EVENT

PLANNING
CHECKLIST
Welcome to Our Event Planning Checklist!

Thank you so much for downloading our exclusive Event Planning

checklist. At Endless Events, we get asked for help planning all the time,
it’s the nature of being a leader in the events industry. We saw a need in
the industry and wanted create the most comprehensive checklist out
there to share to guide planners through the event planning process. In
this checklist you will find tips and tricks that we picked up over the years
of creating events along with tips from some of the top event profs in the
industry. This guide will help you plan events for 50 people all the way to
100,000 and beyond. From corporate conventions to non profit galas, we
created this guide for you!

We hope that, whether it’s your first event or your 400th event, you will find
value in these tips, insider tricks, and money saving ideas shared with you
in this checklist. It is our goal to make your life easier and, ultimately, that
we will create the equation for you.

Thank you again for reading, and happy planning!

Will Curran,
Chief Event Einstein

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Pre-Event

As early as possible….

Establish Event Goal and Objectives

Start with Why - An event’s ‘why’ is often overlooked in event planning. The ‘why’ is the reason or purpose for
the event, and also includes the intended outcome for both the brand and the attendees. In essence, it’s what
you want event goers to experience.

Event Goals - What do you hope to accomplish with your event? Increased sales? Brand loyalty? Outline these
major goals and share them with your entire staff. Make sure to continually reflect on them.

TIP: “Definitely ask the end client what they are measuring the event success by (ie, number of attendees;
number of social media posts; actual signed contracts post-event, etc?) as every client has a different
metric of what they consider successful.”
Cindy Y. Lo, DMC President & Event Strategist Red Velvet Events, a Global DMC Partner

Determine Your Target Audience - It’s important to determine who you want to attend your event right away.
Your target audience will determine much of how the event is planned and executed. What are their interests?
Why are they coming? Where are they coming from? What do they want to experience? The better you can
identify the person, the more you can cater the event to them.

TIP: “No matter what any client ever says about “all our attendees are the same” – realize that there are
always at least three different attendee types: VIPs, Hosts, and Attendees. And that they expect to be
treated slightly differently when on a program.”
Brad Langley, Aventri Vice President, Channel and Partner Management

Develop An Event Concept

The sooner you develop your events concept the better you will be able to make decisions for your event.
Below are the crucial steps to take that will bring clarity to your concept and help you create your best event yet.

Ideation - The planning stage is where anything is possible. Walk yourself through your event and write down
everything and anything you picture.

Market Research - The most successful event planners will tell you that the best ideas are stolen, which also
means you can learn from others on how to avoid the biggest mistakes. Research your event concept and see
what is already out there, take inspiration where you find it and learn from others mistakes.

Create A Theme - Every event needs a theme. Whether it’s an old Hollywood style awards night or a
revolutionary three-day tech conference. Our brain is designed to interrupt our environment with our 5 senses.
If the sight, taste, smell, sound, and touch of your event trigger those senses, your attendees will be instantly
transported to a different environment. So ask yourself, where do you want to take them? How do you want
them to feel?

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 Make a Vision Board - A vision board is a great way to give a visual representation to your event concept for
everyone to see. This will come in handy when handing off tasks to partners and vendors whether it’s a
graphic designer creating invitations, your florist, or your production company designing the perfect
audio-visual set-up.

Discuss Sustainability - As event planners we need to take responsibility for the waste and carbon emissions
our events produce. Events make a huge impact on the environment. Begin planning early how you will offset
impact, and create a more sustainable event. Being mindful of sustainability will likely impact all aspects of
your event so it’s important to discuss this early.

“Start the conversation: Planner or supplier, opening discussion about sustainability

TIP: (whether it be good recycling efforts, onsite service projects, or a event's wellness program)
can lead to creative, innovative, and impactful ideas. We can't be smarter industry without great
partnership and collaboration.”
Chance Thompson, Chairperson, Green Team Committee out of Salt Lake, UT (Salt Palace Convention
Center, Mountain America Expo Center, Visit Salt Lake, Utah Food Services, PSAV)

Follow a Plan
Recruit Your Team - Recruit a team to execute your event. Make sure these are partners who share
your vision.

Create A Timeline - Having an event timeline is an integral part of the event planning process. The event
timeline is your guiding company through the planning process. Without a timeline, in place, you will find
yourself lacking focus and potentially missing important deadlines. Make sure the timeline is easily
accessible to everyone involved in planning.

Make Roles Clear - Make sure everyone is crystal clear on who is in charge of what, expectations,
and any deadlines.

