March 26, 2021 | by Mary Windham | This post may contain affiliate links
In the first three phases of this Event Planning Series, I've shown how my team turns an opportunity into a signed contract, how they design an event strategy, and how they plan the logistics to fulfill our client's vision. These phases are critical for ensuring the success of our next phase: event coordination. The Coordination Phase is where it all comes together at the event itself.
Phase 4: Coordination
The prep work for onsite coordination begins in the planning phase with the event team, volunteers, and supplier briefings. A detailed program specification document is created and distributed to necessary team members and suppliers so everyone is on the same page (literally!) on the day of the event.
Every event coordination will have the following three stages:
1. Setup/Installation
2. Event Execution
3. Teardown/Dismantle
In addition to our briefings and program specification document, we include the following steps on the day of the event so we don’t miss anything and problems are addressed quickly and effectively.
Stage 1: Setup/Installation
It might seem obvious, but you’d be surprised how many event planners skip proper setup due to time restrictions or event familiarity. Rushing or being too complacent can lead to big mishaps! So save yourself the headache by adding these steps to your standard practice.
Onsite Pre-Event Briefing
Schedule a briefing meeting that includes your venue, suppliers, and team to get everyone on the same page going into your event. Our own Occasions, Inc. briefing includes, at a minimum, team introductions and responsibilities, program review, onsite contact info, schedules, setup, checklists, orders, and more. This meeting can be a quick 15 - 20 minute meeting to a longer, in-depth review.
Venue Walk-Through
You’ll want to conduct an initial venue or site walk-through with your team and suppliers as your planning the event. Remember, even if you’re very familiar with the venue, your team or vendors might not be. Make sure they understand the event layout by physically walking them through the venue and reviewing the setup and execution plan.
Conduct a Final Walk-Through
In the final stages of your coordination, you’ll take your clients for a final walk-through to address any last-minute tweaks and changes. Your event attendees should be blown away, so try to think of every possible detail and scenario during this step.
Stage 2: Event Execution
The big day is here! No matter the agenda or event type, the following steps are important parts of your standard processes for a seamless event execution.
Team & Client Check-ins
Plan to continuously check in with your team and client. You should be an always-available resource for handling problems and answering questions throughout the entire event. Even the most prepared planner will have to tackle in-the-moment issues, so be ready!
Listen to Your Attendees
Take note of how attendees are enjoying the event. Is there a popular speaker? A session that was too long or had technical difficulties? Too hot in a room? Confused about where to go next? Try to address and alleviate concerns as they come up as quickly as you can so they don’t have a lasting impression in the attendees’ (or client’s) minds! This is also critical feedback for future event planning.
Daily Briefings
For multi-day events, make it a standard practice to schedule a daily briefing with your team and client to see what went well and what can be improved for the following day. This is also the perfect time to review the production schedule for the next day and, of course, address any problems that arise.
Surveys
Surveys are a critical, but often overlooked, part of any successful event. They serve as a voice for the attendees (which will improve the overall attendee experience), as well as invaluable insight for you and your client. To promote survey participation, my team builds several opportunities for feedback throughout the whole event so experiences are still fresh in attendees’ minds.
Stage 3: Teardown/Dismantle
When the last attendee departs, it's time to move out. The event planner’s responsibility is to leave the venue the way the event planner found it, so my team has a teardown schedule and checklist that must be completed prior to our departure. All vendor equipment is packed, sensitive papers destroyed, items recycled, shipments prepared, and more, depending on the event. For our team, the show is not over until the venue is back in its original state.
After a successful event execution, we move into our final phase of the event planning series: Evaluation. This is where we sort information, learn, and improve for next time!
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