Introduction To Event Management

The first month

You are the conference organiser. Is any assistance available? If yes, then from where?
Set the objectives: who, what, when, where, why and how.
Make the budgets: - calculate income and expenditure; draw up a budget and cashflow forecast form.
Draft the programme: - theme, business activities, and social activities.
Plan your schedule keeping in mind all the key activities in an appropriate order.

The second month

Make priorities for selecting the location of the conference, the venue and overnight accommodation.
Select the location. Find out exactly what kind of a location your client would ideally like to have. Based on that, conduct research, possibly travelling to towns and cities to make the final choice.
Venue and overnight accommodation comes next. Carry out simultaneous research, visiting potential sites and making the selection.
Book the venue and the overnight accommodation.
Decide on your speakers. How many are needed? Confirm whether your client is going to take care of it or you are supposed to do it.
Find the speakers. Should they come from within the concerned organisation or from outside?
Start arranging for speakers. Tell them what they need to know and agree on the terms and conditions.
Notify the venue and overnight accommodation of any changes: perhaps three smaller conference rooms are now required instead of the one large one originally booked, or double rather than single bedrooms if some partners will be attending.
Check the budget and cashflow to make sure everything is in order.

The third month

Pick suitable delegates - who and how many.
Draw up contact lists- external and internal.
Approach delegates, putting over the correct information.
Adjust the timing of the programmme if there is going to be a discussion. It might be necessary to have more sessions in that case.
Inform the people concerned, about the venue, overnight accommodation and any adjustments - conference rooms being required for differing lengths of time, for example.
Issue the first press releases to newspapers, magazines, Internet and other relevant media.
Mail out the initial batch of letters to interested individuals and organisations as well.
Advertise the conference in newspapers and magazines and anywhere else that is appropriate.
See to it that the budget and the cash inflow go hand-in-hand.

The fourth month

Commission any outsiders you may need to assist you - travel agencies, designers, equipment suppliers, security personnel, caterers, entertainers, insurance companies.
Share out the workload in supplying publicity material, transporting people and items, decorating the venue, maintaining security, catering, arranging social activities and insuring the conference.
Identify whom you are going to work with and build a contact list. Negotiate with them.
Mail out the second batch of letters to people/organisations who have not responded.
Look at your budget and cashflow forecast again.

The fifth month

Decide whether you are using any visual aids.
Make the most of any equipment being used.
Check with the people who you have hired for
See that all is well with the venue, overnight accommodation, speakers and delegates, as appropriate.
Mail out third and final batch of letters to unresponsive individuals and organisations.
Review the budget and cashflow forecast.

The sixth month

Supervise the rehearsals, business and social programme. Check the venue, facilities and services and the overnight accommodation.
Make any last-minute changes to the business activities, social activities, venue, facilities and services and overnight accommodation.
Notify the venue, overnight accommodation, speakers, delegates and suppliers of these last-minute changes and double-check that they know.
Issue the second batch of press releases to local newspapers, perhaps, and to magazines for review in their next issue.
Check your budget and cashflow forecast forms for problems.

At the event

Get everyone and everything well organised: speakers, delegates and partners, venue, suppliers, overnight accommodation.
Watch the business programme, including the speakers, topics, approach, order and length. Monitor the social programme, checking on catering, partners' and all participants' activities, approach, order and length.
Send everyone home: speakers, delegates and partners. Tidy everything up with the venue, suppliers and overnight accommodation
Review the event from setting objectives through to the conference itself. Ask speakers, delegates, partners, people at the venue, suppliers and managers of the overnight accommodation for their views.
Write a report on strengths, weaknesses, conclusions and recommendations.