given to everybody and everything is in place.

3. Make the contact info of the entire operational team available separately in a categorized way so you can have access to the members as quickly as possible. Put these lists in different places where the operational team can have access to them easily. Various methods are recommended for categorizing this information:

? The categorization based on the time of doing tasks. For example, have a list of contact information of those whose tasks are to be done at 8 to 10 in the morning of the opening day. In this case, you only refer to the list of members at each hour and access to the members is much quicker and easier.

? Alphabetical categorization. In this case, whenever you need any of the team members, you find their name on the list in the column of names and look for their information

Categorization based on the type of tasks and services. For example, you can ensure the information of those in charge of audio services is on the same list.

4. The event manager or one of the team members must attend the venue, check the perimeter, and get informed of the conditions on the day of the event a few hours before the start. For example, there is a power outage in the surrounding streets, so the team must be ready for the same incident and emergency equipment must be available.

5. Regardless of the venue’s size, prepare a map for each event and specify the location of your meetings with the team or where the necessary items such as the list of members, the first-aid kit, drinking water, etc. are located on the map. In small events, such move may not be noticed much, but it’s good for the members to get a hang of it so they don’t face any problem during big events. Like the case with other lists and plans, give this map to the team members in both print and electronic files.

6. In every team, consider someone as the contact person or the team manager responsible for necessary arrangements. For example, someone is appointed to be in charge of the audio team, and the entire members go to this person for necessary arrangements.

7. Consider one of the team members to act as a substitute of the person in charge, so if anything happened to the team manager, the order will still be stored and they can follow the plan.

8. Try and carry out all the plans an hour ahead of the main schedule. For example, if you have announced that the doors would be opened for visitors at 10 o’clock, consider the time to be 9 o’clock in the team’s schedule to have a floating time which would allow you to solve any possible problem happening at the last minute.

9. Try not to rely on one single individual for any part of the schedule, and let different people carry out different tasks.

10. Adopt modern and automatic system and avoid doing things manually to reduce the chance of error. For example, use automatic ticket checking system.

11. Make it possible to use a reminder system and use it to remind the audiences of certain points during the event. For example, remind them of the event-related hashtags so they provide contents using these hashtags. By doing so, you get the most out of the day of the event for advertising and marketing.

12. There might be tension on the day of the event. For example, one of the exhibitors might get angry about something or a fight between visitors. Be prepared for such incidents and appoint one of the team members to handle such problems and stop the problem from being continued and interrupting the event.

13. Inspect the booths from time to time and prepare the exhibitors’ requirements for setting up and arranging the booths.

14. Install the lighting and sound equipment and run the sound test.

15. Guide the exhibitors for having their meals and going to the dining hall.

16. Check whether the conditions issued by the insurance company are met so you can claim compensation if anything happened.

17. Have a feedback system in every event and ask visitors and participants for their opinions. To do so, you can use manual forms and ask the audience to fill them or devise a system which would allow the audiences to give feedback and leave comment online. This method helps you to:

? Find out your mistakes and weaknesses.

? Use their suggestions in future events. ? Gather their information and use it for market

18. In every event no matter how small, document the entire event by taking photos and videos. Professional cameramen and photographers do this job in most events, but even if there was no professional equipment, document the event using a mobile phone. Doing this job is important in many ways:

? Using these photos and videos, you show the sponsors the commitment you had to them. ? You get to use these photos and videos as your social media contents.

? You get to use these photos and videos as your operational records and demos in the presentation you prepare to introduce yourself.

19. Make a list of the priorities and consider them when something goes wrong. For example, one of the speeches is the first priority and of great importance. If there is a problem in one of the other plans while this speech is on, you first handle the one with the first priority. 20. In those events that last few days, constantly notify the visitors and exhibitors about the plans for the next days.

To make announcement in this regard, you can use various methods such as distributing flyers in the event, making announcement in the venue’s loudspeaker, making announcement by the host and speech makers, through applications, sending emails, etc.

21. Consider a break in your plans for the team members and the event manager. You can consider 2 or 3 breaks a day and change these times based on the workload and during the event. However, the breaks must be in turn and when a group is resting, another group must be doing the jobs.

22. Consider some of the team members with the highest skill in having a talk and put them in charge of instructing people and answering questions. Put these individuals in various spots during the event so the audiences can have access to them.

23. One to two hours before the event starts, send all the pertinent guides and reminders through the application, email, or SMS to all the audiences. While the necessary arrangements have been made already and everyone is notified, it’s still better to have a reminder on the day of the event and before it starts.

24. On the day of the event, try and show the sponsors that you have been faithful to your commitment.

Marketing on the Day of the Event

Some people assume that marketing only belongs to the stage before the event, while if you take marketing seriously on the day of the event, you will both succeed in branding and go through a part of the next path. On the day of the event, you provide services for exhibitors, sponsors, and visitors, but one of the people to whom you need to provide services is you, and these services is the same as a specific strategy for branding and marketing. Have a plan for branding yourself on the day of the event. ? Arrange a booth for yourself as the event organizer

. Prepare whatever is needed to introduce yourself and you can even advertise the next round of your event. You should have spent a huge amount of money to explain your activities for the visitors and participants, but using this method, you can directly introduce yourself to all the people who are at the event as visitors and exhibitors without having to deal with the expenses related to advertisement and time for future arrangements and meetings.

? Use promotional gifts to introduce your work. ? Consider the advertising banners you have designed for the sponsors, dedicate a part of them to yourself, and insert advertising slogans. ? Dedicate the unsold parts of the event’s magazine to advertising yourself instead of sponsors.