Planning an event can be overwhelming and leave organisers feeling a little stressed, especially as the big day approaches. With the Christmas party season approaching fast, we wanted to share with you our 5 top event management tips for a good Christmas party.

Be prepared

With the big day nearly here, you’ve hopefully ensured that every little detail is booked, paid and ready to go.

Before the event, it’s time to run through and make sure nothing has been missed. Write yourself a shadow itinerary for the day, including everything that needs to happen before, during and after the event.

Include details such as what time you plan to arrive. What needs setting up. How long will things take to set up. Do you have suppliers bringing things in? How long will they need to set up and tidy up? What time will guests arrive? Who will be greeting them? Are there any presentations or awards? Do you have copies of any speeches? Any announcements? Details of the order of service. What time does the event finish? Who will be clearing up after? Is there anything that needs to be packed up and shipped?

Think about all the little details from start to finish to ensure nothing is missed. But remember to include some buffer time, especially for the set up in case anything goes wrong or adjustments need making.

Touch base

At least a couple of weeks before, it’s a good idea to touch base with the venue and suppliers. This should reduce the number of things going wrong on the day and ensures any last-minute bits and pieces are taken care of so everyone is prepared for the day.

It’s also a good idea to also touch base with the guests. Sending out a reminder of the event and any details closer to the day reminds guests that they also need to be prepared. Remind them of the date, time, venue, dress code, and any other details they need. Also use it as a final opportunity to ask for any special access needs or dietary requirements not already noted.

Arrive early

On the day of the event, it is so important to arrive early to ensure any set up is running smoothly or if it’s a smaller event, to be there to answer any questions from the venue and greet any early guests.

When you arrive it’s a good idea to introduce or reintroduce yourself to the operations team who are working on the event. This allows them to know who to contact if there are any questions or issues, ensuring any issues can be identified and resolved as quickly with as little disruption as possible.

Keep track of time

Most events have a few time-sensitive activities or deadlines. Whether it’s what time the food is to be served, when the DJ will be playing or what time for presentation and awards. But you also need to consider the venue closing time. The key to a successful event is the time management of every stage. It’s, therefore, so important to keep track of time throughout the event to ensure everyone sticks to the itinerary.

You need to be clear with the venue on service timings. It might be that you need to gently remind speakers or presenters how much time they have before and during their presentations. You may have to assist in ushering guests from one room to another at the appropriate time.

Ensuring things run smoothly, on time, without disruptions can be tricky when you add guests, speakers and presenters to the mix. You need to remember to remain, calm, friendly and polite, but firmly encouraging them to stick to the timings!

Be the last to leave

We know it’s been a long journey for you leading up to this event and all you want to do is kick back and relax. But until everyone is gone, and things have wrapped up, your presence is still needed. Always ensure you’re the last one to leave so you can say goodbye and see off the remaining guests. But it also means you’re on hand to work with the clean up crew and give direction where needed.

If you haven’t already, it’s also time to pay any remaining bills and tie up with the venue and suppliers to make sure everything is on track for them and there aren’t any outstanding issues to address. You might also want to do a quick once over to make sure none of the guests has left anything behind.

Then it’s time for you to pat yourself on the back. You can slow down, catch your breath and leave on a high knowing that the evening was a success.

If you’re looking for support in organising and running your next event but don’t want the stress or hassle then get in touch with VASS. We have a team of experienced event managers who can take care of all the details, leaving you the chance to sit back, relax and enjoy! Call us now on 020 3370 4075 to find out more.

Planning an event can bring with it a lot of stress and strain. If you get it wrong, it can reflect badly on the company. It may seem an easy task to organise an event, but unless you are an experienced event planner, it’s very easy to overlook the simple things that are key to success. Here is what we believe are the most important things when it comes to excellent event management.

The detail It’s all the little things pulled together perfectly that makes for a successful event. Thinking about every aspect, from the little touches such as choosing a colour scheme, or even how the napkins are folded, all the way up to what venue to book and the theme. The key is in the detail and ensuring that everything is covered.

Plan early It’s never too early to start planning for an event. Even securing the date in the diary and booking out the venue will ensure the essentials are covered to start organising the rest of the event. Good venues and suppliers can be booked up far in advance, so if your mind is set on using a particular one, secure them early to avoid disappointment. As a guide, for a large event such as an awards evening, a gala or banquet, we would recommend planning at least 6 months in advance. If it’s a smaller event such as team training or a sales meeting, this can easily be achieved a month before.

Choosing the right venue The venue is one of the most important and the biggest chunks of your budget. You don’t want to just book any old venue because it looks nice, you need to think about the facilities available. How accessible is it, does it fit in with the theme of your event; ultimately can it bring your vision to life? Do you want something with character or a blank canvas to dress up?

But don’t forget about the facilities. Do they have catering on site? Will your delegates need accommodation? Does the venue have their own AV equipment or can you bring in a third party supplier? If you use the main restaurant for lunch, can they keep up with the size of your group with the rest of their expected guests? Is there ample parking available to your delegates and will this be an additional charge?

Timings and logistics The agenda will give people an idea of when things are happening, but you also need to think about all the bits going on before, in between and after the main event. What time does everything need to be set up? When does equipment and supplies need to be shipped? How long will delegates have for comfort breaks? How long before do you need to prompt speakers to be ready to take their place? What happens if someone overruns their presentation?

Timings are imperative and it’s a good idea to have a shadow agenda for the behind the scenes activities, so you know exactly what needs to happen and when. It’s also a good practice to allow for some buffer time. You don’t want the event to run behind as it puts everything else out. However, you also want to make sure you’re not too early that it affects things like when food is due to be served as the catering team might not be ready if you’re running 30 minutes ahead of schedule!

Rehearsal If you are organising a large event, it is valuable to have a run through of the event a couple of weeks before, if you can, and ideally at your chosen venue. This gives you the opportunity to physically walk through the day, from where everything is, where things need to be set up, how the day will run, if the timings you have set will work. Running through everything will highlight any issues and gives you time to correct them before the event itself.

Have a backup plan Plan for the unexpected. Things can and will happen so it’s important to be prepared with a backup plan on the chance that something might not go to plan. A speaker doesn’t turn up, a key piece of equipment goes missing. For key aspects, it’s worth assessing the risk of problems arising and how they can be tackled to reduce the impact on the event as much as possible. Is there someone else who can step in or an alternative piece of equipment that could be used, or should they be cut from the event altogether?

Hiring an event manager If this all seems a bit too much and is causing you to feel stressed and overwhelmed, then it’s worth considering hiring an events manager to deal with the logistics for you. Organising an event takes a lot of time and effort and hiring a professional event manager could be the very key to the success of your event.

Event managers have the experience and knowledge needed to get the job done. They have the attention to detail, they know what needs to happen, can easily map out what needs to be done and when, whilst juggling the twists and turns that come along the way. You may spend hours trawling through the internet for venues, caterers, performers, AV equipment, flowers, decorations etc etc, but an experienced event manager will already have the connection. They can recommend or maybe even warn you of a bad supplier or an unsuitable venue, saving you time and hassle.

No matter the size or type of your event, if you are looking for support to organise your next event, why not call us now on 020 3890 6990 and one of our experienced events managers can talk you through everything you need to get ready for your next event.