10 things to think about when planning an event
If you’re planning an event, we’re here to guide you through the process and help you make it a successful one. Here are 10 things to consider when planning an event below:
- Consider the bigger picture
When you start planning your event, you need to explore the bigger picture. What are your main objectives? Does this event fit into any wider initiatives? What outcomes are you looking for? This is the starting point for any successful event as everything you do for your event will have a purpose, for example, improving brand awareness or reputation, or increasing customer satisfaction – it all starts with meticulous planning.
2. Target audience
When hosting an event or conference, think about the type of clientele you want to attract. Who is your target audience? What sort of standard do you want to bring to your attendees? As a corporate event host, who is going to benefit from this shared experience? The characteristics of your target audience must align with your organizational aims so that you can build on your brand reputation and spread awareness about your services to old and new people.
3. Check the diary before you set the date
The time and date of the event could be influenced by several factors. Such as the time, for example – is it a time sensitive launch, end of year event, new conference, or annual conference? Have you checked the availability of key contributors? Does the event clash with other events in your sector? These are all things to think about as you want to make sure that you’re hosting your event at the right time of year, depending on your diary, budget, the nature of your event, and the availability of your chosen attendees.
4. Clearly define the budget
Whether you’re a cash-rich company, a public sector organization or a charity, you’re bound to have a budget in mind for your event. This is crucial for financial control, organizational discipline, and the ability to negotiate and persuade. When you are planning your event, you must clearly define your budget. Doing so will help you avoid wasting precious time sending enquiries to venues that might not suit your budget. Rather, you could get the ball rolling and invest time in looking for venues that suit your specific requirements. At the University, we want to help you plan an exceptional event which offers your delegates a memorable experience. Sometimes we put on seasonal offers, so keep an eye out if you’re considering Swansea University as your next venue – you might secure a good deal! Get in touch with one of our team and start planning your event in Swansea now.
5. Choose an excellent venue attendees will want to visit
Next, you must think about the where…
Since we have just mentioned budget, your venue is likely to be one of the largest expenditure items, so choose this one carefully. Be realistic. Think about whether your venue is suitable for the type of event you’re hosting and whether your audience will be happy with the venue. Is it a new venue or is it a venue you’ve visited many times before because you are fond of it? Has the venue got a great local area (like Swansea with its Gower?!) Is accommodation available?
Swansea University is one of the finest conference venues in Swansea and South Wales. Across two unique waterfront locations, we have hundreds of meeting rooms, fully equipped lecture theatres, world-class sporting facilities and two state-of-the art auditoria. The diversity of our event spaces makes Swansea University ideal for all types of events. Whether you need a large lecture theatre, or a smaller plenary space with lots of nearby breakout rooms for networking, your space can be found at Swansea University, all available to book outside of standard teaching times. You should see if you can do a site visit to the University yourself before you make your final selection. Whatever your conference and event needs are, we can meet them!
6. Measuring success and feedback
A critical element of the event planning process is deciding how you will measure feedback and success. Will this be through evaluation forms, electronic feedback, attendee interviews, or a combination of all the above? Perhaps you’re considering other ways to measure your success and feedback. Regardless of your chosen method, this part of the process requires a lot of thinking. Therefore, you should try and get solid evaluation method in place as soon as possible. By accurately evaluating your event, you will save yourself work in the long run. Seeing what worked well and what didn’t work so well gives you points to reflect on, which, once taken into consideration, will help you realise what it takes to make the next event even more successful.
7. Check the small things
By now you’ll know that our plan is to help you make sure you offer your delegates a fabulous experience. When you’re planning your event at the University, you mustn’t forget the important of checking details, from how to check in, where to park, the accommodation guests will be staying in. Do you know how to get to the campus you’re holding the event? Our welcoming team will make sure that all your needs are met so no question should be off limits. Don’t be afraid to ask for help!
8. Get a good event facilitator or host
Good hosts are like gold dust. At the University, we love hosting events. We ensure that our experienced Events Services team are at your beck and call, guaranteeing that everything runs smoothly from the start to finish. With our decades of experience, we’re always on hand to help you make your event a success in Swansea. You can learn more about us here.
9. Get the audio/visual right
As humans we soak up a lot of sound! As such, if you are planning a large-scale event, something you will need to consider at some point is a sound system. You don’t want to risk people not hearing properly. At the University we have a range of AV equipment available which we can suit to your event requirements. We have experienced IT technicians and sound tests are performed beforehand, so you can rest assured everything will be set up successfully prior to your event.
10. Keep checking in with our experienced Events team
One of the most important bits. We will work as best as we can to deliver as much value as possible and we wish you the best of luck with planning your next event.
Contact Us
We want to help you plan an extraordinary event which offers your delegates an incredible experience. Get in touch with one of our team and start planning your event in Swansea now.