Set Boundaries and Expectations - Set boundaries and expectations with your team, vendors and clients. Let
everyone know working hours and what is expected in terms of response times, roles, and anything else that
would benefit from being clarified.

TIP: “If you have no boundaries, there will be no limit to what people expect from you. Many fear that
boundaries make them look uncommitted. Have the maturity to know the quality of your performance,
not the volume, is where your value lies.”
Allie Magyar, CEO, Hubb

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 Create The Event Budget
In order to successfully plan your event, you need to know your numbers. Without a clear event budget, you risk
spending a lot more than necessary, or cutting corners you didn’t need to cut. A budget will help you clearly
understand where to allocate money. Your budget can help you decide where to splurge and where you may need
to cut back when creating your event. When possible use a similar past event for a baseline to create
your budget.

List Income - List out all the ways you plan on having money come in. This can range from vendor booth fees,
ticket sales, sponsorships, auctions, or merchandise sales. Be as realistic as possible, you’d rather fall over
budget then under.

List Expenses - List out all the possible expenses you might come across. Think of everything from rentals
and entertainment all the way down to stamps for invitations. Create a cushion for yourself because things
tend to cost twice as much as expected. When in doubt, overestimate expense.

TIP: “Insert F&B cushion amount (5%-10% depending on size of program) in final budget projection before
going onsite just in case the VIP wants to extend the evening bar tab.“
Brad Langley, Aventri Vice President, Channel and Partner Management

Create an Emergency Fund - Budget for murphy’s law “what can go wrong, will go wrong”. It is almost a
guarantee that there will be last minute, unexpected costs so be proactive and give yourself a budget for
this moment.

TIP: “So when you design the flow of the event, try to keep that in mind BUT at the same time NOT limit
yourself to ideas that are ONLY suitable within the budget because that’s oftentimes what holds people
back from producing an ok event vs. a great event.”
Cindy Y. Lo, DMC President & Event Strategist Red Velvet Events, a Global DMC Partner

Include Estimated vs. Actual Expenses - You should always have two budgets when planning an event, an
estimated breakdown of income vs. expense and the actual running total of what you have made vs. what you
are spending. Do this even if you have a standard allocated budget by separating the money into categories
of expenditure. Get as detailed as possible. The more you narrow down your cost, the better you can budget
and plan during the process.

Keep it Updated - With event planning things are bound to change in the planning process. These changes
affect the budget, so make sure to update your budget as changes are made for an accurate picture.

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 Event Logistics
Determine the Date - Pick the date and time of the event. Then pick backup date. Stay away from having your
event at the same time as other large or conflicting events in town. Make sure that all key players on your
team are available for these days and mark it on their calendars.

Consider the Weather - Weather is very difficult to predict but you need to keep it in mind when selecting a
date. Look at a forecast periodically. This is more important in some locations than others. If your event is in
Florida it’s probably best to avoid hurricane season. Heading to Vegas? You may want to avoid melting your
attendees in the hot summer sun. Most importantly, ALWAYS have a weather plan backup (even if indoors)
because you don’t want power outages, rain, or high winds to create potentially unsafe situations for you and
your attendees.

TIP: “Including your transportation management company on hotel selection decisions for city-wide
meetings can help reduce hotel shuttle costs and create the most efficient routes.”
Eric Hotard, President, Event Transportation Systems

Find your Location and Venue

Choose Your Venue
Consider the Space - Make sure your venue has adequate space and rooms.

Hidden Fees - Always ask about fees. Does the venue have WIFI fees? Fees to use outside vendors? Admin
fees? Some of these fees may be unnecessary. Keep in mind ALL fees are negotiable but only PRIOR to
signing your contract. We recommend hiring your AV company before you book your venue so they can help
negotiate and remove any unnecessary fees and restrictions.

Is it a multi-event venue? - Ask the venue if there will be more than one event at a time. This is very common
at convention centers and you want to know how it will affect yours. Will it cause vendor arrival times to
change due to loading dock availability? Will a competing company of yours be there at the same time?
managed (enough parking? Wifi? staff?).

Check Permits - Always check to see if you have a permit that is required. If you are shooting lasers into the
sky, or using CO2 among other things you likely need one.

TIP:
“Determine if venue requires to be named 'additionally insured’ for all 3rd party vendor agreements.”
Jeff Frank, Executive Event Producer

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 Negotiate hotel block for attendees - A hotel block is the base of operations for your entire event. Without a
firm hotel contract, everything else is up in the air. Where will your guests stay? What rooms do you have
reserved for meetings and presentations? How much will it cost for each guest to attend? It all comes back
to the hotel block. A hotel block keeps everyone organized and in one central place. Hotel blocks are crucial
for event planners, but they also make a big difference for guests.

