Ever wondered how event managers plan events? Want to know a simple stepped process for running your own events...well please check out my slide deck Inside this deck you'll discover my proven 7 steps to the perfect event. My name is Chris Powell, The Event Expert. I am an event management trainer and event consultant - which means - I help organisations and individuals become confident and skilled event professionals, able to design, plan and deliver their OWN events. Over the past 19 years I have trained over 4000 people from the worlds of business, education, the public and charity sectors, sport, tourism and festivals…to run successful events. I guess I best describe myself as an events groupie - I love events: so much so that I have spent the last 24 years organising, attending, participating and writing about events – I do nothing else – well nearly nothing else ! So what I have done is create a series of In house and on line event management courses based on my experiences of organising events. I will guide you through you the event planning process from concept (the idea) to completion and every stage in between using my own 7 Step Event Planning system. This slide deck will outline my system - by the way, it's the same system I use to run my own events. My courses are practical ‘how to’ courses. No flannel: only the stuff you need to know to take an idea and turn it into a successful event. My event management courses are for those new to events and the many accidental or occasional event managers I meet every day (it's not the day job) and will give you a great grounding of the principals of successful event planning – the 'how to' of designing, planning, venue sourcing, programming, promoting and producing great events. Experience tells me that event planning is not for everyone but I do know that the ability to plan and deliver events is a learnt skill: so with a little of the right kind of help, you CAN become a successful event planner. Need a little events help? Want to become a great event manager...then drop me an email at chris.powell@theeventexpert.co.uk and or pop across to my website at www.theventexpert.co.uk. * If you liked this deck please press the like button * Please feel free to share this video with your friends and colleagues if you think it would be helpful to them. * Or if you would like to sign up to my best practice event planning tips and receive a FREE copy of my 7 Steps to the Perfect Event report then copy and paste this link into your browser: https://www.theeventexpert.co.uk/event-management-courses/ Thank you for taking to time to watch to my slide deck and hope to hear from you soon?. Chris, The Event Expert www.theeventexpert.co.uk

1. How to plan the perfect event
7 steps to event success
Chris Powell
The Event Expert

2. The world of events planning
Events are complex entities: likened to
directing a live stage show…
BUT
without the dress rehearsal…

3. Me an event planner…yes YOU!
Been given an event to organise?
Then follow my:
7 steps to designing, planning and
delivering successful events

4. Step 1: Purpose
Creating events audiences actually want to
attend

5. Having a great event idea is one thing
• Finding a receptive and enthusiastic
audience is another thing
altogether!
• Developing events audiences’
actually want to attend requires you
to:
• Conduct pre-event market research

6. Research: a market analysis
• Identify a need or desire
• Seek opinions
• Check out the events
competition
• Get estimates of potential costs
• Identify income sources and
levels
• Identify a target audience

7. Pre-event market research allows you to…
• Identify stakeholders and work with them to develop idea
• Create broad relevant concepts
• Increase your chance of success and so avoid delivering
irrelevant events
Know it’s worth entering the market and investing your
time, energy and money into your event idea

8. Step 2: Presentation
Designing knock out events experiences

9. Event design
• Event staging - in words, images
and numbers
• Think like a guest, audience
member, participant
• Design event thinking ‘what if
we’…be brave: go wild:
brainstorm!

10. Your audience will listen to, watch or take part in?
Think:
• Games / competitions
• Things to do, learn
• Decoration, theme, lighting
• Demonstrations / workshops
• Speakers / plays / acts / shows
• Food to eat / make
• Music: live, recorded
• Audience engagement activities
• Art / animation / Tours
• …to name but a few!

11. Evaluate brainstormed ideas
You’ll have a range of ideas requiring combining and evaluation:
Consider:
• Are your target audience going to like it
• How much will each item cost
• Do they or can they be made to match the events’ goals
• Do you think you have the skills to deliver it
•
And ultimately you are trying to find ideas that will resonate with your
audience…then set a date and write an event brief

12. Want to know more?
Get my latest ‘how to’ advice,
articles and templates on
designing, planning,
promoting and delivering
successful events
And get a FREE copy of my 7
Steps to the perfect event
report here when you sign up.

13. Step 3: Planning
Making your event happen

14. Event Planning
• With a clear idea of what your
event will be (your event brief), it’s
time to start planning it.
• This requires you to understand
the end product (your event) and
means of achieving it
• It requires on going strategies,
communications and ownership

15. Event planning tasks include
• Recruiting and managing an event
planning team
• Agreeing and managing an event
budget
• Establishing the infrastructure you
require
• Signing contracts
• Checking your insurance policies
And….

