Planning an event means juggling about 100 tasks at once 鈥� and it鈥檚 easy to let things to slip through the cracks. Luckily, there are several things you can check off your list well in advance of the big day.
To learn聽some of the most important (and often overlooked) pre-event considerations, we checked out聽鈥檚 recent talk at HubSpot鈥檚 INBOUND 2016 conference. With more than 14 years of event, and the CEO of production company , Karen knows a thing or two about planning and event management for the unexpected. Following her incredibly successful talk in 2015, this year she dove even deeper with聽 for hosting badass events.
Here are our 7 favorite tips for flawless venue logistics from this year鈥檚 talk:
1) Think outside (and above) the box
Think about the event experience from the attendees鈥� perspective: a lot of hotel ballrooms or conference centers can feel pretty much the same. So what can you do to bring a local flair and make your event feel unique? Don鈥檛 get caught booking the same stuffy locations for every event; look for venues with personality.
And don鈥檛 just think about eye-level ways to spruce up the space. Consider fun and functional floor directional signage, a cool , or ways to use the high ceilings of a ballroom or convention center. Try wall wraps, pops of color to elevate a boring escalator space, and other affordable ways to dress up and brand your event. (Pro Tip: use Graphtec vinyl, which won鈥檛 damage walls and leave you paying extra.)
2) Consider all space needs
When looking for a venue, make a list of everything you鈥檒l actually need onsite: the number of rooms, chairs, risers, stages, bars, etc. Don鈥檛 forget things like green rooms for speakers, a speaker check-in location, coat checks, and the all-important (yet often-forgotten) storage spaces. Then add at least a third more space to your venue for unforeseen needs. As you鈥檙e planning, some other cool opportunity will inevitably come up, and it would be a shame for your creative ideas to be hindered by a too-small event space.
3) Find secret resources
There are tons of resources online for event professionals 鈥� sometimes you just have to dig a little. is a great tool for finding smaller, unique venues like funky bars, personal homes, and more. The Convention and Visitors Bureau is a heavy-duty tool to help professional planners find and book major event spaces worldwide. You can view detailed event calendars to see what else is going on at a given location, and submit an RFP right through the site when you find the right spot.
4) Don鈥檛 skip the fine print
Everyone knows you鈥檙e supposed to read contracts carefully, but in busy times, that can often turn into skimming. Unfortunately, missing fine print and hidden fees can have disastrous consequences on your bottom line. Always dig into the details and ask for more information when you see 鈥渙ther fees may apply.鈥� Read the text carefully and make sure you鈥檙e clear on payment, due dates, and permits you鈥檙e responsible for obtaining. It鈥檚 best to ask about trash removal, 鈥済reening鈥� fees, hidden taxes, and anything thing else that could add to your costs. And remember: 鈥淲ifi in the venue鈥� doesn鈥檛 mean it鈥檚 free for you!
5) Get full quotes from vendors
Along those lines, make sure you鈥檙e getting vendor quotes that are inclusive of everything they will charge you, including taxes, service, delivery, and admin fees. Ask them to include load-out days and timeframes in the contracts, and make sure that meshes with your venue schedule. And most importantly: review contract revisions side by side every time to make sure every line item is correct 鈥� in every version. While tedious, you鈥檒l be surprised how many times you鈥檒l find small mistakes that don鈥檛 reflect your most recent conversations. And once you sign off on incorrect details, it can be a headache trying to adjust or get your money back. Don鈥檛 forget to follow this up with a diligent check of your credit card statement to make sure the charges are accurate.
6) Always over AND underestimate
While everyone aims for a sell-out event, don鈥檛 only look at a best case scenario. New organizers often make their projections based on 100% ticket sales, but even if your event sells out, you鈥檙e probably not selling each and every ticket. Instead, add a 鈥�75% sold鈥� column to your tracking to account for discounts, comps, or underselling, and try to work off this amount.
And while it can feel painful, always overestimate your costs and expenses. No matter how diligent you are in the planning and contracts process, last-minute expenses are inevitable. By planning for them, you can help avoid unneeded anxiety in the already stressful weeks leading up to the event. And if you have extra revenue at the end, you can add that ice luge you had your eye on!
7) Talk to all speakers ahead of time!
It鈥檚 your responsibility to make sure your speakers are prepped and ready to go on event day. Schedule a 20 to 30-minute call a few weeks ahead of time to make sure you鈥檙e on the same page. Ideally, spend the first half chatting about presentation content and structure 鈥� and don鈥檛 feel bad weighing in here. The attendees鈥� experience is one of your top concerns, so providing helpful guidance on presentations is critical. Then, spend the last half of the call talking through logistics, timing, travel specifics, contact information, a fun fact to use in your promotion, etc. Bonus points for sending a detailed pre-call email to prep your speaker for the call.
For the rest of Karen鈥檚 tips on hosting badass events, you can check out . And for more help pulling off a flawless production, take a look at this checklist for event logistics success.
