The Many Faces of an Event Planner

(OR THE ROLES YOUR EVENT REQUIRES FILLED TO BE AWESOME)

Successful events look organized and are organized. The best ones are planned like a military operation from start to finish down to the very last detail. Impactful business events that deliver the “WOW!” factor seem to flow seamlessly to attendees and leave them raving fans, but a lot of consideration and meticulous preparation makes that happen. Every detail — from theme to send off — needs to be curated to perfection.

Events of magnitude can keep an entire team busy and focused for months — all on top of their other day-to-day responsibilities. And they should take time and be given priority: If tasks are left to last-minute planning, they may cause undue stress or not happen at all. A team inexperienced in event planning can soon find themselves pummeled as too many balls once flying up in the air begin to fall or tripped up when members don’t stay in their lane.

Approach your next event with the will of an Olympian … plan with precision and purposefulness, and remember that you don’t have to go it all alone.

Deciding who to assign event tasks to is not to be taken lightly. Think of all the holiday parties you left over the past year. Did each one send you home a raving fan or find you nitpicking afterwards? As for those business events that filled your calendar, did you leave every single one inspired by the speakers, energized by the sessions, and unable to count your new contacts, all the while extolling the delicious appetizers and cool experience? Let’s face it: Some people are good at creating memorable experiences; others are not.

Approach your next event with the will of an Olympian, because in today’s social world, word will spread fast if it fails. Feedback from disappointed guests can quickly set your business strategy or product launch back at an exponential rate. So, plan with precision and purposefulness, and remember that you don’t have to go it all alone. Whether it is a small business dinner, networking gathering, or convention-style event, assign a dedicated team member with the appropriate skill set to support you in one of the following roles to ensure your event’s success (and, yes, the same person can fill multiple roles if your team is small):

• Visionary to champion an idealized picture of the event outcome and its need for existence. This person owns the event as well as speaker curation.

• Producer to make the vision a seen and felt reality on event day both throughout
  the venue and on stage.

• Production support, most often provided by an exceptional outside team, to
  supply creative, technical, and logistical elements outside of team capabilities.

• Logistics coordinator to manage the overall event schedule, speaker coordination, and venue space for maximum attendee satisfaction.

• Communicator to support ticket and sponsorship sales and create excitement among those committed.

• Creator to bring the brand and event to life.

• Sales to secure ticket sales and sponsorships ensuring the event is not only revenue positive but also profitable.

• Budget champion to track sales and expenses and manage overall profitability.

• Cheerleader, or cheerleaders, to get the word out.

• Customer experience (a role filled by the entire team) leading up to and on the day of the event.

While you may not think you need to fill each role, especially if your event is small, reconsider your presumption. For example, all events have a budget. If you are not good with numbers, then find yourself an Ebenezer Scrooge to tally up your purchases and keep you on account. And what good is your production if no one shows up? Your team can help get the word to their contacts or social groups to increase ticket sales or confirm attendance better than the Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders.

You can be in a lot of places but not everywhere and be a lot of things but not everything. Trying to do so will only accomplish one thing: drain you of the energy needed to find you riding high into event day.

Have you been tasked with planning a business event? With experience in planning events for five to 3,000 attendees, The Bulb’s experience can provide direction and ongoing support to you and your team members on regular basis as well as fill the roles described above. Connect with us to guarantee that your planned event is everything that you want it to be and more!