Event Planning

The best start is to make a written plan of what you want to achieve through your event, and how you plan to make it happen. Include approximate guest figures and a budget, as these figures can come in handy when choosing venues and supplies. As mentioned later on in the article, it can be a great idea to try new party ideas or themes, helping to make your event memorable to guests.

Once you have chosen a theme for your party - or decided to host a corporate event, choose a suitable location. Make a list of possible locations for your event and call each one to check capacity, pricing, and availability. Always make a "Plan B" location, just in case there are any last minute problems with your first choice venue.

Many parties can cost thousands of dollars, so you might want to consider some cost cutting methods in your plan - rather than serving guests with a full dinner, you could consider a homemade buffet table, and to save money on drinks, why not ask your guests to bring along a bottle of their favorite drink?

Old party ideas like fancy dress and masked balls will probably always remain the favorites, but why not make your party a little bit interesting and special? If you feel like fancy dress, why not spice things up by creating a theme that everyone should stick to? The fancy dress theme could then be expanded to cover catering, music, entertainment, and more, really helping your guests to get into character and have a good time! A Mexican theme party, for example, with Mexican food, music, and clothing could really get your guests’ imagination working and would be great for adults and children alike!

For children, it could be a good idea to discuss their party with them before stepping in feet first. Try suggesting ideas based around your child's interests and develop a party plan together. It could be worth considering some unusual birthday party ideas for your children; there are now so many unique venues available for hire that you could have their party at their favorite sports ground, for example. Or, why not consider hiring a look-alike of their favorite pop star? When it comes to parties, imagination is the key!

Sophisticated corporate events could even include a party theme. Why not impress colleagues by showing them you aren't afraid to have fun? Try a theme party, complete with staff in costume, food, drink, and music to match the theme and even some entertainment thrown in. It can be a great way to bond with work colleagues and something to laugh about on Monday morning.

The entertainment and décor can be the most remembered aspects of your event. In a world where most people are used to dining out and attending functions, the décor and entertainment could help make your event stand out against the rest. Decorating your venue can be a great way to immerse your guests in the theme of your party or event. This would obviously have to be discussed with the venue owners and would have to be cleared away after the event has finished, which can be an expensive and time consuming task. Some agencies can provide decorations and will fit and remove them for a fixed price. Decorations could include banners, flowers, balloons, and much more, depending on the nature of the event. Develop a decoration plan using your party themes to get guests’ imagination flowing!

Decorations could include giving direction to guests for the main location of your event - for example, signs placed around the venue and the surrounding area informing guests of the parking location and check-in area would be extremely useful. You could also consider setting up a stage for your entertainment, if no stage is provided in your chosen venue. Make sure that the decor is done well in advance, allowing the other areas of your event to be set up without interference.

Outdoor events can be very successful, especially in the summer, and can seem more appealing than traditional indoor events. However, organizing an outdoor event presents some unique challenges. If your event is large, then you run the risk of gatecrashers, and this could increase your costs and have potential security risks for your event. For outdoor parties, it may be a good idea to arrange transport well in advance in case guests find themselves over the limit to drive.

Ensure that the location you have chosen for your outdoor event has the relevant facilities; nearby bathrooms, changing facilities, and car parking could help to make your event a success. For larger events, it may be wise to employ security staff - as mentioned above; this can ensure that any unwanted guests are kept out. Try to pick a location that fits in with your party theme, if you have one.

It may be wise to review any weather reports in the run up to any outdoor event. These are available free of charge on the Internet for up to ten days ahead, and can provide you with advance notice of any potentially event-ruining weather conditions. It could be worth forming a "Plan B" option, just in case the weather does take a turn; transport and alternative venues should be sought out. Available in a variety of sizes to suit most events, a marquee provides a great all weather solution for outside events and prevents any worry over rainy conditions.

For smaller, intimate events, you will probably not require any staff. But, for larger corporate events or parties, hiring staff could be the best option for managing the running of your event. You could negotiate with staff - see if they will be prepared to work your event in costume, matching your party theme! Some venues will include their own staff that can assist with bar and catering requirements, and some venues will include no staff at all, so be sure to find out exactly what is included. Staffing agencies can provide trained staff for venues that do not come with staff. Waiting and bar staff are a necessity, if you are providing food and drinks to your guests - although a buffet table could be a good way to reduce costs. You should consider the level of training that you wish your hospitality staff to hold; for example, silver service trained waiters could add a special touch, as could bar staff who are trained in cocktail mixing.