Final Check - With all things considered, book the venue that fits your event needs the most. When doing so,
make sure all your questions are answered and there are no grey areas. Review the entire contract and
understand it fully before signing.

TIP: “Read the contract! Know what is expected and what is not allowed… make sure you discuss anything
with the facility that might limit your event creativity.”
Tracy Fuller, President, InnovativEvents

Transportation and Parking

Consider Transportation - When selecting a location consider transportation, make sure it will be easy for
guests to get to your event. Can attendees fly in and take a quick ride to the venue? Does the city have a great
transportation system? Is the location easy to navigate? Do you need a transportation management
company?

Things to Do - Make sure attendees will have lots of choices on what to do and eat once at the destination.

Parking - Parking is your first impression to your attendees so make it as easy as possible for them. This is
commonly overlooked and becomes a problem with limited spaces, price, and the ability to even find your
event location. See if you can place directional signage or get parking validated to create ease for your
attendees and vendors.

“If you aren’t using your convention shuttle buses as a revenue generator, you are missing an opportunity
TIP: to not only subsidize the cost of your shuttles, but also to provide high visibility advertising opportunities
for sponsors. Shuttle graphics and sponsored video programs that play on buses are two ideal
advertising opportunities to consider.”
Lisa Lanna, Newsday Communications, a division of Event Transportation Systems

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 Determine Your AV and Production Needs
Endless Events is an event production company, so were giving you some insider tips on how to make planning
your audiovisual easier! For tips more tips like this be sure to check out our other resources and blog!

Connect your AV and Production Company to Your Venue - We recommend hiring your AV company BEFORE
selecting your venue. If you do this, your AV team will be able to help you navigate venue fees and restrictions
and negotiate them prior to signing your contact. This can save you a lot of money in the end!

Connect AV and Entertainment - Give your AV company them any talent riders and agreements from your
entertainers. They need to know what is expected and needed on stage.

Learn the Lingo - Familiarize yourself with technical terms. AV terms can seem like another language if you
aren’t familiar which only leads to confusion. Check out our Ultimate Guide to Understanding AV Quotes for
a quick and easy reference, inside you will find common terms and other helpful tips to deal with the quoting
process. Remember knowledge is power when talking to your AV Company.

TIP:
“For Hazers/FIRE determine fire marshall rules before signing, make sure you LD is aware.”
Jeff Frank, Executive Event Producer

Request CAD Designs - For a large event, request a Computer Assisted Design (CAD). This will help you to
visually see what the production team is planning and allows everything to be planned down to the detail
and visualized.

Quote Walkthrough - Ask your AV company to walk you through the quote line by line. Everything on your
quote should be easily explained to you. Don’t be afraid to ask questions! If they won’t explain consider it a
red flag and walk away!

Cover All the Details - Make sure every detail is covered and then sign the quote(s).

Connect to Your Event Manager - Ask to be connected to the person who will be working the event on site.
Having a person other than the techs running the lights and the sound that works for your A/V company is
important. This person will be able to be there at a moments notice when you need them ready to assist.
Want to know more? Read our blog on The Importance of an Event Manager.

Labor Costs - Clarify meal and overtime policies to avoid unforeseen costs.

Always Ask for Updated Quotes - If anything on your quote changes during the planning process ask for an
updated quote immediately, lots of small changes can lead to a big sticker shock if you don’t!

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Find Your Vendors -
Vendors are an essential part your team, and crucial to the success of your event. Pick them wisely just as you
would sponsorships and venues. Vendors should align with your values and event goals.
Vendor Agreements - All vendors and entertainment should sign an agreement or contract to prevent no
shows and unexpected costs. Get everything in writing! Make sure your agreement outlines your standards
which can include the extent they advertise at your event, arrival and departure times, what they wear
and more.

Avoid Conflicts Between Vendors - Arrange for parking of all of your vendors and where they need to load in
and out. Develop a schedule for when they will load in and out.

Décor
Connect your decor vendor to your venue and other vendors. Provide all layouts of floorplans so vendors can
easily design your event.

Ask for a Decor Layout - Once decor is finalized ask for a layout where everything is going and share that with
your event team. If possible, ask them to provide drawings and CAD designs when available for AV and other
vendors to match styles.

Catering
There are many things to take into consideration when choosing your event catering. Make sure your catering
matches the style of your event. If you have a black tie affair a backyard BBQ is probably not the right choice.
Always make sure what you serve can accommodate most people, and try to get counts as accurate as possible
to reduce food waste.

Consider Dietary Restrictions - Consider all possible dietary restrictions and do your best to accommodate
them. Gluten free and vegan dishes are highly requested.

