Why
'Why' means, why you want to organize the event i.e. event objective. What do you want to get from the event? For eg: do you want to organize the event to enhance your company's brand image, to increase company's sales, to promote your client's products/services or to promote a social cause etc.
Defining event objectives at the very start of event planning is very important as it gives you the direction in which you should proceed to accomplish your objectives. Organizing an event without clear objectives is a huge waste of both time and resources.
What
'What' means what you are going to do in the event i.e. what will be the:Event Name
What will be the name of the event? For eg: 'Auto Expo 2007".
Food and Beverage Menu
It contains the list of food items and beverages you will serve during the event to guests and target audience. Always consult a caterer while deciding your food and beverage menu as he knows the best which wine is served with a particular course (i.e. meal).
Keep event theme, preferences and religion of target audience and guests in mind while deciding the menu. If majority of your target audience are vegetarian, then it is not a good idea to serve non-veg in the event. Similarly if majority of your guests are very health conscious then there should also be some low calories food items in your menu. You don't want them to go back with an empty stomach.
Also keep climatic conditions into account. Don't serve out of season food items and beverages. Like serving ice cream/cold drink in winter, food (like spicy food) that provides warmth during summer or food that provides coolness during winter.
Event Profile
What the event is all about? For eg: This event is an International exhibition on new models of Cars and its accessories
Guests Profile
Who will be your chief guest and other guests? Your guest list must include organizers, sponsors, partners, clients and specially media people. Use your imagination to create good titles to woo your guests. Like 'Guest of honor', star guest etc. Never give special treatment to one particular guest or guests' group.
Event Theme
Theme means subject. An event can be based on a particular theme like : hollywood, hawaaian, egyptian, balloon, clock, red, white etc. Theme based events are generally parties or wedding. Like we can have party based on flowers theme. Such type of parties are known as theme parties. In a theme party, everything from dress code, decoration, games, music, gifts, favors to food and beverages are based on a particular theme.
Service Providers
Who will be your service providers? Any professional providing any type of service in lieu of money is a service provider. For e.g.: DJ, anchor, florist, videographer, photographer, make up artist, performers, decorator, models, technicians, usher etc.
Obligations
These are the compulsions on the guests like dress code or the knowledge of salsa dance.
Type of Entry
Decide how will be the entry. Entry will be by ticket, pass or through invitation only.
Favors
These are the gifts given to guests. We can give gifts to guests when they enter a party, when they win a game or when they leave the party.
Entry fees
What will be the entry fees? If you are going to charge entry fees, then be prepared to pay entertainment tax. Your entry fees should be according to your target audience's status. If you overcharge you won’t get any audience.
Event Highlights
These are those activities which you do to catch your taget audience and media's attention. Like inagrauation of your fashion show by Tom Cruise, performance by Latin singer Shakira or display of the world most expensive car etc.
Promotional Campaign
How you are going to promote your event, organizers, sponsors, partners and clients pre-event, at-event and post-event.
Programe Menu
It is the list of various activities that will occur as a part of the event. Sample Programe Menu of a Conference.
Event Budget
To determine your event budget find out what will be the cost for producing and marketing the event. To determine production cost, create a list of logistics used in the event and then sum up there hiring/usage cost. You can determine marketing cost on the basis of historical data like past advertising expenditure for same or similar events.If you are a first timer, then take help from an ad agency. On the basis of production and marketing cost, determine your operating cost (i.e. cost to run the business). On the basis of operating cost decide your own fees and the staff salary.
If you are organizing event for a client, then the client will bear the production and marketing cost of the event. If you are organizing your own event then you will bear the production and marketing cost. As an event manager, you must be able to recover your production, marketing and operating costs plus you must be able to make considerable profit also. Developing event budget and managing cash flow pre-event, at-event and post event is quite difficult and requires help from an experienced professional. Better leave this job to an Accountant if you are organizing
When
When you are going to organize the event (i.e. date and time)? Keep following things in mind while selecting date and time for the event:1) Select date and time according to target audience convenience and availability. For e.g.: don't organize events during work days, examination days or festival times. The best time to organize events is during weekends like Saturday or Sunday.
2) Make sure that your event's date and time, don't clash with other event's date and time specially bigger event's date and time. For e.g.: it is not a good idea to organize your music concert on a day when there is Bon Jovi concert.
3) Keep climatic conditions into mind while selecting date and time for your event. It can be disastrous to organize event outdoor on a day when the weather is stormy or heavy rain is expected. Here you can take help of your own experience if you are familiar with the climatic conditions of the region where you intend to organize the event or you can take the help of the meteorological department for the weather forecast. Find out how the weather will be on the day of your event.
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