17 days to prepare for an event for 100 people, let me tell you which minefields you should avoid

Experienced event operators know that it is difficult to organize an event for hundreds of people if the preparation period is less than 2 weeks. Therefore, a preparation period of about 1 month was arranged at the beginning of the event in this article. However, it is normal for plans to fail to keep up with changes when doing activities. When we learned that the event would be brought forward, we estimated that there were only 17 days left, so we went ahead with it.

This event was a brand appreciation banquet held by the company, and about 100 partners from the Internet circle were invited. Many challenges were encountered during the planning and execution. We will review them here and clear minefields for other partners.

This article has 3,000 words.

1. Activity Planning Period

Don’t fight an unprepared battle when operating an event. In the early stages of event preparation, you can follow the Golden Circle Rule to make a basic plan.

1. First, we must clarify the goals and positioning of the activity, and clarify the target group of the activity.

This event is a company brand event , with "gratitude" and "prospect" as important keywords . Therefore, the event revolves around the main purpose of "thanking major customers", focusing on strengthening communication and exchanges with major partners, demonstrating the company's strength and brand image.

Mine clearance: For activities involving external brand image display, pay attention to communicating more with senior leaders in the early stages. On the one hand, it is necessary to understand the basic information you can grasp (activity budget, resource support that the company can provide, etc.). On the other hand, it is necessary to clarify the other party's demands and ideas as soon as possible, and make corresponding judgments based on your own experience - if both parties can accept it, you can try your best to meet the other party's needs. If there is a deviation between the other party's expectations and the actual implementation, the possible consequences should be informed to the other party in advance, and then timely adjustments should be made based on the degree to which the other party can bear.

It is important to remember that event operators must first be responsible for the results of their own events, must dare to advance and make decisions, and must avoid any indecision.

2. Sort out the overall idea of ​​the activity and determine the corresponding execution schedule for each link.

After clarifying the purpose of the activity, we need to have an overall plan for the activity. For this event, I first decided on the format of the event – ​​a cocktail party. The atmosphere is relaxed and high-end business, which is more suitable for entertaining our big customers in the Internet circle. Then determine the event theme, content, process, main visual tone and invitation method.

Generally speaking, the early preparations for a thank-you reception involve only the plan, venue, construction, personnel and materials. However, due to the wide scope and complex content of the event itself, it is necessary for the event manager to have a comprehensive and in-depth thinking on the specific implementation plan from the very beginning. Once there is a lack of clear understanding and control of the planning steps and time nodes, event managers can easily fall into confusion and passivity.

Mine clearance: When you are arranging a specific schedule for your activities, try to make all plans in advance and reserve time for the last week. During the early planning stage of this event, I was faced with the unexpected situation that the event preparation time was suddenly drastically reduced. If you don't reserve time for yourself and don't make a Plan B in advance, you will be very busy during the preparation period of the event.

2. Activity preparation period

This stage mainly involves implementing each planning step into details and putting it into action.

1. The choice of event venue will directly affect the style, scale and on-site experience of the event.

To hold an event, the venue comes first. For an event, the venue is always the top priority. For this event, I spent quite a bit of time confirming the venue. In addition to sticking as close to the event theme as possible within a controllable budget, the surrounding environment, transportation convenience, and internal buildable areas must also be considered.

What channels can be used to find venues? In order to make the activity as controllable as possible, I personally prefer introductions from acquaintances and collecting information by myself, but third-party platforms such as Huixiaoer and Hotel Brother can also be used as a reference. If you have a generous budget, you can consider working directly with conference companies. They usually have a large number of venues and can help you save a lot of communication costs during the preparation and execution process.

Mine clearance: In addition to the basic hardware facilities, you should also pay attention to the catering and other procedures. Hotels are fine, as they have ready-made restaurants, but for some venues that don't have banqueting functions, such as cultural and art centers, when confirming the venue, you should try to ask clearly how drinks and tea breaks are calculated. In addition, you should confirm whether it is allowed to place guiding materials in the venue, whether there are special restrictions on the construction party's entry and evacuation time, and what procedures the construction party needs to go through for parking or entry... Some venues will have some special regulations. Ask clearly as early as possible before signing the contract, so that the chance of problems arising later will be lower.

