Planning an event doesn’t need to be an overwhelming and frustrating task. If you know how to make things easy for yourself, planning an event can actually be fun and exciting. Undoubtedly, the number one thing you can do to ensure your event is planned properly is to create an event-planning checklist. A carefully planned checklist will ensure you stay organized, focused, and on task. Here are some of the most important reasons why:
- A checklist clears your mind
There are so many things to think about when planning an event. If you try to keep all of your thoughts, ideas, and tasks in your head, you will easily become overwhelmed. Creating a detailed and organized checklist will allow you to get everything out of your head and onto a piece of paper.
The first step you should take when creating your checklist is to brainstorm and write everything that comes to your mind. Once this is complete, you can group tasks together and organize them. The perfect checklist is one that has all your tasks listed in order of importance.
- A checklist allows you to organize all of your contacts
Your checklist should include tasks that involve communicating with your event contacts. When your checklist is organized properly, all of your contacts will be listed somewhere on your checklist. You won’t have to search for your contact’s information or wonder if you’ve contacted everyone to finalize arrangements. Everything will be right there on your checklist and you can mark it off when you’ve completed it.
- A checklist helps you keep track of finances
Including finances on your checklist is a great way to keep track of how much money you spend when planning your event. You can make a checklist that includes finance estimates or exact numbers. When you make a payment, you can check it off and it will be marked as complete. If you have a separate accounting sheet, you can easily transfer all expenses from the checklist to the sheet because everything is listed and organized.
- A checklist helps your employees/volunteers
If you have employees or volunteers that are helping you plan your event, a checklist can help them tremendously. They will know exactly what tasks are most important and what tasks they need to complete. Creating a group checklist that everyone has access to is a great way to ensure everyone knows tasks have been completed. You can use a computer program to help you create a group checklist or you can do it by hand. The only thing that’s really important is that you and your helpers are on the same page and able to communicate.
- A checklist will allow you to enjoy your event
After you create a great checklist and follow it, you can sit back and relax knowing your event will be an amazing one. You’ll be able to enjoy your event without having to worry if you mistakenly forgot to take care of something. Your event will run smoothly and the attendees will be able to have a great time because everything will be taken care of. The piece of mind that a checklist can bring you is priceless.
An event-planning checklist should be one of the first things you do once you make the decision to plan an event. If you run into any problems or need any help when creating your checklist, please feel free to contact our office to arrange a consultation with one of our event-planning experts.