Planning and executing any big event requires exceptional organisational skills. Events managers rely heavily on lists, schedules, plans, and a whole range of other documentation.

To help you organise and execute your next (or first!) event, we’ve put together this awesome Events Manager’s Event Checklist for you. You can click here, or on the button below, to download it.

Download your events management checklist

How to organise a successful event

To help you use this checklist, you can read the quick summary on how to organise an event below:

Step 1: Figure out the parameters of your event

What is the purpose of your event? And what are the boundaries that you need to work within? Are you planning a small reunion, or a big product launch?

The first things you will need to do include the following:

  • Define your event.
  • Figure out what the budget and timeline will be.
  • Determine what it is that your clients want from the event.
  • Figure out who is going to be on your events team.

Step 2: Start planning

Once you have defined your event, you need to start planning. For this part of the process, you will need a lot of lists (and checklists like the one you can download here).

Part of the planning process will be to figure out:

  • Who will be attending the event, and how many guests/attendees there will be.
  • What kind of catering you will need.
  • What kind of venue you need to hire.
  • Who will provide the entertainment.>
  • What services you will need to hire for the event.
  • How you are going to invite guests (with fancy mailed invitations, or just a #hashtag-backed Facebook event?).

Step 3: Organise the event

Now you can actually start organising the big day. This includes catering, music, chairs and tables, venues, bands, and everything else you need! This will all have to stay within your budget and timeline – which is why Step 2 is so important!

You should also think about organising publicity and marketing for the event. And are members of the media going to be present at the event itself? If yes, how are you going to accommodate them?

Step 4: Execute the event

The day of the event takes just as much organisational and planning skills as everything leading up to it (we even included a whole different checklist for the event day in our Events Manager’s Event Checklist).

You will need to co-ordinate who should do what on the day(s) of the event. This means that you need to have a detailed event schedule in place.

You should also have a plan that sets out how you are going to respond to any emergencies in relation to the event — whether it’s an accident or just bad weather. Hopefully nothing will go wrong, but you need to have a backup and response plan in case something does.

Step 5: Wrap it up

Don’t think that just because the event is done, you are done, too. You still need to conclude the whole project — settle bills, balance the expenditures with the budget, and follow up with your guests (whether it is sending them thank you notes, or promotional items).

You also need to document your event and compile a report. This is not only to satisfy your clients — but also to help you learn from the experience and to identify areas for improvement in future.

If you are interested in learning more, you can take an Events Management Course from home. Click here to read more.