Start with the golden rule of communication:
“Who says what to whom, how, when, where and with what purpose”.
Define your objectives by thinking briefly about each word in this statement.
- Define clearly the budget available. Keep a contingency reserve, because a few extras always come up, or someone has a brilliant last-minute idea.
- Events are a fantastic networking tool. Draw up your list of invited guests in a homogeneous way, and plan events for the chosen target group.
- Work to a plan, and treat it as a project. Have your agency produce a retroplanning schedule, and make a list of all the items to be included. Take enough time to prepare an event.
- Invite your guests in good time, and confirm that they will attend. Point out to them that “no shows” cost your organisation a lot of time and money.
- Get an organiser's liability insurance. Think about safety. Events often take place in venues that are not originally designed for such occasions.
- Evaluate the event: both internally (among your employees) and externally (among your guests, and with your event partner).