Event Essentials- A “how to” guide on surviving your first event

There are over 200 fetes on this year’s Trinidad & Tobago Carnival agenda, with many events making their debut in 2019. Successful events take time to master. Fortunately there are endless resources to help you breakdown the technical aspects of any event. This one from the NCC could be quite useful to those of you who are planning your first fete.   At TRINRE, we have also planned and executed our fair share of events. However, instead of boring you with Gantt Charts and resource allocation, we’ve decided to share our list of event essentials. From conception to execution, these are some of the most valuable lessons we’ve learnt along the way.

Show me the money

When planning an event, especially if you’re doing it on behalf of a client, having a clear sense of the budget is your number 1 priority. Sometimes this may even require you to inject the situation with a dose of reality, if your client has a Pinterest perfect event with a whiteboard and markers type budget. As you gain experience, particularly in the corporate world, you’ll learn how to extract as much value as you can from a budget. Some of our best tactics include: shopping in the city as opposed to going to a mall for supplies, using digital invitations as opposed to printed invitations, as well as purchasing products and services from NGOs and other not-for-profit organisations as opposed to more commercialised brands. Your ability to do less with more won’t only make you creative but will certainly impress the event owner and boost your reputation as a savvy event planning professional.

It’s a team sport

Have you ever tried to do an event on your own? If the answer is yes, we are almost sure you felt overwhelmed at some point. This is because event planning, like every other project, requires a team to get it done. We get it; we understand that letting go can be tough, but a hallmark of a good leader is knowing when to delegate and when to own tasks. Having a team also allows you to have highly skilled people in every area of responsibility. The reality is, you are not going to be a master in every space, but if you focus on management and allow team members to focus on the things they’re skilled at, you’ll earn the trust of your team, build credibility and increase your chances of success.

Document, document, document

If you’re inexperienced with event planning, one of the most important activities in which you must engage is documenting every element of your project.  From the budget to the logistics before, during and after the event, to all contact information for every supplier and team member with whom you plan to work. Document it all! In our experience we can overestimate our memory and think we can retain it all and simply put, we can’t. Your event should begin and end with a spreadsheet breaking down all elements of the event and at TRINRE we love spreadsheets. This not only keeps you organised but makes information sharing and knowledge management easier. Your plan should always be a “living document”; you should be able to update it when necessary. As a beginner, Microsoft Excel might be your go-to tool to keep track of activities. We suggest creating your spreadsheet on Google drive so you can share it with your team as you or they update the document. This will aid in communicating changes and updates in real-time so everyone is always fully apprised.

An event kit

An essential tool every event manager needs to have on the day of the event is an event kit. This could be a storage bin or some other type of container. Your kit should include:

• 2 pairs of scissors
• Tape including scotch tape, duct tape, mounting tape, electrical tape
• A roll of string
• A staple gun and staple machine
• Glue sticks and a glue gun
• Markers
• Safety pins
• An x-acto knife
• A pair of pliers

Additional items can be included depending on the type of event you’re doing but the ones mentioned above are essential across industries. These small items can make a world of difference on the day.

Have a way with people

Having a well-documented plan is half the battle. The other half is understanding how to manage a team. Some people can easily influence and inspire while others may lack this skill.  If you’re brilliant with ideas but have a difficult time leading teams, ensure your first team member is one who can complement you. As your event kicks into high gear and stress levels increase, your management skills will be tested. It’s at this point our emotions can get the better of us and we sometimes lose focus on what’s important. Always take a breath and look at the big picture. Remember that your team is your event’s “backbone” and it’s when things get especially tough that you need to maintain control. Master this skill and you’ll not only make it through difficult times but earn the respect of those around you.

Take care of yourself

As mentioned before, an event can be a very high stress project. You might be worried about delivering the best job for a client or manager. Your concern may even be preserving your brand reputation or your feedback from participants. Whether it’s one or all of these, when we pour all of our energy into a project, we want it to be successful and sometimes anxiety or stress gets the better of us. It’s important therefore, that you celebrate the milestones as you accomplish them. It’s even more important to do this in a team as all members of your team will feel anxious especially if you’re anxious. Remember to maintain healthy habits; eat as you should, exercise as you should and last but not least, rest as you should.

While this isn’t your typical list, these are the aspects of an event that are usually left off the spreadsheets. It’s the things that we learn through trial and error or Murphy’s Law, so inevitably, we will never forget. Good event management includes learning and growing from each experience. We hope our event tips will help you to be successful in your event management journey.