Entertainment staff can also prove to be a difficult choice, and the entertainment will obviously vary between events. For family oriented events, why not consider a magician, face painter, or children's entertainer? Or, for a more business related event, entertainment staff could include singers and dancers. Ensure that there are sufficient staff to check in guests; there are often late arrivals and having a list of who is yet to arrive can aid any decision to delay the event. Staff should also be on hand to remove any waste from the site before, after, and during the event.

For large events, you may wish to hire medical professionals in case of any problems. It may be possible to hire staff from ambulance charities for a small fee, and this would provide peace of mind that any medical incidents could be dealt with quickly.

Catering is often the most dreaded aspect when it comes to event planning! Something as simple as a ruined plate of sandwiches could be enough to throw your whole event off, so it's important to think the catering through in advance. If catering for a small party or event, you may wish to do the catering yourself - whereas, with large corporate events, it may be best to bring in a catering agency.

Why not consider a theme for your catering? Match the catering to your party ideas for a great effect. If you are planning a party for your son, for example, a great idea would be to pick food to match the color of his favorite sports team and top the buffet table off with a banner. This theme idea could be applied to many other things and can work really well. Another way to liven up the catering is to give it a foreign theme - ditching the burgers and hot dogs for something more interesting - why not try Spanish Tapas, or French cuisine, for example. This will bring attention to your catering for all the right reasons and will give people something to remember about your event.

Choosing the right venue is vital to ensuring that your event is a success. The choice can be endless, and each specific event will have different requirements and a different budget. For theme parties, it can be a great idea to choose a venue that really fits in with your party ideas, really helping guests to get into character.

For smaller events, appropriate venues could include church halls, hotels, conference rooms, and public buildings. Cost will surely be a major factor in the planning of smaller events and, as the venue tends to be one of the larger costs of arranging an event, it is important to choose a suitably priced location. For larger events, there is even more choice of venue - sporting arenas and large conference halls are just some of the more traditional venues for business events. However, it is becoming increasingly popular to use interesting and unusual venues to create extra interest in an event. Why not consider renting out a yacht or ferry boat, for example? These venues would be available only to organizers with a relatively high budget, but they could be extremely useful in generating interest, publicity, and maximizing attendance at an event.

The location of a venue is vital to ensuring that attendees are both able and willing to travel to your event. Transport links are important; consider how guests will get to your event and then ensure that your venue is well linked to this method of transport. If your event will be attended by local, national, and international people, it is well worth considering venues that have good motorway, rail, and air links.

There are event management agencies and accommodation booking agencies that can assist with the planning and running of any event or party. There are even party planners who will help you get everything sorted for a fee. These agencies may or may not charge a fee for their services, but they can be an extremely useful tool. Most agencies will be in a unique negotiating position with suppliers, and they will have the experience to manage a variety of situations and deal with any problems that may occur. An agency can source suitable venues and give you a shortlist of the most viable, negotiating a good pricing deal with your chosen venue. Similarly, the agency can then find suitable local accommodations and book the required rooms. Some agencies will provide a representative who can be on hand on the day of your event to deal with any problems as they arise.

It may be a good idea to research any agency and to read the fine print before signing up. Some agencies will have more experience than others, and some may deal specifically with your type of event. An example of this would be a wedding planner, who will be much more suited to the organization of a wedding than a general event management agency.

Pharmaceutical events deserve a separate category, as they are subject to strict scrutiny from the Association of British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) Code of Practice, which is considered the world industry standard for Pharmaceutical events. For this reason, it is important to carefully consider and plan any conferences or meetings in this industry.

The ABPI Code of Practice outlines the rules that pharmaceutical companies must stick to, and clause 19 stipulates that pharmaceutical events should not be overly lavish and extravagant. Hospitality at these events should, therefore, be kept to a minimum, and should not outweigh the scientific content of these events. Air travel should be kept to a minimum and, where required, economy class should be used. Hotels and venues should not be entertainment oriented, and the main reason for delegates’ attendance should be for the educational content of the meeting.

Obviously, hospitality will be expected, and if delegates are traveling long distances to attend an event, then catering would probably be provided. The main thing to remember is that the level of hospitality should match the content and length of the event.