Decide what style of catering you need - Do you want a full sit down dinner? Or would appetizers work?

Ask About Changes - Ask your caterer if you can change the number of meals IF attendance changes,
for example, if you ordered 2500 meals but your latest crowd map shows only 1500 people on the show floor
are you allowed to make adjustments?

Talk about Leftovers - Ask your caterer what happens if there are leftovers, will they allow to-go boxes?
Can it be donated to a local shelter?

Check on Backup Plans - Determine what happens if you underestimate food and what alternative food
choices they provide on the event date.

Rescue all the food: The United Nations estimates 1/3rd of the globally-produced food supply goes
to waste. That is $680 billion dollars worth, each year. One in nine people are undernourished
worldwide, so we are obviously making some mistakes.
Partnership between event organizers and catering companies on food rescue can help feed the
SUSTAINABILITY TIP:

hungry in the event's local area.

Caterers can keep food hot or cold (safe temperatures) so that extra food can be donated.
Many local non-profits, soup kitchens, and pantries will take leftover food from events.
For US based events, look up the Good Samaritan Law, it provides liability protection for the
responsible donation of food (there are zero lawsuits in the history of the United States
concerning food donation). There is a lot of misinformation about the dangers of donating food.
Chance Thompson, Chairperson, Green Team Committee out of Salt Lake, UT (Salt Palace Convention
Center, Mountain America Expo Center, Visit Salt Lake, Utah Food Services, PSAV)

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 Media (photo and video)
Check their Credentials - When hiring photographers or videographers ask them what experience they have
in events. Check to see if they are comfortable filming in all types of lighting and conditions. Events are often
dark, if they aren’t comfortable with lighting this could be a problem.

Review Portfolios - Be sure to ask for a full gallery from an event they shot so you can see what you will get,
not just the highlight reel.

Image and Video Usage Rights - Clarify who owns the rights to photos and videos, and if they can be used for
marketing material.

Give them Credentials - Provide on-site media with credentials to avoid security issues and all access.

Hand Over the Schedule - Make sure your media crew has the schedule, so they know where to be at the
right time.

Clarify Vision - Make all media teams are clear what they need to capture and how that relates to your intent
for usage. When in doubt over communicate what you want to use any images and videos for, and any must
capture moments.

Connect them to AV - Connect the video team to the audiovisual team to assist with any needs.

Create Press Kits - Provide the press with a press kit.

Find Speakers
Align with Events Purpose - Just like your vendors your speakers should align with the purpose and values of
your event. When selecting your speakers always keep in mind your target audience to ensure the attendees
stay engaged.

Add value - Speakers should genuinely be interested in your event and have something valuable to offer your
attendees. The added value will show through when you have an engaging speaker that takes time to build a
connection to your event and the audience.

Check What Others Are Doing - Be sure to research what speakers have recently been at related events.
You do not want to have the same speaker that your attendees just saw at another event, this will reduce
excitement and maybe even be a deciding factor in whether or not to attend.

“The most important people of the event are the attendees or delegates. We should design and plan to
TIP: their best interest. Which means that we will have to offer them a program that is interactive and based
on content. Interaction makes people learn in a deeper way and costs almost nothing; only time,
attention and understanding of your delegates needs. So design your program interaction carefully and
use a professional moderator to keep control and remain flexible at the same time.”
Hans Etman, Managing Partner, mastersinmoderation.com

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 Find Entertainment
There is always some entertainment needed for an event. It could be musicians, emcees, a circus act and more.
Whatever the type of entertainment you need, don’t wait to start the conversation. Also, keep in mind that
popular dates or last-minute requests can become more expensive. Start by requesting talent fees and getting
quotes as you would from any vendor. Again, it’s better to book entertainment that can connect to your purpose
and they might even lower the cost because of it. When are you are ready to book your entertainment, here are a
few things to keep in mind.

Find the Right Entertainment - Keep the guests in mind when you sort through your options and decide
whether or not a particular entertainer will resonate with your audience.

Request Talent Fee - Talent fee is just that, the cost of the talent coming to your event and performing as
agreed upon. This can also be called an artist fee or entertainer fee. It is only covering the talent and is not
the all in price.

Request Technical Riders - Technical riders are an explanation of what equipment entertainment needs on
stage to perform. Once you have this rider, send them to your technical production company to get a rough
cost estimate. Be careful because sometimes these can be more costly than the actual talent fee.

Request Hospitality Rider - Most items are negotiable but be kind, if they request water, don’t be stingy!

Travel Fees - Consider travel and lodging costs of the talent (this is usually negotiable).

