There are 5 important questions to ask yourself before you confirm the details of any event. They are the well known 5 W’s, or Who, What, Where, When and Why. The bigger and more important the event the more consideration you will need to give each question. For small childrens parties and informal gatherings the questions are fairly redundant but put yourself in the shoes of a business owner who is planning a corporate event for hundreds of clients and you will soon realise the importance of our friends, the 5 W’s. Please continue to read this article for more detail on each of the questions.
The Guests and Who They Are : Understanding your guests is very important when planning an event. For informal occasions with friends and families it is not so important but for larger parties you will need to be very aware of the composition of the guest list. For example your choice of entertainment will be heavily influenced by the age of those attending. If there is a wide spectrum you will need entertainment for children as well as adults.
Event Type : You may have hosted events in the past but be very careful about applying a “one size fits all” template. Not all events are the same and to help clarify the type of event you are planning you should classify it as one of the following, corporate entertainment, charity event or social event. Organising a family reunion is completely different to hosting a company away day. Yes, there may be common elements but assuming that you can simply copy arrangements from one to the other will lead to problems.
Event Timings : Until you set a date and time for the event you will not be able to send the invitations so this element of the event should be top of your “to do” list. You not only have to confirm the date but the timings also need careful consideration. For certain corporate events such as product launches there can be very limited windows of opportunity so you need to be ready to grab a venue if it becomes available. you also need to consider the schedule of the guests. this particularly the case with corporate events. time may be limited so you need to ensure yours timings allow for maximum impact.
Where to Host The Party : They key to making this decision is to reach a compromise between where you want to host the event and where you can host the event. Most hosts want to push the boat out and make sure the event is a memorable one but unfortunately there are other elements to consider, such as budget. Other factors that will affect the choice of location are availability, capacity, services and proximity.
Why Host an Event : For larger events that involve entertaining business partners / customers or raising money for charity the organisation of the event needs to be approached in a very professional manner. The reason for the event needs to be very clearly defined, particularly if the organisation of the event is been handled by hired professional help. With a clear focus, elements such as budgeting, entertainment and location are much easier to prioritise.
The article above is meant as a framework to help you focus on how to get the most from an event. The larger the event the more it will cost and it is very important that every dollar spent achieves an outcome.
Finding the time to organise an event can be very difficult. It takes time and effort to get all the details just right. If that is the case try interviewing a few professional event organisers and you might be pleasantly surprised at just what goosd value their services can be.