11 Common Event Planning Mistakes And How To Avoid Them
Stand out from other event planners—never make any event planning mistakes.
Every event planner wants their event to run smoothly and leave an unforgettable experience for their clients and guests.
Event planning can pose a difficult task considering the facets of an event. You have to do a lot of planning to guarantee a fun-filled and successful event.
However, there are common event planning mistakes most event planners make. This post explores these common mistakes and the best ways to avoid them.
Event planning mistakes to look out for and their solutions:
1. Thinking you can deal with everything alone
2. Adopt a good registration process
3. Overspending event budget
4. Neglecting to follow up and collect reviews
5. Setting the wrong date for your event
6. Confusing location and layout
7. Waiting too long to plan the event
8. Not making the event known to people
9. Ignoring competing events
10. Poor catering services
11. Using outdated technology
1. Thinking you can deal with everything alone
Event planning is already a difficult task, and running the whole process alone can cause a disaster. Most event planners like to portray superman abilities; unfortunately, it never works.
With the multiple components that make an event, specifically large events, it’s impossible to handle the whole process with no help. Ensure you have enough staff to help you run errands and ensure everything goes as planned.
Creating a schedule for your staff is vital to ensure they all perform their roles perfectly.
Solution: utilize an event staff scheduling software.
Event staff scheduling software helps you share agendas and reach out to your staff quickly, whenever you need them. It’s an easy and efficient way to manage your team without getting overwhelmed amid activities running in an event.
In the planning phase of your event, you must map out all activities that you need to perform, then assign or contract a team.
It is crucial to make sure that team members know what is expected from each and everyone one of them to avoid clashing.
2. Adopt a good registration process
You may get carried away with other preparations and forget to implement an efficient registration process. Registration reports help you confirm the number of people to attend your event. Failing to adopt a suitable registration method may prevent you from accurately planning for attendees and lead to very few or too many people attending.
Solution: use online registration forms to track attendees
An online registration form is an excellent way to collect information about your event attendants. You can learn more about registration forms and how to use them in registering your event attendants.
3. Overspending event budget
Budgeting is a big challenge in event management. As you plan an event, a need to effect changes can interrupt budgets, especially where there is minimal communication within the team.
Finding a balance as you spend on catering for your event is essential. You can infer past events to understand what your clients are looking forward to and create a budget around it.
Solution: create an effective communication system.
Ensure you maintain healthy communication with your team to avoid unnecessary spending that could be avoided by communicating.
Schedule regular meetings with your team to avoid making blind decisions. Use a system that helps you keep track of your spending. Review current expenses and find a way to stay with your budget.
4. Neglecting to follow up and collect reviews
Most event planners forget to get reviews from their guests after each event.
Reach out to your event attendants to gather relevant information for better planning of the following projects. Make time to appreciate your attendees. Performing post-event reviews can help your planning of subsequent events.
Solution: Make sure you stay in touch with attendees.
Stay in touch with your attendees. You can send emails or appreciation messages. Also, ask if they had a lovely time. Set up automated emails to help you send bulk messages with ease.
Use the opportunity to notify them of upcoming events. Provide feedback to your vendors, and give critics where necessary. Building rapport with vendors is essential in event planning.
5. Setting the wrong date for your event
A brilliant concept for an occasion will become futile when you set an event on the wrong day. Imagine waiting at a venue for your guest all day with no one turning up.
Suppose you plan an outdoor event on a rainy day or the same day as a competitor. The attendance may be disappointing. Timing is key.
Solution: make the necessary inquiry
Make a checklist of all the possible things that can hinder your guests’ attendance.
Check the weather forecast and if your attendees would be available at the set time. Find out if the day clashes with any of your competitor’s events.
When your self dates meet all or most of the list, you plan your event around it.
6. Confusing location and layout
One of the first impressions that your guest will have of your event is your venue. If they go through hell trying to locate your platform, it will affect their appreciation of the event.
Difficulty in finding your location can happen when your site is in an unfamiliar area or if it’s hard to find specific halls or rooms in the venue.
It doesn’t speak well of your event when attendees miss important seminars or particular speakers because of a lack of communication.
Solution: design a user-friendly map
Input a map with suggestions on transport routes on all tickets, confirmation emails, and event material. Ensure your stewards are well positioned across the nearby area of the event to assist guests.
Create a venue map to signpost the essential areas of the event; key speakers, seminar rooms, exhibition, and catering areas. You also have to have a detailed and easy-to-read timetable so that guests can plan out their day with the location of each activity in mind.
7. Waiting too long to plan the event
Most event planners fall into the trap of waiting too long to kick off the event plans. The moment you pick a date for the event, start the whole planning process.
Procrastination can affect the entire process. You might forget to do one thing or another and possibly mess up the whole thing. When you start early, you can rectify any mistakes without pressure.
Most importantly, it allows you to tweak things here and there at the last minute. Also, if a vendor disappoints, you can find one more easily if it is not too close to the day of the event.
Solution: develop discipline
Learn to push yourself to start on time. No matter how far away the day of the event is.
Also, starting on time helps you get the best venues, transportation, and other services at a lower price.
8. Not making the event known to people
After planning a great event, you have to research your target audience and plan how to invite them to your event.
For people to show up to your event, you need to create enough awareness. Promoting your event is not something to slack on.
Solution: start publicity early
Publicize your event as you plan. Create an email list and invite people directly.
You can make posts on your social media platforms—post links to your registration form. Urge your audience to share it as well.
Start promoting your event months before the event. Avoid promoting an event a few days or weeks before the event.
9. Ignoring competing events
While you choose a date for the event, research to know if there are other conflicting or similar events; competing events can make venues and vendors difficult to find. It’s also possible you may be competing for the same audience.
Solution: reach for competing events before picking a date
If you intend to hold your event in a location, check and verify any other events scheduled to be held in the same area.
Discuss with venue managers and get the picture of the activities happening in the location, who will rent a space, and when. This way, you can make early adjustments to suit your event.
10. Poor catering services
Different events can require unique food types. The wrong catering service can ruin your event. If you want to fulfill your guest’s cravings, you should ensure you ask questions and do your research.
Presenting your guests with sumptuous meals boosts their satisfaction and impacts the overall reaction to your event.
Solution: choose the right vendors
Choose food vendors that make outstanding and delicious meals. Your choice vendor must have a record of meeting up with events to avoid disappointments.
Research the age range of your attendee to understand the proper meal for them.
11. Using outdated technology
Using ineffective technology can cause many things to go wrong in your event.
Your event can be interrupted due to the sound system failure or visuals not playing at the correct times.
Not only is there a possibility of technical failures, but using old technology will make your event appear outdated.
Solution: Get the services of a professional
A reputable production company can provide professional advice on the perfect event technology needed for your event. With an experienced team, you can be assured that problems will be dealt with before they arise.
Wrapping up
Whether you are planning a large or small event, a solid plan void of mistakes is essential to guarantee the success of your event.
