Resource:How to Plan a Large Scale Event
Contents
Introduction
While the task may seem duanting at first, planning a large scale is quite plausible when broken down into its components, analyzed, and executed one step at a time. There are just a few steps and guidelines one should follow to successfully plan an event which are elaborated below.
Make Lists
Lists are always good ways to break down your planning and make sure you cover everything required for your event.
- Supplies - both items need to be ordered and items you already own
- Partnerships - who will you be working with? what is their role in your event?
- Day of event task list
- Delegation list - jobs that go to particular people who are volunteering for you
Partnering with Organizations
When planning a large scale event, partnering with other organizations is inevitable. Partnership allows for opportunities to share responsibilities and resources. This way, the pressure of initiating an event may be reduced, and it may get easier to launch a large scale event.
- Prioritize work or orders to be completed. Upon deciding the theme or the purpose of a specific event, brainstorm necessary steps to be taken, and prioritize them.
- Categorize tasks according to their entity. For example, if two important steps are: putting food order and inviting keynote speakers, categorize them by: food and speech.
- Assign each work to a specific organization that has better insights in completing the task.
Delegating Jobs
- Survey people's expertise and interests.This can be done by using google forms, paper surveys and one-on-one conversations. This way, the delegation of job will seem natural and spike interests among people.
- Match people with jobs based on their expertise and interests. By connecting people with jobs that are suitable for what they are good at or have expertise in, they may bring their full potential to the event planning.
Checklist Prior to Event
Final check before event
- Confirm with external stakeholders that they are aware of the event
- Confirm the event venue
- Confirm event setup
- Check electrical
- Confirm AV setup (if applicable)
- Rain date?
- Send reminder to volunteers
- Confirm food
Day of Event
Be calm and make sure to follow your plan, things go wrong but you adapt
Be flexible! Not everything will go as you plan, but the way you handle these changes will either make or break the event. Remember - if anything goes wrong, many people won't know if you play it off like that was the way it was supposed to be! Just make sure you make note to keep it from going wrong next time.
Ask questions! Immediate feedback is generally most telling.
- What do you think of the event?
- What made you come?
- Would you come to a similar event?
- What would you change?
- How did you hear about the event?
- Do you have any advice moving forward?
