Everyone loves events. Whether it’s a birthday party, corporate event, family fun day, concert, wedding or street party where you’d need tables hire near you in London, for example, well-organized indoor or outdoor events are always a great chance to catch up with friends, family or colleagues in a relaxed & entertaining environment.
The UK – and in particular London and other major cities – is a hotbed for events, both large and small, attracting millions of guests every year. That’s in normal times, of course. The COVID-19 global pandemic had a catastrophic effect on the events industry, as it did across the whole of society. As we move back towards a normal world again, however, the events industry is sure to return bigger and better than ever!
Set your purpose & plan accordingly!
It goes without saying that you need to consider the type of event you are planning. If it’s a corporate event, do you have a formal sit-down dinner in mind or a more relaxed canapé event? If it’s a family celebration, what’s the occasion? The more planning you do, the more chance you have of success – the devil is in the detail! Have you ever heard the saying “Fail to plan, plan to fail”? Well, there’s a lot of truth in that! Whoever you are, you need to write things down. Whether this in on your phone, on a whiteboard or even on a big piece of A1 paper stuck to your wall, keep notes of what you’ve already done and what you still need to do. Try to visualize how your event will look and play out – this will help you with the finer detail.
Set your budget, and stick to it!
Of course, the available budget will vary wildly between different sizes of events. However, it’s important that you set your budget and stick to it. You’ll find that it’s all too easy to spend a bit more here and there. The problem is that a lot of ‘here’s and there’s’ soon add up to a lot of money. How about creating a spreadsheet to keep track of everything? Also, the chances are that you’ll need to contract the services of a whole host of suppliers, from event furniture hire London companies, professional caterers, entertainment and so on, so get your negotiating hat on – if you don’t ask, you don’t get!
Decide on the date & venue, and have a plan B!
We’ve put the date and venue together as they go hand in hand with each other. Hopefully your preferred event venue will be available on your preferred date – that’s plan A. However, it’s always a good idea to have a plan B as you can be sure that during your event planning process, there will be something that will trip you up. Some venues can provide more than others in terms of event equipment, so if you need party furniture hire London, for example, it’s time to get on the phone! You may also want to arrange custom table covers if you need registration desks, buffet stations, display tables, or branded event areas to look more polished.
Inform & invite your guests
Now, it’s time to inform and invite your guests. For weddings, traditional values such as invitations through the post are still popular. For corporate events, however, you might want to think about going down the electronic route such as email, e-shot, Facebook groups or similar apps. There’s a whole host of software out there to help event planners do this so research and choose the best for you. For smaller events such as family celebrations, you could even just set up a Whatsapp group for invitations and informal RSVPs, in real time of course!
Enjoy the event!
If your guests enjoy your event, then the chances are that it will be remembered as a successful event and, if you’ve carefully executed all your plans, then there’s no reason why this shouldn’t happen. Also, encourage your guests to share their positive experience about your event on social media. At the same time, it’s also important for YOU to enjoy the event. Of course, as the organizer, you’ll have one eye on the schedule and all the detail, but take a step a back to enjoy the fruits of your labour. After all, it might be that you’re starting the whole process again for next year’s event in the morning!
