Each individual desires a smooth and memorable event wherein invitees leave with a sense of contentment or even gratitude in having participated in the successful celebration. On the other hand, there is also the possibility of a poorly organized event which can damage the reputation of hosts. The line that demarcates both circumstances is ‘planning’. It encompasses all aspects of the event beginning from ideation that occurs months in advance till the last course of dispersal. Efficient planning is crucial to avoiding potential disasters and giving way to an enjoyable occasion; with aforethought detailed decisions and negotiations.
Tip #1 – Plan and coordinate
An event planner must begin by noting the objective, target audience, location, date and time, and type of the event; essentially the 5Ws of ‘Why, who, where, when, and what’. Once these are understood, a versatile yet efficient team must be gathered to prepare agendas and schedules. The expected costs must be tabulated in order to prepare a ‘realistic budget’ for the event. In addition, it is imperative to draft and send invitations with RSPV while also listing the programmes of the event. After setting deadlines for each activity, it must be ensured that the entire team collaborates and communicates consistently to ensure timely action.
Tip #2 – Action
This stage is crucial in laying the foundations of a successful event. The plans may have been ideated and drafted, but actions speak louder than words. After approving the budget, the responsibilities that arise include venue arrangements and seating, decorations, volunteers, security, transportation, accommodation, parking, catering, documentation, emceeing, and lights, sound and music. The vendors must be contacted months or weeks in advance to ensure timely delivery of products and services for the event. It is also advisable to seek special permits from local governing bodies depending on the event requirements.
At the same time, social media marketing campaigns must start on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. The event can be further marketed by informing media or via brochures, emails, etc. If it is a personal or home event, it must be ensured that the cards and invites are sent out to collect RSVPs from guests. It must be stressed further to collaborate with team members ensuring that plans remain on track.
#Tip 3 – Pre-event management
Efficient utilization of the 24- to 36-hour window before the event will be decisive for success. This is the stage where the execution of the plans must be measured, and communication must be ensured with stakeholders, sponsors, speakers, guests, and team members. In addition, the final approval must be received from vendors offering their different products and services.
A minute-by-minute plan must be prepared for the event ensuring that all arrangements are in place or according to plan. Apart from this, it would also be advisable to have a ‘Plan B’ up one’s sleeve for each requirement to avoid last-minute obstacles.
#Tip 4 – Final day management
It is imperative to arrive at the location with volunteers and team members several hours before the event. The reception and help desk must be set up while appropriate space must be allocated for decorations, banners, and posters. In addition, it is a must to ensure that all electronic equipment is functioning and that the other human resources like photographers, videographers, sound technicians, etc. are readied. It is equally important to confirm the supply of food, water, and flowers among others.
#Tip 5 – Feedback
One must understand that there is always scope for improvement. Collecting meaningful information from all participants including guests and vendors becomes crucial in gaining valuable insights. Apart from strengthening management skills, it also helps measure the impact of the event. It would also be insightful to understand the current trends regarding the engagement between families and event planners for various domestic occasions.
Engagement trends for domestic occasions
Since familial celebrations are more emotional to participants involved, they seek memorability in such events more than others. Hence, families constantly require unique aspects that will enable their occasion to truly stand out among the rest. Theme-based occasions are growing in popularity, which may also carry out to a series of events. Since domestic occasions typically last for about a week, they demand stupendous yet creative qualities in terms of catering, decoration, music, and equipment among other facets.
In addition, families are also seeking engagement in the form of sharable content wherein social media marketing has become a seamless part of any event. Instagram and Facebook in particular are the platforms where they prefer to share photos and videos of their celebrations through posts, stories, and live stories as well. However, it becomes challenging to meet all these demands considering the budget hesitations do not align with them. In addition, it is also laborious to find and manage the right vendors what with issues such as lack of pricing transparency. However, a little planning can go a long way in addressing all these bottlenecks and making the event successful.
It is a good idea to engage an online event equipment booking platform for any kind of event. A digital platform can offer pricing transparency and user-friendly access unlike any other wherein event packages and equipment are booked online in a matter of minutes. Such a personalized approach can be instrumental in planning and organizing an event successfully.
In conclusion
Since the event management industry in India is evolving with increased personalization, engagement, and integration of technology, it would be advisable for event planners to address these demands. The industry is expected to witness an exponential year-on-year growth in excess of 25% over the coming years, making it crucial for the latter to harness the power of digital in reaching out to the masses; after all, engagement equals memorability for consumers today.
(Shank K Vasudev, Founder of TossHead – India’s first online event equipment booking platform — is an entrepreneur with immense experience across industries. He started Tosshead in November 2018 to raise the benchmark in the event management industry by simplifying the complicated. An event management specialist, it was Shank’s quest for bringing innovative solutions in the event industry that led him to build the online event equipment booking platform. Shank is also the Co-Founder of Phundo, a mutual fund robo advisory, which was established in 2017. Prior to this, he was the Sales Head of Franklin Templeton Investments from 2000 to 2011. )
