Event Planning Basics

 http://militaryengineers.wordpress.com/2009/12/08/same-small-business-conference-day-2/

In order to fully be able to appreciate a great event, you should understand the basics of what goes into planning one. First and foremost you must decide what type of event you want to plan. Personally, I am interested in planning conferences and destination business retreats. It may sound boring but a lot goes into it. You have to decide how many people will attend, pick a date and begin. Once you pick a date, you must pick a venue that works best for your event. Some venues are all inclusive with meeting space, dining, entertainment and lodging; especially the Disney resorts in Orlando, Florida.

The number one decision you have to make is who is going to finance the event? If you are planning something for a company, are you as the event planner going to pay your vendors directly and have the company reimburse you? That could become a sticky situation. According to Marriott hotels, if you are going to go this rout you should make sure you have a signature from the person with fiscal responsibility on a contract that states they will cover all the expenses, even if they are over what was budgeted.

It is important to organize the expenses so you have a good idea of what is going to be spent. Things to think about are hotel reservations, food and beverage, entertainment, meeting space, audiovisual equipment and much more.  This should all be documented. Negotiations should take place with each item so you can make sure that you get the best deal. Some hotels will give you free room nights if enough heads are in their beds so to speak.

Now that you have your event planned and ready to go, are you prepared for the what if’s? There should be a contract with the venue, anyone you have outsourced to, and the company you are planning for if for some reason the event should be cancelled or rescheduled. Many things could cause this. Two examples would be weather or political situations. Hopefully nothing will go wrong and your event will go smoothly.

References

Step–by–step planning guide . (2011). Retrieved from http://www.marriott.com/meetings/meeting-planning-services.mi