The earliest stage of
event planning is pre-planning. In this stage you will need to create a
vision of what you want your event to look like. In pre-planning you
should:
- Be
clear as to the purpose of the event. Why are you sponsoring it?
- Decide
who will be involved and assign specific responsibilities to each
individual
- Consider
and contact potential co-sponsors for your event and decide each one's
responsibility
- Know
who your intended audience is and determine a realistic expectation of
event attendance
- Determine
the amount of available funds and the amount you are willing to spend
- Begin
to develop an effective advertising campaign
- Develop
a realistic timeline for beginning and completing the various
components of the planning process
- Identify
potential locations where the event could be held, including rain
locations
- Consider
the impact of: traffic, i.e., sports playoffs, local sporting events,
popular events that may conflict, when sprinklers come on and/or
routine lawn maintenance occurs (make arrangements w/Student Life to
altar schedule if possible
- Determine
possible dates and times for your event. Schedule time with Student
Life Staff to go over your facility needs, including safety hazards
that my may warrant contacting College Safety
- Apply
for and be sure to receive confirmation that the spaces you want are
available for your use. Please Note: It is important to publicize your
event after first securing
your location!
- Determine
if pictures should be taken and if you should submit them to the local
and/or school newspaper (photo release forms will be necessary)
- Determine
the necessary items (forms to obtain)
- Assign
responsibilities to people
These are
just some of the many considerations you should make prior to planning
an event. Once you have spent time thinking about the who, what, when,
where, why, and how's of your event, you are ready to begin on your
journey to having a successful, well planned event.
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