Event Planning HOW-TO Guide!

Whether you are planning a graduation party, a family

reunion, a field trip, a concert, a fund raiser, a house party, a
luncheon, a picnic, or a wedding, it is my hope that this guide
will assist you as a beginner in event planning! -Jasmine
D. Stewart 5/6/2010
 Event Planning HOW-TO Guide

The tips and guidelines in this Power Point were

things I learned from the Public Relations Event
Management course at GA Southern University!
Professor: Mrs. Urkovia Andrews
[www.twitter.com/uandrews]
Text: Event Planning: The Ultimate Guide (2nd
edition) by Judy Allen
 PHASE ONE: Plan, prepare, then be
prepared for the unexpected!
In the beginning stages of planning an event, it is
important to know the five design principles:

1. ELEMENTS [All the parts that make up the

event]
2. ESSENTIALS [The must-haves!]
3. ENVIRONMENT [The venue & style of location]
4. ENERGY [The mood you want to create]
5. EMOTION [Feelings you want to inspire from
event]
 PHASE ONE (Continued)
The first thing you should do is utilize the DRIVE
acronym, which Allen described in her book.

D Define company/event objectives

R Research and develop your event vision
I Innovate and create a customized event
experience
V Visualize your event step by step
E Execute with detailed precision and timing

Write down every detail and idea you come up with!

 PHASE TWO: Time & Money

After all, Time IS Money!

Come up with a projected budget adding

in all preliminary costs. Present it to your
client (if you have one) for approval and
adjustments. But first, heres how to
create your budget
 PHASE TWO: Time & Money
There are two parts to a budget: expenses
and income
For the EXPENSES, you will need to record
costs for the site, printed materials, dcor,
food, ad space, entertainment, security
personnel, party favors, clean-up, etc. So
be sure to write down everything your
event needs!
 PHASE TWO: Time & Money

For the INCOME, write down the

amounts of money that will be coming
in prior to the actual day of the event,
including but not limited to monies
from selling of advanced tickets,
donations, & payments from vendors.
 PHASE TWO: Time & Money

The next step is to write up an event

schedule starting with what needs to be
done now in preparation and then adding
what leads up to the actual event! Begin
with what will happen months before the
event, then lead into weeks prior, then
focus on the day before, day of, and day
after.
 PHASE THREE: Youre
Invited!
Now is the time to start considering
your guests. Ask yourself the following
questions:

How many people do I want to be there? How

many can I afford? Who do I especially want at
the event? How will my guests be transported to
and from the event? What will they have to
entertain them upon arrival prior to the event
beginning? What is the theme? What will they
eat?
 PHASE THREE: Youre
Invited!
After analyzing your projected guest
list and details, get catering set up,
secure a venue, hire entertainment,
get invitations printed, begin
advertising, and make your purchases.
 PHASE FOUR: Prepare

The number one thing to remember

about event planning is to expect the
unexpected! No matter how much you
plan and prepare ahead of time,
something is bound to happen that can
not be controlled. But dont worry. More
than 9 times out of 10, this happens at
every event.
 PHASE FOUR: Prepare

Consider major holidays, school breaks,

and sports/community events when
you choose your event date
Book entertainment as ahead of time
as possible
If you will have an outdoor event,
consider weather conditions, lighting,
electricity sources, restrooms, and
seating/tents.
 PHASE FOUR: (Continued)

If you want animals at your event,

consider clean-up, safety for the
animals, safety for the guests, animal
odor, animal-feeding, and any permits
you may need to have prior to.
If your event involves alcoholic
beverages, you will also need to have
permission from the appropriate
authorities. Also consider security.
 PHASE FOUR: (Continued)
Depending on the size of your event
(costs of event and number of expected
guests) you will need to have hired a
certain amount of staff for your event
planning committee. A helpful list of
duties that come with event planning are:
Project director, personnel supervisor, accountant, art
director, public relations practitioner, program
administrator, caterer, salesperson, this is a never-
ending list. You can never have too many people on
hand to help at a large event including volunteers.
 PHASE FIVE: FOOD
If your event includes food, this phase is vital to
your event planning regimen!
Decide what set-up you want: buffet, reception,
action station, cafeteria style, family style, or
preset.
Consider what layout of seating youd like to have
in relation to the set-up you choose for food.
Get table dcor that is attractive but not too large
that guests cant easily see each other across the
table.
Consider clean-up after the food session is
complete!
 PHASE FIVE: FOOD

If your event is going to be outdoors,

consider a back-up plan location in
case it should rain or be too cold, too
hot, or too windy.
Consider the possibility of vegetarians
at your event and include item(s) on
the menu to cater to their diet.
Have a balanced menu and a wide
variety of food types!
Strengths & Weaknesses
Some strengths of event planning are that you have the
opportunity to control almost all of the event flow. As long as
you plan as ahead of time as possible and practice good
communication and spend budget monies wisely, your event
should go as planned.

A weakness in event planning is that some things are just out

of our control. For instance, the last event I was involved in
was scheduled very far in advance for a southern art/music
festival on Saturday in April. However, it was not until the
event date was already secure that we discovered that there
were three other very major events taking place in the area
that day as well.

There will always be ups and downs in event planning. Just do

the very best you can with what you have.
 (How many event staff
members should I have???)
The answer to this depends on two things:
[1] The size of the event considering the venue, theme,
budget, and # of guests
[2] The amount of time you have to get everything done in
time for the event
Once you create your budget and timeline as well as the
design of the event, write up a list of duties and then
assign them. This will give you a good idea.
 Dealing with
success/failures
It may be difficult for one who worked very
hard and for a very long time to deal with a
failed event. However, take each mistake
made and use it as a lesson learned. For
instance, if guest # was low, plan next time
to have a bigger marketing campaign
and/or spend more of the budget on
advertising. Or if the guests did not enjoy
the caterer, of course youd know not to
hire or recommend that company again.
 Dealing with success/failure

On the other hand, if your event is a

success, thank everyone who was
involved including sponsors, guests,
staff members, and more. Be sure to
thank everyone regardless of event
outcome but especially if there was a
great turn-out!
 Dealing with success/failure
If your event did not succeed and it
receives bad buzz via word of mouth
and/or negative publicity, dont worry. As
I stated before, use errors as lessons
learned for next time. Take criticism as
constructive criticism, even if it was
intended to harm your reputation.
Do NOT bad-mouth people or
companies! This is bad practice and
unethical!
 **QUOTES TO REMEMBER**
Get it in writing! (Have formal contracts for
catering, photographer, venue, permits, etc.
if you have an event that requires them)
Communication is key! (Keep
communication up with event staff, guests,
and affiliates)
Never assume anything! (Beware of
assuming that something will happen or that
someone has been informed of something.
ALWAYS make sure!)
 THANK YOU! GOOD LUCK!
I HOPE THAT THESE SLIDES WERE
HELPFUL AND THAT YOU AS A BEGINNER
WILL BE ABLE TO USE THEM AS A GUIDE
FOR PLANNING AND PREPARING FOR
YOUR EVENT!

Jasmine Stewart
5/6/2010