2. Life experience is very important in choosing custom materials and suppliers

I made a big mistake in preparing the souvenirs.

The initial idea was to customize a book-shaped box with the main slogan "Caring for your spirit, your life, your spiritual life", and place customized coffee, 3D cookies, handmade soap and a book in the book-shaped box. As a result, we encountered many obstacles when communicating with suppliers. Finally, we had to overturn and redo the plan a week before the event, and it was not until the day before the event that all the plans were completed and produced.

I have summarized the reasons into the following two points: one is that the psychological expectations are too high, and the other is insufficient life experience. In the early stages of preparation, it is very necessary for every event operator to understand each process from customization to shipment.

I suggest making two plans when planning souvenirs. The first set of plans allows you to use your imagination and make completely independent designs. The second set of solutions is simple, practical and focuses on feasibility. In this way, you can go to the supplier with two sets of plans, and when there is a gap between reality and plan, you can adjust the plan strategy in time to ensure that the production period is controllable.

Mine clearance: You can screen suppliers through 1688 Procurement Network and Taobao . But before that, it is necessary to clearly specify the number of customized materials and the materials and grades required. If the number is around 100, customization is not recommended (unless you have plenty of time, or have a particularly good personal relationship with the supplier). First, the overall cost-effectiveness is not high, and second, few suppliers are willing to take the job (some customization requirements often mean opening a separate mold). In addition, it is necessary to calculate the time required from material preparation to customized shipment, and try to reserve 3-4 days to prevent the phenomenon of poor sample quality and need for complete rework (after all, the quality of suppliers varies).

3. Communication and collaboration among multiple departments requires a sense of propriety

This event also involves communication and collaboration among various departments within the company - the xx department needs to be responsible for the execution of the day's activities, the xx department needs to be responsible for the day's customer reception, the xx department needs to be responsible for online and offline material design... In addition, the bosses are required to cooperate in listing the major customers who need to be invited to attend.

There are several points that require special attention:

① When you need multiple departments to cooperate with you, communicate directly with the department heads (or their assistants) who have the final say, and confirm by email, and then they will convey the assignment to the people;

② When communicating with the heads of various departments, you must clearly express your demands and the time point when you need them to give you feedback. Please also be sure to inform them of the consequences of any delay.

③ For the above two points, please bring everyone to the conference room for a meeting to explain them. This will facilitate information synchronization and mutual supervision. Don’t think that point-to-point communication is enough.

Mine clearance: Everyone is busy and has their own things to deal with. The things you assign may be forgotten, delayed, or only partially completed. Don't expect others to consciously and proactively do what you think they should do. Organize and convey the information the other party needs to know in advance. Thinking one step further for the other party will also reduce trouble for yourself. All matters requiring cooperation from the other party must be communicated in a formal manner. This activity was done by email and copied to all people, and it was ensured that the other party saw it (receiving it does not mean seeing it), and the other party was asked to reply to the email.

A mobilization meeting must be held before the event begins to reiterate to all staff the division of responsibilities and all precautions. In addition to distributing venue information such as the venue's internal floor plan and construction area, each person's position and attire must be clearly communicated one by one.

3. Activity Implementation Period

The key word for the on-site reception at the customer appreciation reception that day was actually meticulous. Whether it is customer reception or on-site interaction, three aspects must be anticipated in every link: safety, preparation and consideration.

1. Have you informed the working group and guests of the time, location, weather and traffic conditions multiple times before the meeting?
2. Are there any dedicated personnel or signboards to guide people on the way to the event site?
3. Are there corresponding business persons to receive those who enter early?
4. If the guests arrive early, is there a place for them to rest?
5. Is there tea service?
6. ……

In addition, the security of the entire venue must be considered. Several staff members must be left specifically to control the venue, and someone must be arranged at the door in advance to give souvenirs to those who leave early... Every small detail can reflect the attitude of the event organizer, and will directly affect the brand reputation and subsequent cooperation.

Although this event for 100 people took only 17 days to prepare, there were no major loopholes in the entire event, and basically every link was guaranteed to be in place. Event operators can always find many problems with every event they organize and are never satisfied. This requires constant reflection, summarization, and striving to do better next time. A good offline event operator must be someone with strong execution, strong communication skills and a strong altruistic spirit. Before you grow into such a person, you must learn to think more and dare to act.