Top 10 Documents You Need to Plan Your Event

Planning an event or activity takes time and coordination. From the moment the brainstorming starts until the last attendee leaves, you need to know what’s going on and keep track of the details.
 
We believe in – and practice – documentation. Lots of it. We track everything leading up to the event welcome and detail the day of the activity until the last swag bag is grabbed.
 
Why? If you don’t write it down, you forget. And it becomes even more challenging to make sure a group of staff, volunteers, stakeholders, and others are on the same page.
 
It’s true. Every event is different. But these documents can help your gathering run smoothly.

1. Event Strategy: This is a high-level, brief overview that describes why your event or activity is being held. It includes details such as your audience, key messages, budget, and goals. It’s especially beneficial when there are several decision makers or planners. When someone proposes a good-but-not-relevant idea, you can point to this document and remind them of the event’s purpose.
   
   
2. Activity Timeline: This document outlines milestones for planning and event execution. It includes marketing activities, logistics, and resource needs. It’s a helpful tool for making sure everything’s on schedule and adjusting if it’s not.
   
   
3. Committee Contact List: How often have you been ready to email an update and realize you don’t have everyone’s correct emails, much less the correct spelling of their names and titles? Keep a list of formal committee members and other key partners. Include titles, email addresses, and mobile phone numbers.
   
   
4. Communication Plan: Nobody will come to your event if you don’t tell them about it. This document tracks the audiences you’re trying to reach, key messages, communication channels, and more.
   
   
5. Agreements: For many events, you’ll be working with vendors, speakers, entertainers, and more. Make life easy by tracking all the expectations and needs of all parties involved. Include scope of work, payment or pricing, and relevant deadlines.
   
   
6. Budget: Keep track of both income and expenses. Be sure to include in-kind expenses. Without this information readily at hand, it’s hard to adjust for shortfalls or celebrate a windfall.
   
   
7. Volunteer Roles: Keep a list of all the roles you need volunteers to complete. Communicate details such as expectations, how long the activity will take, what the volunteer should wear, and whom should they report to if there’s a problem. Taking time to complete this document empowers a group of people to get work done.
   
   
8. Show Flow: We call this the “hit by the bus” file. It’s the document that details the event. It includes times, places, and resources needed. Add set-up and tear-down needs. And don’t forget to include contact information for key people. The goal of this document is that someone can easily step in and take over if there’s an emergency.
   
   
9. Scripts: Whether your event has a formal emcee or not, a script provides key messages – and maybe even a verbatim narrative – to those who are speaking in front of the crowds. Not only does this allow someone to step in and speak if there’s a no-show, but it also instructs audio/visual technicians to cue music, visuals, or other speakers.
   
   
10. Post-Event Recap: Go ahead and gather audience feedback through a survey. You also should draft a brief synopsis of the event that includes lessons learned. This is valuable information that can assist with future events.

 
By no means, do we consider this list exhaustive. Nor do you need to incorporate each of these tools into every event. Give them a try!