Events Part II: How do you organise an event like a pro?

Too many companies and organisations fail to seek professional help and try to go it alone when it comes to staging an event.

Trying to save money is often at the top of the list - and not realising what it is you don’t know lulls many into a false sense of security and convinces them that they can pull it off.

But why take the risk? Why put your reputation on the line? If #eventmanagement is not what you do, then we guarantee you will not save money. That is, not if you cost the time you and other senior team members will end up spending on trying to get things right.

Best ways to get your event organised

But if you want to run an event like a pro, here's an insight into what they know every great event needs:

Get the event venue right

Until you know exactly what you are going to do and the way you are going to do it you can’t decide on your venue. If you’re not in the know, you’ll often make booking the venue your first task, only to find that it is the wrong venue as the event details unfold.

Allow plenty of time

Even a simple seminar or presentation needs to be organised at least 12 weeks in advance. Shorter time scales mean extra stress for the organisers and smaller audiences since you will not have given people enough notice to attend.

Get the right date

What time of day, day of the week and month of the year will be the best to stage your event? Autumn and spring are always full of corporate engagements. To decide, you need to know what others are doing and when.

What is the event meant to achieve?

Ensure you understand what you are trying to do, who are you trying to communicate with and what are you trying to say.

Lunch or dinner event?

Decide on content – is your event going to be a lunch or dinner, a presentation, is there to be entertainment? Perhaps it’s a product launch, a seminar or exhibition. Whatever you are doing, ensure the content fits the aims and objectives of your event.

Promote your event

Be pro-active – your event is likely to gain from being promoted correctly. You might need to publicise the content of your event or just use the event to promote your products and services. Whatever the reason effective traditional and social media relations will pay dividends.

PA and projectors

Let's talk technical – whatever your event you are going to need technical back-up. That might be just a simple PA system, or it could mean staging, floating screens, projectors and computers. These days you can’t get away with a crooked pop-up screen and a projector perched on a coffee table.

Risk assess your event

You really should look at what could go wrong. Even thinking about it can help prevent the worst happening. By identifying potential issues you can often put things right before they go wrong. A professional event manager will ensure your event is safe and sound – making sure you are not breaking any H&S rules or regulations.

Just a word of warning: knowing this list and being able to deliver are not quite the same thing. So, if you want to save money, get it right and keep your reputation intact, give us a call. We will give you a personalised overview of what you need to do and what it will cost to do it right.

And just to ensure you start saving money right away we will do all that for free. Then you can decide whether you are up to the job or need some help from the professionals.

Check out Spencer David's event organising capabilities, or to book your free check-up and protect your reputation just email info@spencerdavid.co.uk - one of our professional event managers will respond and talk you through your event and for no charge advise on the best approach.