Important tips for small business event planning

The event of your dreams isn’t going to fall from heaven. You need to make it a reality, so we are going to go through some tips and tricks about what to look out for when planning an event.

1. Begin early

Beginning early is always a display of seriousness. It means you are dedicated to the task. If you are planning a large event, then it’s better to start planning for some four to six months. Ensure that all vendors are completed a few weeks before the event is supposed to start.

2. Build a business plan

Start the entire operation with a formal plan, establish the main goal of the event/party. Try to connect the reason for the celebration with the place where you intend to hold the event. Ensure the team is in sync with the reason for the event and the planning. To keep everyone informed and on the same page, we suggest making a shared cloud document. This way anyone uncertain of any specific part, can always reach out and state their opinion.

3. Offer incentives

It doesn’t have to be anything big, just lowering the price of tickets for the early sign-ups goes a long way. This way you also assure that they will buy the tickets sooner rather than later.

4. Schedule the perfect day

People don’t usually think about this one, but the date of the event matters a lot. Do not schedule it around major holidays, nor around popular vacation times.

5. Flexibility

In the process of planning the event, things can change. The size and the location of the event are prone to change, and so are many other things. You need to remain flexible to surpass these issues.

6. Be realistic

We all want our event to be so popular that even Elon Musk is talking about it. Unfortunately, everything has to start small. You need to make sensible expectations and conclusions. Don’t go for the most expensive or most grandiose option. Stick to the budget and you’re going to be fine.

7. Make a financial plan

Make a detailed financial plan for the estimated expenses of the event that you are making. We can tend to get carried away with what we want at our party. Unfortunately, inviting a pop star for the event is out of the question (for now). These types of events are usually possible because of 3 sources of income: 1) internal budgets 2) ticket sales and 3) sponsors. If you are uncertain about the budget, then sell tickets in advance to cover the expenses.

8. Treat sponsors like royalty

Provided you have them, sponsors need to be treated with the utmost respect. These people are financing your event and making it a reality! They need to get special treatment. As for potential sponsors, you need to make a sales pitch. Tell them what they gain by sponsoring your event. When it is time to make estimates on the number of people that will arrive, always low-ball it. It’s better to give lower numbers and be pleasantly surprised than be given larger numbers and disappointed. Remember, you want to work with these guys in the future. Establishing trust is the first step to this new relationship. The same should go with your team.

Market the event

Advertise your event on a digital platform, this will allow it to gain a wider reach. If you have the funds, hiring a social media team would also prove to be highly profitable for ticket sales and attention to the event. Use social media to stay in touch with guests for people to not lose interest in the event.

Make a guest list

Making a guest list allows you to have physical rough estimates of the number of people you will be receiving to plan around it.

Set expectations

Set realistic expectations for the management so that people can be prepared accordingly. And large expectations for the guests. You want the guests to be in a good mood when arriving. Nobody will want to come if people are saying that the event is going to be dull.

Be the life of the party & practice speaking

If you care about the party and its success, show it. Let every guest know how much you want it to succeed. You have to deliver a great speech and treat every guest with respect and care. After all, you never know who could be watching, or be a possible client in the future.

Backup plan

What are the odds of something huge going wrong in this? Imagine what could go wrong and after that, think about how you can overcome it. If there are problems with food delivery, or malfunctions with the sound equipment, you must be prepared to deal with it on the spot. Only this way will you be able to minimize any problem that erupts.

Photograph everything

After your party has succeeded, immortalize it. Wrap the whole thing up with a beautiful photo that will be printed into the minds of the guests. There are great photo booths for hire in Sydney that will deliver quality every time.