Event Development – Direction (Part Two)

 

“The following is a continuation of my Event Development Series. The last Blog started describing the “Commitment” section, now I want to move to the “Direction” section. This week’s Blog is the beginning of this section. As suggested previously, any thoughts and idea are more then welcome!”

Direction (Continued)

2.    Know exactly where you are going

By knowing exactly where you are going, it is much easier to get there! You are likely scratching your head and thinking “boy what a dumb thing to say!! You course it’s easier…” Think about it, how many committees or groups you have been a member of that just rush forward in developing an event without really thinking it through. Likely more then you would care to admit. It’s the classic reason why events failure. The event has poor or no leadership; no one knows who is doing what. Jobs are duplicated or not done at all and important items are forgotten completely. Knowing exactly where you are going that away the element of surprise and reduced the risks enormously. Take the time to really think through your event so that you know where you are going to be at the end of your planning journey.

3.    Break the BIG picture into manageable segments

For many of you just thinking about the BIG picture make you break into a cold sweat. Taking a complete picture and then trying to see it competed is too much to handle. By looking at the final event and then breaking it into smaller, manageable segment makes something seems impossible, now possible. The question is “how do I break it up and what should the segments be”. Obviously each event is different, but most of the basic elements are the same… Who, what, where, when, why and how. Doing this simple step allows you to start the planning process.

4.    Make a list of the segments

As I mention before, each event has its own special idiosyncrasies, but let’s take a look at the segments that are common to most events.

·     Finance

·     Facilities

·     Sponsorships

·     Donations

·     Set-up

·     Activities

·     Advertising and Publicity

·    Miscellaneous