Event Planning Tips & Checklists

[Updated to include information for remote/online events.]

Each year thousands of people attend conferences and trade shows. These events provide a great opportunity for organisations to network with existing customers, generate leads, showcase their products and services, highlight areas of expertise through seminars, promote to press, and launch new products. There is a whole area of marketing strategy that is dedicated to event planning.

Following our article on planning your next business event, we rounded up some great planning advice and checklists to help you get started, along with invaluable tips and advice from the experts. The following is by no means an exhaustive list but is a great place to start if you’re thinking of planning a conference or event.

This post was initially written in 2015. The event landscape has changed significantly since then and we have updated the post to take these changes into account. 2020 has had a huge impact on the event and entertainment industry. Many conferences, trade shows, and business events have been put on hold or delayed indefinitely until the pandemic is under control and it is safe for people to congregate in large numbers. We have seen a surge in businesses moving towards remote models where people can meet, network and do business in an online setting. We have updated this article to take these changes into account and have included tips and advice on planning online events.

To begin, Forbes looks at 13 Strategies For Ensuring The Success Of A Virtual Event. They invite 13 associates of Forbes Communications Council to talk about the strategies that worked for them in setting up a successful virtual event.

Hootsuite shares tips and best practice for hosting successful virtual events, whether it’s on a business platforms or direct from your social media channels. They also share their tips for promoting events.

Most people have probably attended a Zoom event by now, whether it’s a family Zoom, catch up with friends, business meeting or networking event. During lockdown Zoom quickly became synonymous with keeping in touch remotely, to the extent where we often refer to ‘Zooming’ rather than video calling. Here are their best practices for hosting digital events.

Whether you’re planning online or traditional events, Eventbrite has put together a comprehensive and fool proof checklist of actions.

When planning a conference a few years ago, Rosenfield Media spoke to a number of successful event planners and asked for their best tips. Their responses are collated in this useful post. Since the initial post was written it has undergone two revisions and has received around 40K views.

Corporate Event News shares some detailed advice from 18 industry experts, including everything from how to begin, to making time for learning, and expanding your network.

And whatever event you’re planning, whether it’s a traditional face to face event or you have moved to an online space, don’t forget your promotional products. We stock a range of merchandise that will help manage processes on the day and leave a lasting impression of your organisation.

Do you have experience in planning great business events? What is your best advice? Add your tips to the comments below.