Planning an event can be a huge undertaking, especially if you have never done it before. Even if you have, there is always the chance that you are not making the best of your planning framework. Both these problems can be solved through an event action plan template. By using this tool to create an event action plan, you can have one checklist for all your event logistics and metrics, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks. Here is a look at how you can do this.
What Is an Event Action Plan?
An event action plan is a planning document used by event organizers to define the safety, outcome, goals, and logistics of an event. It covers everything from date and location to the marketing strategy for an event, allowing you to plan all the aspects of your event from one place.
What Is an Event Action Plan Template?
An event action plan template is a customizable planning tool you can use to create an event action plan. It contains all the relevant fields related to event planning, where you can enter elements such as audience, catering logistics, exhibitors, target, event objectives, and more. For each of these fields, you can supply organization details, such as the person responsible, deadlines, budget, and required actions.
Why Is an Event Action Plan Important?
Event planning refers to the organization of all the activities that happen leading up to, during, and after an event. As the definition suggests, it is a very hefty task. It involves finding a location, determining who to invite and how they will get there, what they will do during the event, and how you will gauge the event’s success. An event action plan allows you to see and plan all these aspects of your event from one location. It helps keep you and your time on schedule and within budget, thus allowing you to plan and execute the perfect event.
Essential Elements of an Event Action Plan Template
An event action plan helps you plan a successful event. The level of organization this document offers can help ensure dozens of teams work together to execute your event’s vision. To do that, however, your event action plan template should contain the following relevant elements:
Event Overview
Always start your event action plan by outlining general but crucial details about your event. This includes a clear name that tells the audience what the event is about and a date free from competing events. You should also find a venue that is available on your event date and easily accessible to your intended audience. Next, define the purpose of your event. Are you throwing it for networking purposes, training and education, brand awareness, fundraising, lead generation, a product launch, or profit? Identify what your attendees need and how your event will meet this need.
Audience
Next, you need to define the intended audience for your event. Who do you want to attend your event? When setting the key demographics, try to envision the people who will attend and determine if they align with the type of event you are planning. Older people will feel more at home at a Beatles concert than 12-year-olds. Similarly, cancer survivors and their relatives will be a better audience for a cancer awareness charity event. You can also use this section to plan how to tailor your event to benefit your audience. Make sure to devise an unfair advantage, which is an aspect of your event that your audience cannot get anywhere else.
Marketing Timeline
Marketing and promoting your event are crucial to its success. After all, what is the point of planning a great event if nobody attends? In this section of your action plan, set marketing milestones for every stage of the event planning process. Some examples include last call, daily, ticket sales, and pre-event. You can then define the channels you will use to reach your intended audience. In this case, you can use your social media platforms, popular influencers, press releases, blog articles, or email. You can also use a combination of several of these channels as long as you limit it to between three and five.
Team Roles
Your event action plan should identify all the members of your team involved in planning the event. It should also define their contribution, roles, and responsibilities. If you have not been assigned exact tasks yet, you can use information from your previous event plan and tweak the assignments to meet your current needs. Ensure you appoint a point person for every task.
Safety Plan
As the event organizer, you are also responsible for ensuring the safety of all the people at your event. You can start by reviewing the health and safety guidelines set by the local government in your area. These should help you plan for the following:
- Parking
- Food health and safety
- Risk reduction
- Safety pamphlets for attendees
- Safety signs in relevant areas
- First aid
- Waste removal
- Wash facilities and toilets
Key Metrics
The key metrics of your event refer to general, irrefutable characteristics like the number of attendees, funds raised, entry fees, and more. Make sure these elements align with the purpose of your event.
Costs
Every event runs within a budget to ensure you do not overspend or eat into your expected returns. In this section of your action plan, you should set an estimated or exact budget for every aspect of the event. This includes entertainment, location fees, giveaways, catering, and more. This precise budgeting will help ensure your team knows what it can or cannot spend as it plans for the event.
Revenue Model
Unless you are organizing a free event for brand recognition, your action plan should include a revenue model. This is a breakdown of how you or the company plan to make money from the event. You can define several earning avenues for one event, such as entrance fees, sponsorships, concessions, and donations. Provide estimated amounts or percentages for every method you list.
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Conclusion
Think of an event action plan template as a one-stop shop for all the logistical, organizational, and safety aspects of your event. This document can help you visualize your entire event even before it begins. Before, during, and after the event, you can turn to it to ensure that everything is running according to schedule, toward the event goal, and within budget.