Total Budget - Add it up to get the real cost (talent fee, cost of a technical rider, cost of travel & lodging and
cost of the hospitality rider).

TIP:
“In regard to DJ’s always specify if event requires ‘clean edits’ playlist & review onsite before spinning.”
Jeff Frank, Executive Event Producer

Find Sponsors
Sell Your Event - Determine what your event can offer sponsors, provide as much data as possible to help
your case.

Research Sponsors - Research what sponsors fit into the purpose of your event and would be a good fit to
work with.

Make a List - Compile a list of sponsors to reach out to

Create Sponsorship Packages - Create sponsorship packages and start reaching out!

TIP: “Never forget to watch your own event from a sponsors perspective when you create a
sponsorship-pitch-deck. Sponsors are not attendees and are looking for other things at your event than
the normal audience.”
Peter Poehle, CEO & Co-Founder, SponsorMyEvent.com

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 Marketing
Create a Marketing Plan - Create a marketing plan that targets your ideal attendees. Make marketing and
promotion plans, create a launch plan - how will people know about your event?

Make an Event Name - Your event name is your best friend when it comes to marketing. It should intrigue
people to dig deeper into the who, what, where, when and why.

Make an Online Presence - Create and launch website and social sites.

3-6 Months Out

Secure Your Event Tech
Select Your Event App
Create accessibility to content, notifications, feedback, and more with your event app. A great app will also allow
you to track your ROI and monetize sponsors. When choosing an event app here are a few things you need to
consider below.

Determine Needs - What you would like your event app to do. Are you wanting it mainly for push
notifications? Are you looking for crowdsource? Do you want the ability to network? Live polling? If you are
looking for a simple event app that just has an agenda and some polling you may be able to set this up closer
to the event, but best to take care of it as soon as possible to avoid any time scrambles.

Custom or Template Based - If you need a fully customized event app talk to your developer on a timeline.
Custom apps are much more time intensive to create.

Data Security - No matter which app you select be sure that your attendees data is safe and encrypted.

TIP: “You can never allow enough time when it comes to new or custom technology builds – build in ¼ more
in terms of time and money than what’s projected to be safe.”
Brad Langley, Aventri Vice President, Channel and Partner Management

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 Select Chatbots
Chatbots are a conversational tool providing a variation on a chat-driven process. Their primary function is to
give consistent responses to questions via programming. You might be most familiar with them as the friendly
little pop-ups in the bottom corner of a website that offer you assistance. It’s that ability to assist, that cements
chatbots as a new wave of communication in event support.

Contact Designer - Contact your chatbot designer as early as possible for initial strategizing and scheduling
come prepared with information on what you would like you chatbot to do.

List Common Event Questions - Begin figuring out common event questions and phrases and how you want
your chatbot to respond.

“When it comes to chatbots, the big time suck is getting your event’s information into the system, so be
TIP: sure to know who’s going to be responsible for it. Some systems require you to input all the data, others
are working on a survey to hit the top questions that most events have to deal with. Others are using AI
to scan through all your event materials (website, invitations, etc.) to automagically pull the info required
to get started.”
Brandt Krueger, Event Technology Consulting

Choose Event Registration Method - Consider if you want digital registration or will you need to man a
registration booth. Digital Event Registration software can be a huge time saver and make for a smoother
event experience, many softwares have capabilities such as building an event website, ticketing, vendor
management, marketing tools and more.

TIP: “Make sure when choosing your event registration software it has all the capabilities that you want AND
it integrates well with all your other event softwares. If it does not it could lead to a lot of
unnecessary frustration.”
Brandt Krueger, Event Technology Consulting

Finalize Speakers
Topics - Finalize speakers topics
Request Promotional Materials - Request bios, headshot and social medias
Pronunciations - Ask for phonetic spelling of name for use later in presentations and introductions
Travel - Secure travel and accomodations
Make in Concrete - Be sure to have contracts and all agreements in writing!

TIP: “Talk to your AV company and find out what format and ratios the presentations need to be in to ensure
a flawless presentation and avoid awkward technical problems.“
Will Curran, Chief Event Einstein, Endless Events

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 Finalize All Sponsorships
Packages - Finalize what package your sponsor would like.
Placement - Discuss exactly how and where sponsorship will be placed.
Marketing Materials - Collect any marketing materials such as logos needed for sponsorship placement.

TIP: “Consider your sponsors to be partners and not cash-cows. Then create a win-win-win situation together
with them for you, the sponsor AND the audience.”
Peter Poehl, CEO & Co-Founder SponsorMyEvent.com

Create an Event Security and Safety Plan

Cover the Basics - Make sure you plan covers the basic portions of risk management: hazard identification,
risk assessment, risk control.
Inform Authorities - Inform local authorities of your event time and dates.
Hire Security Staff - If you don’t have event security in place yet now is the time to secure them.

