With the festive season quickly approaching there’s one thing everyone loves this time of year: an epic party!
Whether you’re conducting a launch, celebrating a business milestone, or simply getting people together to network, the best way to make a memorable experience is by planning the perfect event.
This is usually easier said than done, with many elements needed to ensure your event runs smoothly, and that your business can make the most out of it. We’ve developed 4 simple steps to planning the perfect event so you can ensure you’ve got everything covered when it all starts rolling out this festive season.
- Secure the Date
After deciding what kind of event you intend on running, it’s most important to secure a date that will allow you to maximise the event’s potential. We’ve all had that experience of getting an invitation just that bit too late, having to rush to organize ourselves, and then in some cases just not going at all to save the trouble. You will want your guests to know about your event, and all the necessary details well in advance so that this can be avoided. Some key things you’ll have to decide on quickly will be securing the venue, date, time, and creating information on any themes or appropriate attire for the event. Having a date secured early not only takes the stress off of you, but also allows your guests to get excited about the event and share it with others, as well as give yourself enough time to create ticketing systems and distribute these tickets. If you’d like more information on how to go about securing the date and ticketing systems, our expert event planners at CLS can help you out.
- Map out a Budget
When planning events all the small details can often culminate to being a big cost for your business. However, if done right, a successful event can significantly help your business grow both in customer reach, positive reputation, and profits. It’s extremely important to map out a budget as you are in the planning stages of your event. This will ensure you don’t end up with a large bill at the end of it all that you were not prepared for. It also allows you to see exactly where your money will be going within the event, and allows you to prioritize the key aspects which you feel are most important and integral to the event. This can be things like prioritizing marketing and entertainment vs catering for the event, and specify what you feel will be most worthwhile for you and your guests.
- Create a Marketing Plan
Whether you’re targeting your existing clientele, or attempting to broaden your customer reach through your event, an effective marketing plan is essential to get the word out about your event. Your marketing plan can include all aspects of advertising for your event, from designing event branding, managing email marketing and social media posts, and getting your event reaching the key people you need. Creating a marketing plan can be difficult and time consuming, but lucky for you this happens to be our specialty here at CLS! We have expert marketing strategists who can take the vision to the next level.
- Budget your Expenses
Our final tip for Planning the Perfect Event is to budget your expenses. After you map out your budget and start planning your event, finalizing details and booking in key elements, it is important to budget your expenses to ensure you’re staying on track. This could look like reviewing your top line budget after significant purchases are made, or making varied decisions based on changes to your initial budgeting plan. We all know when planning any kind of event, no matter how organized we are, some things are bound to not go as planned. When this involves your budget it can cause a very unwanted headache. A good way to minimize this is to have a contingency in place, or in plain terms: have a back up plan and some back up cash in case you get an ‘oh no’ moment. This can include accounting for ‘plan b’ in your budget as an additional expense so you’re not left unprepared for unavoidable changes or accidental like certain elements costing more than planned.
As you can tell, there is a LOT that goes into Planning the Perfect Event. While this can be tricky to navigate at first, the right event can bring great positive growth to your business and is definitely something you should consider this festive season! For more information and assistance planning your next event, contact CLS now and let us help you execute and host the perfect occasion.