Brainstorm ideas and start to get an idea of what kind of event you want to put on. Think of multiple ideas in case you need to make changes.
Think goals. What is the purpose or intent of this event? Who is the target audience?
Be creative and unique. What will set your event apart from others?
Brainstorm. Do not rule any idea out. Try brainstorming with groups of people outside of your club to get more ideas.
Personalize. How are you showcasing the uniqueness of your group?
Collaborate. What other clubs/organizations, University departments, or community groups can you partner with to strengthen your event and broaden your audience?
Ask these questions to your your group
What goals do we have for our event? What are we hoping that people will take from the event?
Do we want our event to be educational, social, or a combination of the two?
Do we want our event to focus on a certain topic?
Do we want our event to be for group members only? Open to all University students? Open to the public?
When will our program have the best attendance or when is the best time to have our program?
What kind of funding do we need to make the event happen?
What kind of advertising do we need to make the event successful?
What will our timeline look like?
How many people (event planners and volunteers) do we need to make the event happen?
Does the event serve a need previously not met on campus?
Do we have the resources to make it happen?
Determining what goals you have for the event will help make the rest of the planning process simpler. Make sure your goals are SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely). If your goals for your event include an educational component, think about your overall program design – what are the objectives for your program? What are your participants and attendees gaining from their experience? What do your participants need from you, as organizers, in order to meet those expectations? Successful educational programming is more than the topic and the presenters. The room design and layout, instruction medium, participant interaction, and provided materials all add to attendee experience.
If your event is utilizing a large space, think about the room layout as you are determining your goals and objectives for the event. Keep in mind that you need to confirm what the capacity is for the space before you get too far into the event planning process. Adding in staging, tables for food, various seating elements, open space for performers – it all affects how many people the space can safely hold.
Effective event planning is ensuring you aren’t moving too quickly. You can’t determine your budget unless you know how many people to plan for (including ticket sale revenue). You can’t determine room capacity until you know more about your room/venue layout and needs. You can’t finalize your marketing plan until you know how many people you can safely invite.
Examples of club and organization events
Bringing one or several speakers to campus (for a lecture, presentation or panel discussion)
Community Service
Art show or fair
Organizing a lunch group/roundtable for people to exchange ideas
Celebrations of Culture
Organizing a dance or concert
Fundraisers
Theatrical Play
Before you start working on your event’s coordination and logistics, you should answer “yes” to these questions:
Is our organization clear on the purpose/goals of the event?
Does our organization have defined a target audience?
Does our organization have the resources to make this event happen?
Your event budget should include both expenses and income. Don’t forget your event partners and keeping track of the event’s overall budget plus each partnering group’s contribution. Make sure all event partners are working off of the same budget information to minimize miscommunication and accidental assumptions.
Throughout the event-planning process, you’ll need to monitor and track your expenses and income.
Think through your funding sources and opportunities
There are different funding sources available to your group but not all “money” can be spent in the same way. For example, not all grant funding can go towards your group’s operational expenses so you may need to look at using membership dues, event ticket sales or fundraising income to cover some of your expenses.
Grant Funding
Club Council offers additional funding for events that your group hosts both on-campus and off-campus, as well as for travel to conferences/competitions.
Planning ahead and completing the Club Council Funding application process early can allow your group greater access to available event funds. Learn more about Club Funding.
Consider collaborating with other student groups to plan an event! Partnerships allow your group to put on larger scale events and share the planning responsibility with others.
Fundraising
Fundraising is one of the best and most proactive ways to make your group self-sufficient, finance your group’s activities and gain valuable experience for the participating members. All student group fundraising activities must follow University policies and procedures, as well as local, state, and federal laws. When planning a fundraiser, keep the following in mind:
Reserved spaces and contact tables must display the name of the student group and be staffed at all times by the members of the club/organization which have reserved space for the fundraiser or sale.
The name of the sponsoring student group must be prominently displayed in all advertising and other communications connected with the fundraising or sales effort, including at the event site itself.
Sales of goods and/or fundraising activities are allowed by registered student groups ONLY with an approved Solicitation Registration Form.
Registered clubs/organizations should be aware of licensing policies pertaining to the use of Appalachian State University's name, marks, and logos for use on any merchandise.
"People" and "Time"
All events, regardless of size, need to have dedicated individuals who will participate in planning for the event, serving as event and logistical coordinators, assist with promotions and publicity, assist in picking up supplies and other driving needs, organize event materials, and handle food or catering. There also needs to be a “day-of” team of volunteers who help with set-up and tear-down/clean up, serve as door greeters or staff check-in tables, and assist throughout the event itself so everything runs smoothly.
Depending on how large an event’s supporting team of people is, for both the event planning process and the day-of event management, the timeline needed for successful event planning will be affected.
