5 Tips for Hosting a Successful Event
Hosting an event is a lot more than putting up a couple streamers and sending invitations. Following these five tips will certainly help in making sure your next event is a big success.
1. Be Prepared.
When I was a Boy Scout, the first rule on any camping trip was to be prepared and the event world is no different. The first thing to do when you are hosting an event is to make a list of things you need to know before contacting vendors. You may think of many things to include on this list but just to be sure you are extra prepared, we have a list below of some things you may need.
Budget – How much money do you have to spend overall on this event?
Guests – How many people do you plan on attending your event?
Food/Drinks – Do you plan on serving food or drinks at the event or will the event not require such services?
Location – How far do you want your guests to travel or do you have a location at your place of business?
Formal or Casual – On a scale of 1 to 5, how formal will your event be? Knowing the formal rating of your event will help you explain to all of your vendors what to wear and how fancy you need their services to be. For instance, if you were to need catering, the caterer would need to have their waiters/waitresses dressed very formal and serve the meal on higher end plates and silverware as compared to maybe paper plates for a 1 star event.
1 Star – T-shirts and jeans
2 Stars – Polo shirts or casual dress
3 Stars – Dress shirt or sundress
4 Stars – Suit and ties or dresses
5 Stars – Tuxedos or formal gowns
Time Frame – What date will your event be and how long will it last?
2. Get all of your vendors in order.
Now that you have a list of things you expect your event to hold to, it’s time to contact local vendors and make sure everything is lined up for your event. Here is a small list of some of the things your event will need but there may be others you need specific to your event needs. Please keep in mind, you will want to contact multiple vendors in each category below to ensure you are getting the best price and the best product. You want to keep in mind that the best price might not always be the best service provider so please keep price in mind, but don’t make it your deciding factor.
Venue – You will need to secure a venue and a date before contacting any of the vendors below. You may want to go to the location yourself to see it in person, find out exactly what the location will be providing. Additionally, make sure to get the phone number or email from the person who will be available to open the facility as to provide other vendors such as your caterer or sound and lighting provider with a person to contact so they can get into the location in enough time to set up.
Caterer
Rental House to secure tables, chairs, table skirts, etc. if not provided by the venue.
Sound/Lighting/Staging – One of the biggest misconceptions is that if you can hire a band to provide sound and lighting but many bands don’t have any equipment other than their instruments. Other bands who have equipment don’t have the quality equipment most productions or events demand so you will need sound/lighting/staging separately from entertainment such as a band or DJ.
Entertainment – Band/DJ
Guest Services – Will you need someone to check your guests in as they arrive?
Hotels – Contact local hotels and reserve rooms for any guests who will need to stay overnight.
3. Invite your guests.
Once you have all of your service providers and vendors secured, you will then want to invite people to your event. Have them RSVP to make sure you will know how many guests will be at your event. Give them time to respond too so we suggest contacting them at least a month in advance of the event.
4. Check in.
About one week in advance of your event, contact the location and all of the vendors to make sure everything is still lined up for your event. Make sure they don’t need anything else from you and make sure that if they have any questions, they ask them now and not on the day of your event.
5. Have fun but be prepared.
The day of your event, make sure to take all of the contracts with you for all of your vendors. This way if there are any problems, you have the signed contracts there with you to ensure everything runs smoothly. We also suggest having all of your vendor’s cell phone numbers on your cell phone so you can contact them immediately if you need. Through all of this, make sure you don’t miss out on the fun. There is a reason you hired a caterer, so they can take care of the food and drinks. There is a reason you hired a sound and lighting company like Matt Haslam Productions to handle all of the technical portions of your event. That reason is so you don’t have to worry about the minor details and can enjoy the event.
Remember, hosting a successful event is all about being prepared and making sure everything is lined up before the event. Once the event is underway, you can sit back and enjoy it.
There are tons of things to remember but we hope these tips have helped you with your organization. If you would like suggestions on local vendors or would like any more advice on your event, feel free to contact us anytime and we will be happy to help.
Thank you for taking the time to read our tips and check back for more weekly tips.
