Hosting an event might sound easy, but it’s actually a lot more complicated than it seems. That’s why it might be a good thing to make sure that you have an event planning checklist to help you out when hosting an event. Every event has to go through multiple planning stages, from initial PR and marketing to the final execution. There’s little bits that need to be considered as well. For example, you might want to get custom tumblers for your next business event, as it’s the little things that count. But that’s not all that you need to consider. For any single company to deliver at every step is difficult, especially inexperienced startups or small businesses with even smaller budgets.
It is worth also considering tech rental solutions to equip your team on-site, such as a service that lets you rent iPads for the duration of your event. This will not only save you a lot of costs and hassles, but it can also ensure you get the right tech for the task. With plenty of accessories available, including stands and receipt printers, you can create a fully functional business corner outside your office. This will make it a lot easier to collect lead data and measure the success of your event.
The good news is that there are a lot of resources out there to help businesses host events. Here are 5 additional event planning resources you can call upon in addition to the ones listed below.
1. SOURCEME
Would you feel confident doing your own audio-visual and staging? Probably not. Fortunately, there are companies out there that can provide contact details and information on event suppliers such as Sourceme. They can help with everything from lighting to special effects to video equipment. If your event is around a particular time of year like Easter for example, you could get Personalized Easter Eggs with your business name on, useful for promotional purposes such as giveaways. Sourcreme also have contacts to great venues, catering services, floral/furniture supplies, promoters, entertainment, fireworks and special effects, and even event staffing agencies!
2. UDEMY
You don’t have to reach out to third parties for everything, of course. There are plenty of ways to educate yourself in the discipline of hosting an event. With the rise of the internet, there are more options for educating yourself online than ever before. Take a look on Udemy, a massive online course provider, to see if there are any courses available that could benefit you. They currently have courses organized by seasoned event planners like Debbie Orwat of Planner’s Lounge. Check out her videos and lectures to get started.
3. ALLTOP
Keeping up with the latest and greatest is essential in any industry. But online news and trends are also a great way of educating yourself too. Many news sites have how-to sections, walking you through how to do everything, from sourcing event suppliers to finding venues. For instance, Alltop’s event planning page has all the latest stories and tricks to keep you up to date and informed. There are also plenty of blogs online that can help with a range of issues commonly faced by event planners. Event Planning Blueprint, for instance, offers event planners help to avoid common mistakes.
4. #EVENTPROFS
There are communities on the internet for all sorts of things, but the communities for event planning are among the best. The first place to start looking is on Twitter for hashtags like #EventProfs. Though not a formal community in its own right, the Twitter tag is popular among event managers of all types and they regularly post critical event news updates on that channel. The tag serves as a kind of resource recommendation community in its own right, funneling business people to the very best the internet has to offer.
5. TECHSYTALK
Are you the type of person who prefers to listen rather than watch? Fortunately, there are many podcasts out there dedicated to helping professionals organize and manage better events. Liz King, an event planner, runs a weekly 30-minute podcast series on Techsytalk. Her podcasts cover everything, from the latest events technology to how to plan your event better. The great thing about podcasts is that you can listen to them while doing something else that’s productive, killing two birds with one stone.