“Safety and security doesn’t just come down to what’s physically happening at your event. It’s also about
TIP: looking after any data that relates to the event and event-goers. Like everyone else who collects data on
their customers, you must adhere to Data Protection Act. This applies to all types of information, from
names and addresses of event attendees, right through to any data you collected through more
sophisticated tech, like attendance trackers.”
Will Curran, Chief Event Einstein, Endless Events

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2 Months Out
Order Any Items You Need - Order promotional items such as signage for parking, vendor booths, or actual
programs for the event and staff t-shirts if necessary. Order extra in each size just in case!

TIP: “There are many great companies to order promotional items from, but make sure you order samples
(with the printing on it) before purchasing. The quality and actual feel of items can come off
looking cheap.”
Will Curran, Chief Event Einstein, Endless Events

Promote Your Event

Now that your event is getting close it’s time to really build the excitement.
Have Influencers Start Promoting - Ask your speakers and influencers to post of their social channels
about your event. Let them promote your event and themselves by sharing what interesting topics they will
be discussing.
Press Releases - Send out all press releases to media outlets to spread awareness of your event .

1 Month Out
Confirm Times - Contact vendors and entertainment to confirm arrival times and see if there are any last
minute questions, concerns, or needs such as an extra table for set up. It is very important to get this
confirmation so expectations are clear.

Assemble Event To-Go Boxes - Have a designated box(es) to bring to the event where you start collecting
items you may need to bring to the event. Include those miscellaneous items such as pens, clipboards, lined
paper, quotes, badges, extra equipment, business cards, scissors, tape...etc. Also consider labeling your
items you do not want to lose with a label maker.

Request Payments - Make sure all pre-event bills are paid. Take a look at your budget again to make sure you
are in good standing the day of the event. Do you have to be cautious with expenses or push sales at the
event? Maybe you need to push ticket sales through marketing the last 4 weeks leading to the event.

Command Center - Give your team a space of their own. This should be where everything you might need is
stored and where your team can sneak away to catch their breath or grab a bite to eat.

Hand Out Information - It’s time to hand out all the information you can to your team. Does everyone have a
diagram of the event set up, the event timeline with everyones contact, social media guidelines, and any
necessary vendor information they may need. Make it crystal clear.

Dress Code - Communicate to your entire event team how they are expected to dress. This takes away the
guessing game and ensures everyone looks the part.

Communication System - Designate a way to communicate (walkie talkies with surveillance earpieces,
comm system, text, call...etc). We recommend avoiding cell phone communication because it’s slow and
sometimes overwhelming. Look into a wireless comm system to be provided by your A/V company or a
walkie talkie system for larger events.

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1-2 Weeks Out

Go Over Final Details - Have everyone on the planning team meet to discuss final details of the event.
Go through everything with a fine tooth comb, communication is key!

Address Expectations - Go over expectations for all event staff about their duties and the event timeline.

Send Catering Numbers - Send final numbers to your caterer. Give yourself a cushion and order more than
planned, but don’t get carried away. You don’t want to have to pay for a large amount of food from no-shows.

Review Event Security and Safety Plan - make sure everyone is clear on what to do in the event of
an emergency.

TIP: “For load in/ load out, verify access (dock, ramp, street) to brief vendors, determine if forks are needed;
take pictures to share with delivery vendors in advance with instructions including customized map.”
Jeff Frank, Executive Event Producer

The Day Before

Make sure everything is set-up and TESTED.

Place all promotional material, signage, awards and swag on site.
Confirm all arrival times for staff and vendors.
Create final to-do list to ensure all tasks are completed.

TIP: “Be nice to the venue staff, that includes the maintenance crew! You never know when you need them to
respond quickly to your needs. Your kindness will go along way to getting you want you need, quickly.”
Tracy Fuller, President, InnovativEvents

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During The Event

Have Fun - Your day has come! Remember to step back and look at all you’ve accomplished and feel proud.
Wear Comfortable Shoes - You will obviously be on your feet the entire time.
Media Contact - If you intend to have media at your event, it is a good idea to have a media contact who can
show them around the event.
Who’s Who - You should have a representative for all partners so they clearly know who to contact and who
is responsible for what.
Know Your Team - Meet everyone on your team from the A/V techs to the florists to the servers. This makes
them feel human and if something goes wrong, you don’t come off as pushy or mean because you can use
their name.

