DOs and DON’Ts of Event Planning

Here are my Event Planning tips for planning a perfect session, whether it’s a complex educational event with concurrent sessions or a simple affair.

• Meet with your client to discuss the event goals and theme. Is this a staff appreciation event? Is this a bilingual event that requires simultaneous translation? Is it an educational session that confers credits to the attendees?
• In the preplanning phase make sure that the date your client has selected does not conflict with other industry events or is too close to major holidays, otherwise, your attendance rates may suffer.
• Certain days of the week are better than others. As a general rule, avoid Monday and Friday events especially during the summer, as people tend to go out of town.
• Determine with the client whether the event is reliant on sponsorships or whether the registration fee will cover all expenses.
• Will it be a half-day session, a full day, or multiple days? Will it run over several weeks? The event schedule needs to be nailed down early so that event promotion can take place.
• Will there be concurrent sessions? If so, make sure that the room limits are adhered to.
• Be aware of the client’s attendance expectations for the overall event and for each breakout session.
• Will the event be recorded and available at a later date to attendees and non-attendees? If so, have they thought about the various price points?
• Formulate a budget that takes into account all costs and projects what the registration fee will be. Get sign-off from the client.
• Create a marketing plan that encompasses a social media plan. Obtain sign-off from the client and/or the communications department of the client’s company/organization for all communication materials. Make sure all logos used are current. Promote the event early, be consistent with your marketing efforts, and set up processes to assess which campaigns are useful in driving attendance.
• Scrutinize all contracts and ask questions if you are not sure of any clauses. Obtain sign-off from the client before returning any contract (virtual platform, event app, entertainment, speaker agreements, AV, catering, simultaneous translation, interpreter services for hearing impaired delegates).
• If this is a hybrid event, work with your venue planner to optimize socially distanced seating arrangements, AV set-up, and catering. If you opt for external catering, make sure that the venue is in agreement and there are no penalties levied. Many art galleries for example have preferred caterers and deviation from that list will result in extra fees.
• For hybrid events, book an AV technician for the entire day, especially if there are concurrent sessions, simultaneous translation or interpreter services. If anything goes wrong from a light bulb malfunction to a computer breakdown, the AV technician will quickly fix it and the event will run smoothly.
• Create speaker agreements with clearly outlined deadline dates for submission of materials such as bios and headshots. Include a clause specifying that keynote speakers promote the event on their social media platforms and newsletters. Obtain speaker presentations one week prior to the event.
• If the event involves out of town speakers, make sure you book their arrangements well in advance in order to take advantage of discounted airfare and hotel rates. If your speaker is on first thing in the morning, arrange to have them spend the previous night in town. There is nothing more panic-inducing than a no-show from your keynote speaker!
• If speakers are not being paid, make sure that they receive a modest honorarium or at the very least a thank you card by the organizing committee.
• For remote speakers, arrange for rehearsals a few days prior to the event to ensure they are comfortable with the platform, have optimal internet connectivity, audio and lighting.
• For the F2F component of the event, make sure you arrive at least one hour early to the venue. Have all emergency contact numbers for catering, AV and speakers.
• Check that the socially distanced seating arrangements you submitted have been followed. If not, call your venue contact and have them make the necessary changes.
• Check that all the AV equipment (screen, mics, computer) are working. Give the USB key to the AV technician so that all the presentations can be preloaded if those have not yet been sent to the technician in advance.
• Ensure you have adequate help with registration, especially if there is a projected attendance of 100 or more delegates. Safety is a priority; have COVID screening protocols in place.
• Reserve tables at the front of the room for committee members and speakers.
• Verify the room temperature throughout the day; there is nothing worse than delegates being too hot as it puts them to sleep! If the temperature is not optimal, make sure you liaise with the venue contact immediately, as large rooms may take up to 20 minutes for the temperature to change.
• Make sure that catering staff are setting up all meals and snacks according to schedule.
• For virtual or hybrid events, ensure that you have a technical team at the ready if you did not opt for virtual platform support or had hired an AV company. The role of this team assists delegates with tech issues, ensure that speakers have shown up in the virtual waiting room, moderate the Q&A, chatbox, add information to the chatbox (e.g. speaker website, downloadable document), launch polls, create breakout rooms, and basically ensure that the event runs smoothly.
• Design an evaluation form that is comprehensive (5 points liked scale) but is easy to analyze. If you are using an event APP, the survey can be incorporated into the APP, which is more efficient than issuing a survey the following day.
• Submit the evaluation report no later than one week post-event.
• Hold a debrief with the client to discuss the event in detail, reconciliation of the budget, evaluation results and any challenges encountered.
• Book your next event with the client!

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Malak Sidky is the Founder and President of Health Care Event Planning. She plans events that range from one day or multi-day event – conferences, wellness retreats, tradeshows and fundraisers. To learn more visit: www.healthcareeventplanning.com

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