While pulling together an event is both exhilarating and incredibly satisfying, it’s a fact of life that the bigger an event is, the more work there is to be done.
If you’re planning a large-scale event, follow our step by step event planning template to ensure everything is covered for the big day.
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Define your event
The first and probably most important step of planning an event is to determine your concept, scope and budget. What is your event about and what are you trying to achieve? Most importantly, how much are you able to spend?
The answers to these questions will inform every other decision.
Psst: need help making your budget work harder? Check out our tips on maximising your AV budget.
Start planning early
Particularly for large-scale events, planning should take place months (possibly more than a year) before the event actually takes place.
In the initial stages of planning an event, consider things like event dates and production timeframes, your target market, location, essential and desired inclusions and event management partners.
With such an important role to play in planning and executing your event, you should always try to onboard your event management and AV specialists from the very beginning. That way, they can help you to avoid any complications you may not have anticipated yourself.
Market your event
Event marketing is another critical step in executing a successful large-scale event. To ensure you get the numbers you’re hoping for, you need to build hype around your event and make sure your target market have the chance to get tickets well before the day.
There’s no need to try to reinvent the wheel, either. Good, solid marketing is what you’re going for. Consider channels like social media, paid advertising, email marketing, cross-promotion with other businesses and mailouts.
Expect the unexpected
With all the in-depth planning, surely nothing will go awry, right? Wrong.
We all hope for a seamlessly planned and executed event, but in reality, things won’t always go according to plan and it’s essential that you’ve got the processes in place to deal with whatever the day brings.
Put together contingency plans to cover events like emergencies, evacuations, extreme weather, injuries, PR issues, venue constraints, electrical failings and any other potential issues that may arise at your event.
Book your venue
Booking the right venue is another element of planning that you definitely don’t want to muck up.
At this stage, your AV and event management team should be well integrated into planning, so they will be able to help you sift through potential locations to knuckle down the right one for your needs.
When picking out your perfect venue, things to consider include cost, size/capacity, layout, AV infrastructure, venue access and transport, parking, in-house capabilities, catering, security, first aid and insurance.
Don’t forget to also review your venue contract carefully to make sure it covers everything necessary, including pre and post-event access.
Licenses, insurance and restrictions
When putting together a large event, there are a number of licenses, insurances and restrictions that might come into play. For instance, public liability insurance is an absolute must-have to protect you against injury claims at your event.
Noise restrictions and capacity limitations are another important aspect of planning your event, as well as considerations like council approvals, intellectual property licensing and other appropriate authorisations.
Delegate responsibility
Especially for larger events, there’s no way you’ll be able to do everything on your own. For your event to come together the way you envisage, you’ll need to delegate certain responsibilities.
To make sure you’ve got it all covered, you’ll want to consider creating the following teams:
- Planning
- Recruitment
- Event management
- AV specialists
- Infrastructure
- Customer service
- First aid
- Delivery
- Catering
- Cleaning
- Security
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Successful event outcomes with con-sol
Planning an event is a big job at the best of times.
As an experienced group of event specialists, con-sol work alongside your team every step of the way to help you plan, coordinate and execute an event that exceeds every expectation.
Get in touch to learn more about pulling together an exceptional event that people will remember for years to come.
