Have you been nominated to organise your company’s next event?
Believe us when we say that organising an event is no mean feat, particularly if you haven’t done it many times before. Whether it’s a product launch, conference or exhibition, your event will require plenty of planning – from selecting the tastiest canapés and booking entertainment, to organising transport for your guests to and from the venue (and of course, remembering to book the venue in the first place).
Needless to say, event organisers certainly have their work cut out for them, and it’s true what they say: failing to plan is planning to fail. So, if you want to make your event one to remember (for all the right reasons), then you must have these following qualities:
Organisation
Above all else, being organised is essential for planning an event. It doesn’t matter if there will be 100 or 1,000 attendees; there are so many little details that need to be considered with any event. Keeping organised helps you to multi-task and manage all of those so-called ‘little details’ at the same time, ensuring that you aren’t missing anything out.
Being organised involves holding meetings, creating lists and working to deadlines. It means creating a step-by-step plan of everything you must do between now and the event, so you can allocate your time wisely in order to get everything done.
Time-management
Time-management is another essential quality of any great event planner. Managing your time effectively will require you to set timeframes for each individual task, ensuring that you work hard to meet those deadlines. Of course, you should expect one or two things to take more time than initially planned, but this should have been accounted for from the outset.
Budgeting
As well as managing your time, you need to be excellent in managing money, AKA the event budget. You should budget right at the very start of the planning process so you know exactly how much money you’ve got to work with. You need to allocate your budget wisely, tracking every bit of expenditure along the way and ensuring you’ve got some money spare in case of any hidden costs, of which there will be a few.
Communication skills
An event organiser must have great communication skills, as the role requires them to liaise with many different individuals on a day-to-day basis. Having good communication skills means ensuring that everyone is kept ‘in the loop’ about the progress of your event.
As well as being a good communicator, you need to be a good listener. You need to take any comments and feedback on board, as considering the views of other people will help you to organise the perfect event.
Adaptability
Another quality all event planners must have is the ability to adapt. No event runs 100% smoothly, regardless of how experienced the person organising it is. Preparing for potential problems means that you are able to adapt quickly and efficiently should you need to. It could be that a caterer has pulled out last minute, or that you need to book additional transport; whatever it is, proper planning will ensure that you are able to adapt at any time.
Creativity
If you really want your event to be one to remember, you need to get your creative juices flowing. A great event planner will be able to come up with original and innovative ideas to make sure their guests have a fantastic experience. From the food and venue to the entertainment, you need to ensure that your event reflects your brand in the best way possible. You may also want to consider hiring experienced event staff to help you create an event your guests will always remember.