TIP: “Crew meals: even if not required to provide breakfast for crew, always provide at least coffee & pastries
as a sign of good will.”
Jeff Frank, Executive Event Producer

Take Breaks - Sometimes it’s easy to get in the zone, but take breaks and eat food.
Check In - Constantly check-in with your partnerships. This will help you be proactive if they are unhappy. Also
use your event apps to crowdsource and check your events hashtag for immediate attendee feedback. This
allows you to make program changes on the spot should you need to.
Social Media Manager - Have one person in charge of social media for the event. Make sure your hashtag is
prominently displayed so everyone consistently uses it and have one person whose sole job is to take
pictures, tweet, and monitor social media. Use tools like that allow you post to multiple platforms at once, as
well as to monitor the use of your hash tag. Believe it or not, this is a full time job during an event.
Collect Feedback From Attendees - The easiest way to do this is through your event app, but there are also
agencies that will do this for you with paper and text surveys. Give them an incentive to fill it out.
Next Year’s Date - If you have the date for next year’s event, announce it. This is your chance to hype up next
year’s event and convert current attendees into future attendees. Who are "all partners"?

TIP: “Stay calm! If you stay calm when there is chaos around you, you will be able to operate with a cool, calm
head and everyone around you will be calm as well. If the meeting or event planner is calm,
everyone relaxes.”
Tracy Fuller, President, InnovativEvents

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Post Event
For Event Staff/Team
Have a post event meeting - sooner the better
Debrief with your entire staff.
Share all the data.
Get all of the problems and successes out in the open to discuss.
Review your event goals - did you achieve them and if not document why.
Keep notes of this meeting for FUTURE planning.

Go Over budget -
Review budget versus actual expenditures.
Calculate your ROI

TIP: “Post-event, definitely do a 360-feedback loop to see what could have been done better; what items you
would keep for the future if it’s a repeat event and what lessons can you share with your team.
It’s all about sharing the wealth and that’s how we can keep furthering this industry.”
Cindy Y. Lo, DMC President & Event Strategist Red Velvet Events, a Global DMC Partner

Tie up all loose ends

Be sure to send sponsors the data from your event.
Store away the feedback you have collected and data. At this time decide what worked and what needs
changing for your next event.
Settle any remaining bills for the event .

Send thank-you notes to:

Sponsors
Volunteers
Speakers/presenters
Donors
Media
Partners

TIP:
Make thank you cards genuine, remind them of the events success and their contribution to the success.

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Post Event
For Attendees
If you haven’t asked for feedback now is the time.
Update attendees on dates and information as soon as possible for next years event keep them connected
and engaged via great content.

TIP: “GIVE YOURSELF ENOUGH TIME TO RECOVER AFTER AN EVENT

Taking a vacation is important but you also want to avoid thinking about work. Breaks are what help us
recover. If you don’t take them, you WILL end up burned out.”
Allie Magyar, CEO, Hubb

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Tips from #EventIcons!
Now you are armed with the most inclusive checklist to plan your best event yet! But we aren’t stopping there,
we have surveyed hundreds of #EventIcons for their must-have planning tips and have the best of the best
listed below!

“Events can be compared to putting together a 1000-piece jigsaw puzzle. If you forget even
a single piece, it can become obvious when looking at the whole picture. My advice is to build
a detailed checklist of all the actions needed before, during and after the event and put the
items in a timeline. Use a project management program to manage this timeline making sure
that the key players are all on the same page as what should be happening when.”
Corbin Ball, CSP, CMP, DES

“The right tools can save you hours of time that can be reinvested in more valuable work.
Look for ways to replace tools that are time sinks (email, spreadsheets) with tools that help
save time (project management software, content management platforms).“
Allie Magyar, CEO, Hubb

“When you design the flow of the event, try to keep that in mind BUT at the same time NOT
limit yourself to ideas that are ONLY suitable within the budget because that’s oftentimes
what holds people back from producing an ok event vs. a great event.”
Cindy Y. Lo, DMC President & Event Strategist Red Velvet Events, a Global DMC Partner

“Bring a change of footwear! – Your feet will either be your best asset or cause you
unbelievable pain. Treat them right and change your shoes often.
Especially if you prefer heels.”
Tracy Fuller, President, InnovativEvents

“Plan for the context. No meeting or event creates significant value on its own. What other
activities should your event support and what other activities are supporting your event.
Every event needs to be part of a campaign of one kind or another. Only when the context is
clear, should you start setting objectives and plan your event. The most critical objectives are
related to participant behaviour after the event. What exactly do you want them to do when
they are back in the office? And why don't they do that already? When your detailed and
measurable behavior objectives are clear, you can start planning the event itself, the
participant experience. How can you influence, inspire, educate and empower them to do
what you need them to do for the event to deliver the bottom line results.”
Dr. E. Hamso, Managing Partner, Event ROI Institute

