Best practices in event planning

1. N O R H A S I M A H H A M I M
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N U R U L F A R A H I Z Z A H Z A I L A N I
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A L F I A N T H O M A S
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N U R A I N M O H D J A I S
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N O R F A D I L A H A M I M
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S H A R I F A H A M I R A H S Y E D
S U L A I M A N
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HTT 751:
Event Planning and
Analysis

2. Contents
1. Getting started
1.1 Your event proposal
1.2 Developing your event idea
2. Planning Your Event
2.1 Developing an event plan and timeline
2.2 Key areas in your event plan
3. Event Planning Checklist
4. Delivering Your Event
4.1 The run-up to the event
4.2 Setting up for the event
4.3 Managing the event of the day
5. Evaluating Your Event
5.1 Why evaluate?
5.2 How to evaluate your event
5.3 Using your evaluation information

3. Getting Started
Definition:
A document which outlines the reason for the event and what you are
planning to do, which in turn will provide a focus for everyone involved
and a guide for planning and delivery decisions.
Some of the key questions:
 What is the event?
 Why are you having an event?
 What will happen at the event?
 Who is the event for?
 Who will plan and run the event?
Your Event Proposal

4. Getting Started
Discussion and consultation:
 Key elements in the proposal to be discussed in more detail and
developed with others involved in the planning and delivery
 Agreeing the aim, objectives and format of the event early on
Research:
 To give some inspiration for developing your event in terms of style,
duration or activities that might work well
Agreeing your event idea:
 Should discuss with the appropriate people/department
Developing Your Event Idea

5. Planning Your Event
Give Yourself
TIME
Get ORGANIZED
Remember to
COMMUNICATE
Developing an Event Plan and Timeline
Agreed and approved proposal:
 Put together a detailed event plan in which you breakdown all the tasks
 Create a timeline, linked to your event plan but less detailed
 Check against your event proposal to ensure all the key elements of the
event have been touched

6. Planning Your Event
1. Agreeing the budget
2. Setting the date
3. Timings for the event
4. Working with VIPs
5. Choosing a venue
6. Compiling and managing the guest list
7. Organizing the invitations
8. Catering
9. Audio/visual
10. Event staff
11. Transport
12. Publicity
13. Insurance
14. Table plans, place cards, badges
Key Areas in Your Event Plan

7.  Budget can be a very simple outline of projected costs – monitoring your
expenditure
 Some costs may immediately spring to mind when planning an event:
Key Areas in Your Event Plan
Agreeing the Budget

8. Deciding on the date
Avoiding competition with other events
Getting into a VIP‟s busy diary
Key Areas in Your Event Plan
Setting the Date

9. Key Areas in Your Event Plan
Timings for the Event
Successful Event Planning
Checklist
Gantt
Chart
Flow of
an event• Matrix of horizontal and
vertical axes.
• Keep on track-avoid
delay
• Monitor completion
dates
• Design from the
beginning of an event
• Sequence of activities for
the day
• Design to plan (itinerary
in detail)
• Organize all the details for
each tasks
• Moving steadily by written
down into checklist

10. Key Areas in Your Event Plan
Working with VIPs
Make sure they get
attention and
information
Thanking the VIP
Check with VIP on their
availability to attend
Introducing VIP

11. Key Areas in Your Event Plan
Choosing a Venue
Starting Venue Search
Capacity, location and special facilities
Finding the right venue
Location, facilities, capacity and cost
Visiting potential venues – effective (accessibility)
Considering special requirements
Depend on the type of event
Audio/visual tech, changing room, additional furniture
Getting the space you need
Booking all space required
Planning the Layout
Depend on size, format and activities

12. Key Areas in Your Event Plan
Compiling and Managing the Guest List
Compiling the
guest list (guest
information )
A number of different
people - one person
holding master guest
list
To record and
monitor guest list
information
Invitation to the
event

13. • Send in advance, to give guest much notice as possible
• Priority - Guest may have busy diaries/limited seats for the eventSending a „hold the date‟
• Ideally – 8 weeks in advance of the event
• Designing, proofing, printing, addressing invitation & approval
• Standardize – logo, text, colors
Sending the invitation
• Date, time, location (with map), dress code
• Organizer, nature of the event, RSVP date
• Details of PIC for any queries
• Limit of seats per invitation
What to include on or with
the invitation
• Logging RSVP information
• Following up with guests who have not reply
• Larger/Public event – sign-up process/online registration
Managing Replies
Key Areas in Your Event Plan
Organizing the Invitations

14. Key Areas in Your Event Plan
Dress Code
•Very formal - commemorative
•Men: black tail coat, black trouser &
white dress shirt
•Women: full length evening gowns
•Formal - dinner/evening gathering
•Men: black dinner jacket, black
trouser, white dress shirt, & black
bowtie
•Women: conservative cocktail dress -
full length evening gowns
•Lounge Suite – drink parties
•Men: black dinner jacket, black
trouser, any colour dress shirt, &
black bowtie
•Women: any cocktail dress - full
length evening gowns
•Smart Casual
•More informal event – garden party
•Tie optional
•No jeans, shorts, t-shirt
•Business function – networking
events
•Men: Suit with shirt and tie
•Women: smart office wear,
preferably a suit
•National Dress
•For International Events

