3 tips to get your event planning started

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Take a step back and look at the big picture

As a flying instructor, I teach map reading to student pilots. When you're trying to locate your position on a map, you need to think of the big picture first: Is the sea on my left or right? Which direction is this valley?As an event manager, looking at the big picture first helps big time. We're naturally detailed, so often focus on how we're going to fold the napkins, rather than thinking about strategy and concept.I hope these event planning tips on how to plan an event will help you get started!Think about:

• Why people would want to attend your event
• The attendee experience from when they leave home in the morning to how they get back there at the end of the day
• How your sponsors and venue can help make the attendee experience bigger, faster, better
• If your attendees only took away one nugget of information from the event, what would you want that to be?

Then move down a peg

This is where I'd teach my students to find smaller geographical features to help locate our exact position; topography, roads, rivers, and aerials.For event planners, this is when you start creating your to-do list which develops from your big picture concepts. Try a good old Excel Spreadsheet to get the ball rolling and start doing.

Nitty gritty

By this stage, if my flying students haven't figured out where we are, I know they're struggling with situational awareness.That is hard to teach.Luckily for event managers, this means details. Details like room layout, technical specifications, menus and how to fold the napkins.

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Spend that extra bit of time on your strategy and concept, and revisit it along your project plan to see if you're on track or if you need to revisit anything.