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 “Always smile, even if you want to explode, keep a smile on your face. You always get more
cooperation from those who’s help you need to make your event successful if you have a
smile on your face.”
Tracy Fuller, President, Innovativeevents.com

“If a budget is unknown, as a professional planner, the goal is to understand the balance
between meeting client’s budget and their goals.”
Cindy Y. Lo, DMC President & Event Strategist Red Velvet Events, a Global DMC Partner

“Ask yourself did you think about the audience and how they will respond…are you
addressing the different types of attendees and making sure you have a little something for
every type of attendee and making sure that the overall flow is designed FOR the attendee.”
Cindy Y. Lo, DMC President & Event Strategist Red Velvet Events, a Global DMC Partner

"If you’re running an event with crowdsourced sessions, don’t schedule them against
predetermined sessions in an “unconference” track. Many attendees still don’t understand
the value of informal sessions chosen by participants at the meeting, and will avoid the
crowdsourced sessions. Stakeholders then conclude that these sessions aren’t a popular
alternative. Instead, schedule times when only crowdsourced sessions are being offered.
This a) signals that event stakeholders consider these sessions important and b) allows
participants to discover their value without the option of falling back to
conventional sessions.”
Adrian Segar, Founder, Conferences That Work

“Do you have enough staff on hand to manage the day of event? We oftentimes plan but
forget the day of needs…very important to think about even yourself; did you schedule time
for you to take a break and get a meal? No one wants to work with a hangry event producer.”
Cindy Y. Lo, DMC President & Event Strategist Red Velvet Events, a Global DMC Partner

“Look for engaging ways of sponsorship. Hanging banners is boring and outdated. Explore
event-tech and other ways to create compelling and interactive sponsorship activations.
Your sponsors will love it!”
Peter Poehle, CEO & Co-Founder SponsorMyEvent.com

“Client’s rely on you to manage all aspects leading up to the program as they have “their own
business to run.” Schedule and stick to key milestone meetings placed on your clients
calendar to ensure things aren’t pushed to the last minute and result in unnecessary
scrambling and cost overruns. Many schedule these in email but don’t go the extra step of
putting them on the client calendar and ends up getting pushed.”
Brad Langley, Aventri Vice President, Channel and Partner Management

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 “Bike rack: always have delivered last, picked up first; measure individual length & total
linear feet before accepting delivery; does delivery include set up/pick up and if it does
make sure to know how many feet push in are included in estimate; does delivery
require a fork?”
Jeff Frank, Executive Event Producer

“Be sure to lay out your goals of why you are using the technology before you create the
content or select the technology. For example, are you looking for lead generation, if so, let's
gamify it - making attendees stop to check it out and enter in their information to engage with
it. If the goal is social media, let's make the takeaway shareable.”
Natascha French, Chief Marketing Officer, VNTANA

“Go way beyond creating the WOW factor, a great product + services = WOW factor. Great
events create optimal experiences that lead to increases in social capital (sense of
community) and well-being (happiness). If you do not understand how to create peak
experiences and are not using advanced strategies like Blue Ocean,
FLOW Theory, Elan Vital, Turbulence, or others you are not creating peak experiences.”
Dr. Vern Biaett, CFEE Assistant Professor of Event Management, High Point University

“Always have fully agreed upon event metrics with client before SOW is signed”
Jeff Frank, Executive Event Producer

"If you desire to retain your free market bargaining power and possibly bring in your own 3rd party AV and
WiFi suppliers, you must state this up front during your lease negotiation. If your venue says that they
TIP: have an “exclusive” provider, there’s nothing stopping the venue from waiving this part of your lease
agreement, so long as you present your intentions up front, and give the venue the benefit of considering
your overall spend prior to accepting your business. Accepting category-exclusive vendors severely
limits your negotiating leverage and may subject you to shockingly high costs, well above market rates,
with no viable alternative after the contract has been signed."

Insert this rider into all of your venue lease agreements:

“Event planner retains the right to use their own 3rd party supplier for audio/visual, Internet,
WiFi, and related telecommunications services. Prior to contract signing, venue must
disclose in advance or otherwise agree to waive, all fees for associated services, including
but not limited to electrical, MDF/IDF closet access, fiber cross-connect, copper
cross-connect, port access, patch panel, Ethernet drop, roof access, gear storage,
and labor supervision.”
Ian Framson, Sales Director, TradeShowInternet.com

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