16. Event project planning
The plan: a list of everything that needs to be done by whom and
when.
• Set objectives: start / end dates, milestones
• Tasks: design, venues, programming, planning, finance,
marketing and public relations, catering, operational,
administrative, plan reviews, event evaluation
The event manager’s job is to ensure every one sticks to the plan
and hits the deadlines

17. Step 4: Place
Finding the perfect event space

18. Event Places
• Your chosen venue is a fundamental
part of the event experience.
• Remember: event first - venue
second
• Finding the right venue takes time

19. The venue finding process
Agree venue search criteria: e.g. type of
venue, size, location, numbers visiting,
parking, timing of event, blank canvas /
themed, catering, accommodation
Venue selection process
• Search
• Shortlist
• Site visit
• Venue evaluation
• Contract

20. Venue selection process
Shortlist to three that you want to visit:
• Arrange a site visit and be ready to evaluate them: Are they the right
fit for your audience, company and programme?
• Ask for a quote and then negotiate
• Happy with offering or it offers the best compromise option?
• Sign the contract.
With the contract signed it’s time to start planning where everything is
going to go.

21. Step 5: Programme
Creating must see event programmes

22. Event Programming
• Schedule of activities,
entertainment, speakers and
catering over a set period.
• It’s the reason why audiences
attend events and requires
thorough research
• It’s what your audience are
going to do, listen to, learn and
often eat.

23. Creating your event programme
Includes items such as:
• Speakers, workshops, entertainment, catering, exhibitions…etc
• It is constructed much like a play, scene by scene.
• Like a play it needs changes of tempo, style and format
• Each element assessed for its impact, relevance and time taken
Your event programme matters: invest time, effort and money into
making sure it delivers…for your audience.

24. Step 6: Promotion
Creating super effective event promotional
plans

25. Great event: poorly promoted = certain failure!
• Establish how best to promote to your
target audience
• What are your compelling reasons to
attend: why should they attend?
• Use a mix of media: on / off line
• Requires money / time 15-20% of
budget

26. Event promotional plans
• A structured, detailed and thorough event promotional plan is a
necessity
• It is a combination of great words, visuals and social sharing
facilities
• Event promotion plan - contains dates, key messages, media used,
social media updates, budget and monitoring tools
The aim of all your promotional activities must be to draw people to your
event: to excite them to buy, enquire, email, talk to you or register interest.

27. Step 7: Production
Delivering your event

28. It’s delivery time: audience expectations are high
• There’s a necessary and logical order
and getting this right is vital. Build
your event scene by scene
• Recruit and brief your event day team
• Complete / request any health and
safety plans and risk assessments
• Send out joining instructions
• Triple check everything

29. Event Operational Plans or Function Sheets
Chronological running order of everything that needs to happen:
time, location, contractor, person responsible
• Arrival and departures
• Public opening times
• Team rota and rolls
• Programme of activities
• Menus
• Site plan
• Guest lists
• Contingency
• Lists of key contacts

30. People…what a great event!!
• You need a committed team made up of
internal and external people
• You should measure your return on event
(effect of your event)
• On event day the event managers roles:
*Run the event to programme
*Run the event teams helping you run
the event.
Simple…mmm not really!

31. Events are important, unique, complex and
planned
but
above all else, they are possible
Need a little events planning help?

32. Are you?
• A new event manager who has no or little actual events experience or formal
training
• Somebody who has been given an event to organise or been asked to help plan
and deliver an event
• Someone who has tried events before but found they have not quite delivered
• Someone who wants to know ‘how to’ run successful events
• Someone with events in their job description but not in their job title
• Or an accidental or occasional event manager?
If it’s a yes… please click on!

33. How can I help you plan your next event?
What is the No 1 problem I can solve for you?
• I give event planners a structured: concept to completion process that helps them design, plan
and deliver successful and rewarding events.
How do I do this?
• By providing in-house and on-line event management training courses, after course support and
consultancy services to individuals and teams tasked with planning events.
What results can you expect?
• I turn accidental, occasional and new event planners into confident and skilled event planners
who know ‘how to’ deliver successful, memorable and rewarding events. Which results in them
delivering higher return on event figures: making smarter event decisions and reducing costs
and event planning time. In other words, great event experiences that deliver results

34. Here’s how I can help you…interested?
Please check out my in-house event
management courses
Event consultancy services
On line event management courses

35. Thank you for your time and attention
Good luck with your events
Chris Powell
The Event Expert
www.theeventexpert.co.uk