15. Caterers
• Provide a list of caterer
• Canapes to buffet
• Select according to
event concept &
budget
• Ideally – select the
best 3 caterers with
sample menus
• Able to produce
extra portion
Venue Requirement
• Discuss with venue
manager
• Ensure the venue has
appropriate license to
serve food and drinks
Agreeing Menus
• Review sample menu
• Consider common
dietary requirements
• Vegetarianism
• Religious dietary
requirements
• Ensure the dishes are
label clearly
Key Areas in Your Event Plan
Catering

16. Key Areas in Your Event Plan
Audio/visual
Audio/Visual
• Identify requirement
• Discuss with venue
manager
Photographer
• Advise guest in advance
• Brief photographer on
particular shots
• Provide “Media Badge”
for official/invite
photographer

17. Key Areas in Your Event Plan
Event Staff
Event
Staff
Who will you need to help plan
the event?
Agree on roles & responsibilities as
early on in the planning stages.
Who will you need on the day?
Usually depends on the number of
guests & complexity of the event.
Security / Stewarding
Security Risk Management

18. Key Areas in Your Event Plan
Transport
Transportation
Transport Requirement (s)
When the event requires guests to travel
from one venue to another.
Transport Provider (s)
Select the good or appropriate
companies for that particular event and
budget.

19. Key Areas in Your Event Plan
Publicity & Insurance
Publicity
How best to advertise to
your target audience.
To include some
information about a speaker
or host in publicity
material.
Insurance
In-house insurance by the
venue providers & group
insurance for traveler.

20. Key Areas in Your Event Plan
Table Plans, Place Cards, Badges
Table Plans,
Place Cards
& Badges /
Tags
Table Plans
Draft copy of the table plan to be sent to the guests speaker,
especially for VVIP‟s at-least one week in advance.
Display the actual seating during the event .
Badges / Tags
Depending on size of event, not
usually done for smaller events
Place Cards
To provide place cards with name
on the table or respective area (s)

21. Event Planning Checklist
Samples/Examples

22. Delivering Your Event
 Re-confirm the date, location and timings ,VIP, offices, technicians and
people who involved in the event
 Confirmed emergency exit procedures
 Make sure any procedure or standard text for VIPs
 Prepare table plans, place cards and badges where necessary.
The Run-up to the Event

23. Delivering Your Event
Important to considered :
 Stewards/security/first aid
 Signposting
 Registration desk
 Branding for the event – table
cloths, posters, displays
 A cloakroom/ coat rail – rack
for your coat
 Additional lighting
 Presentation
plaques/awards/certificates
 Reserved setting
 Staging and stage furniture
 On-stage refreshments for
speakers/panelists
 Announcements
Setting up for the Event

24. Delivering Your Event
 Day Plan
• Outlines the running order for the event and helps you co-ordinate
activities, guests and staff
• It clarifies the roles of everyone involved – who in charge on that time
 Briefing Staff
• Make sure that event staff know what they are doing
• Run through the process together and highlight any potential difficulties
or factors that had not yet been considered in the planning
 Be prepared
• Take spare copies of the guest list - who come and likely to come
• Take spare copies of the table plan, speeches and menus
• Give mobile phone number to everyone who is involved – fully charged
Managing the Event on the Day

25.  Don‟t Panic!
• Your VIP/host/speaker is running late
 Providing traffic information, clear maps and ample time for travel
 Rearrange the order
• A dinner guest has a specific dietary requirement that was not taken
into account in planning the menu
 Consult with the caterers to find out what they would be able to
provide
Delivering Your Event
Managing the Event on the Day (cont..)

26. • A VIP guest or dinner guest turns up who is not on the table plan or
the list of those who have accepted, but is on the original list
 Make sure that you have a full copy of the guest list – easy to refer
to
 Introduce them to the host
• A guest arrives who is not on the original guest list
 Accompanied someone who is invited
 If not appropriate to join –Limited seating or security protocols - “
Invitation Only”
Delivering Your Event
Managing the Event on the Day (cont..)

27. Evaluating Your Event
 To learn how the event went and to be able to improve on it for future
event
 To measure how successful your event was against your aims and
proposed outcomes
 Sources:
 Sponsors – views or feedback from public
 Staff and volunteers – comments, views and logbooks
 Visitor – questionnaires or interviews
 Security team – crowds, traffic and incidents
Why and How to Evaluate Your Event?

28. Evaluating Your Event
 What are you trying to find our through evaluation?
 Did everything go as planned?
 If not, why not? What could be done to change this?
 Were your objectives achieved?
 Were your team, participants and audience satisfied?
 What could you have done differently or better?
 What worked well?
 What lessons did you learn for next time?
Using Your Evaluation Information

29. Evaluating Your Event
 What should you do with the information from your evaluation?
 Keep it for the next event
 Feed back to your managers
 Share it with the events office
Using Your Evaluation Information

30. Conclusion
Remember to look at all elements of planning and delivering the
event such as consultation processes and working relationships, in
addition to logistical successes and difficulties.