How to Plan a Successful Event Important Things to Consider

Arrange a meeting to go over the summit details with your client. This is your opportunity to gather information and understand the needs and expectations of your client(s).

Set Up a Meeting

Create a Checklist

Create a checklist and timeline for all action items. This helps you to keep track of your deadlines. I color code my timeline for quick reference. Be creative and have fun!

The attendee list is ever evolving, but constant changes to the list could cause some challenges, especially if your event is in a different city, state or country. Work with your client to get the best approximation of total attendees (in an ideal world, the exact number of attendees). Create a document to track attendees and update it as needed. Gather as much information as possible, as soon as possible. Ask you client to provide you their information, chances are they are already in your database. Once you have the list of attendees and their email address, write a brief but descriptive email and ask them for these details: - Phone number - Choice of airport - Airline preference (seat preference), frequent flyer # - D.O.B: You need this to book flights & you get to know who are from the stone age - Dietary restrictions - Additional comment: This helps to capture any other information

Note: Don’t forget to mention to reply only to you and not to all!

Attendees

If your client has expressed interest in a particular hotel, call them right away. Check for availability of both the rooms and conference/meeting space. Get a formal proposal from the hotel sales team. These sales teams are very efficient, so expect to see the proposal within hours. They are ready to make a sale! What if the hotel your client really likes is not available? While that’s unfortunate, don’t delay sharing this information. Inform your client right away and offer alternatives, you can also ask them if they have a second preference. Reach out to at least 3 hotels around that area (within couple of block radius) similar to your clients liking. Chances are the client may like the area more than the hotel itself or may have some rewards program set up with them. Find multiple solutions for the same problem. Give your clients few options.

Venue

Notes On Quotes The key word here is “Slow Down”. We all know how important the BvA report is, don’t we? Take your time in understanding what the hotel is proposing and quoting. Make sure you understand every single detail so there won’t be any unpleasant surprises waiting for you. Always ask for group discounts for both the rooms and conference space. Depending on the number of rooms you book, the hotel sales manager might even comp your conference room, so don’t forget to ask! - Hotel proposals do not include taxes. Calculate the approximate applicable taxes for

that city/state and include that in your budget

- A/V and other equipment are not included. Though you might get some discounts, be prepared to see additional service charges in your final hotel quote. Calculate the approximate applicable taxes and add that in your budget

- Hotel proposals should include photos of the rooms, meeting space and amenities. You will need these for your presentation.

- Food and Beverage Charges: For an offsite summit, breakfast and lunch are served in the hotel for time management purposes. Hotels usually offer 3-4 options for a large group to choose from. If you find something that suits your taste and budget, include that in your deck

- Don’t forget your vegans, vegetarians and others with dietary restrictions. Now

that attendee info comes in handy, ah-ha! - Beverage: WSC (water, soda and coffee), these charges add up rather quickly. If

you end up setting up a coffee station in the conference room, you are looking at $400-$600 per day. Ask you sales/events manager what the charges are and be very specific about your requirement. If needed, set up a max per day with them

- Plan some fun and creative ice breakers to get the summit started as well as mid-day activity to bring the energy back up after lunch

- Create a fun meeting space within your budget (whatever that is). When people walk in, have a wow factor! If money is tight, be creative! If you are laughing to the bank, hire an expert! It depends on the type of event you are planning

- Team Building Activities: Cater to the people in attendance. It’s not about what you like, but what makes sense for the crowd and what they perceive as fun! Research, research and do more research! Go ahead and be a people pleaser!

- Dinner and Bar Crawl: This has to be the favorite part of planning an event/summit. Find the best possible option within your budget and make it fun! Coordinate with the restaurant/bar manager and personalize your group visit. It could be as small as a personalized menu or as large as reserving the entire club and booking the hottest DJ. Whatever your budget, there’s always something you can do to make it memorable

Activities

- Welcome Gifts: Do you have budget for some welcome gifts? This is a great way to welcome your guests. I would even go a step further and place their welcome gifts in their rooms with a welcome note. Remember! This personal gift drops cost about $2-$5 per room and will need to be included in your budget. Yes, you are right – “Nothing Is Free.”

- Summit Gift: Does your client intend to include a gift for all attendees (other than

the welcome gift pack)? If yes, get the budget approved and look for something practical and something they can all use. E.g. if they travel frequently, a personalized Mophie or power pack etc. are great gifts! Also plan ahead on how and when you will be handing these out to the attendees. Make it effortless, elegant and fun!

Gifts

Things to consider while preparing your budget: - Room Block - Airfare - Transportation - Event Costs: AV production, F&B costs, Service gratuity, External Trainer or Presenter, - Team Building activities - Activities: Dinner, Bar Crawl - Operations Cost: Creative designs, decor, gifts, prints, shipping, Insurance, Legal - Taxes and Misc.

Note: Put your beautiful presentation together and present it to your client with very accurate budget projections. Hopefully this was helpful to some degree. Please reach out with any questions or suggestions. This is just a quick reference for a new or experienced event planner. There’s a lot that goes on during the planning phase. My 2 cents: Don’t leave anything for the last minute and have fun! You will make new friends during this process!!