Things to consider when determining your event date:
How is your event being funded? If you need to secure funding through donations, fundraising, grants or partnerships – what is your estimated timeline for securing that funding?
When will you actually receive the money and when will you need to pay your bills?
Once your group has determined its event and logistical coordination team, how much time do they really need in order to successfully plan for your event?
Once you’ve mapped the funding timeline and event planning timeline, what is your venue availability?
Between enough time to plan, knowing that you can pay for the event, determining venue or event space availability, you should have an idea of your “final” event date. Do you have enough time to properly promote your event? Is the event date a good time for your intended audience to come?
Event Planning Checklist
Three months before the event
Start with a checklist to guide all of your planning
Set Funding plans: create event budget and verify your funding timelines and deadlines
Contact your performer or vendor (if applicable) and schedule the performance date
Reserve event space: see Logistics and Working with Venue Reservations Staff for information about successful reservation timelines
Create/Execute marketing plan with detailed tactics for promoting the event to reach your target audience.
Six weeks before the event
Meet with venue’s reservations staff to review tech needs and room set-up.
Exhibits/Poster Session Arrangements:
Determine number expected: exhibits _________, posters__________
Confirm venue is large enough for exhibit/poster session needs
Recruit, select and contract with exhibitors/poster session presenters
Design exhibit area layout
Register and confirm registrations
Assign exhibitor/poster space
Answer questions from potential exhibitors
Provide on-site set-up support
Conduct exhibitor/poster evaluation
Presenter, Performer or Vendor Arrangements:
Contact speakers to negotiate their participation fees and expenses
Send written confirmation of presenter topic, time slot on program, and expense reimbursement details
Gather Audio Visual requirements if needed for presentation
Collect biographical information
Collect abstracts and handout materials from speakers
Make travel arrangements: airline tickets, room reservations, or direct them to service provider
Obtain signatures on appropriate forms for fee payments and expense reimbursements–process payments
Determine and schedule event rehearsal and tech run-through (if applicable)
Determine travel arrangements, including air, ground transportation, and hotel accommodations
Participant Registration and Management:
Design and develop registration form/RSVP system (if applicable)
Determine process for pre-registration and day-of registration for event attendees
Determine and schedule event rehearsal and tech run-through (if applicable)
Determine if a volunteer meeting (link requested) or training is needed and identify when you would like to schedule it
Draft Event Day Schedule:
arrival times for all staff/volunteers
performer transportation
vendor/performer arrival on site
facilities set-up
facility decorating
supply shopping
“doors open” and audience arrival time
break down of event
Two weeks before the event
valuate marketing tactics and adjust as necessary to ensure your audience is aware of the event
Contact or schedule a follow-up meeting with your venue’s Reservations Staff to confirm all details are secured and permits are approved.
Contact performer/vendor and make sure travel arrangements are secured (if applicable)
Assign event shifts for group volunteers (set-up, during event, take down). Create programs or fliers needed at the event
Create event evaluations
Finalize Event Day Schedule
Confirm with everyone they are attending the volunteer meeting or training session (if applicable)
Compile and confirm your records:
copies of reservation confirmations
room diagrams
approved permits
performer agreements
vendor orders and volunteer/staff responsibilities should all be in writing and updated
If you don’t see a detail of your event in writing then you may not have successfully communicated it to necessary parties. Double-check your confirmations and room diagrams to make sure they are up to date and reflect the event you have planned. Sometimes last-minute decisions are made and aren’t successfully communicated to reservations staff.
The day of the event
Venue setup/decoration: make sure event is set up according to plan and decorated far in advance of event start time. This includes seating area, head or guest tables, registration area, display/exhibit area, and food function areas.
Meet with venue staff regarding use of lighting, audio/visual equipment and any other needs (including catering and security).
Execute transportation plans for performer/vendor/special guests: make sure you have arrangements made for your group to greet them at event site (if applicable)
Prepare dressing room or green room, addressing any performer requests (if applicable)
Meet with the volunteers to assign event duties and review expectations.
Ensure event signs are posted
Ensure presenters or performers know how to use the audio/visual equipment
Greet guests at the door and/or check in event attendees based applicability to your event
Hand out evaluations
Pay performers/vendors (if possible)
Clean up - remember that your venue location may have special clean up procedures
After the event
Send thank you notes to performers and volunteers
Consolidate pre-registration/RSVP and day-of registration/check-in lists, as needed, for your records
See Evaluation and Records section for more information about event assessment and record-keeping
Verify your group members have paid all bills and submitted grant “post-event” paperwork
Host a follow-up meeting with all event planners to evaluate event and make notes for future events
Update records if needed so you have “final” copies of reservation confirmations, room diagrams and approved permits for next year’s event organizers. If needed, develop your contact list and organize your revamped timeline using what you learned from the event planning process. This will help ensure next year’s officers and event planners have the information they need to plan a successful event next year.
