These 9 Milestones Will Keep Your Event on the Road to Success

When you’re planning an event, are you the kind who likes to roll up your sleeves, set wheels in motion, and plunge headlong into details (logistics)? Or are you more of a visionary, a big-picture thinker who likes to paint with broad strokes (strategic)?

Whether you prefer event planning logistics or strategies, or dabbling in a bit of both, these nine milestones and list of pro tips that go along with them are not to be overlooked. We’ve categorized the to do’s as logistic and strategic items, so you can delegate them out to your team members according to their strengths. Note that the milestones may vary for the type of event you’re hosting, but the general rule of thumb is, the earlier you can do them, the better.

3 months out

Logistic:

• Book the venue. Reserve dates for the entire year if you host regular, periodic meetings. Or put next year’s annual event on the calendar.
• Book entertainment and other vendors.

Strategic:

• Set up an event committee. Even if it’s just one other person to help oversee planning, it will help keep time-sensitive tasks top of mind.

​For PTA presidents, summer is the ideal time to get started in thinking about an annual back-to-school event. Sure, it sounds like lightyears away, but it’s better to start planning early, when you’re not already in the throes of a new school year.

2 months, 2 weeks out

Logistic:

• Begin building your contact list if you haven’t already. Collect emails and other important info.
• Confirm venue, vendors and entertainment.

Strategic:

• Develop a publicity strategy, including marketing and advertising, social media, and public relations. Be sure and create a good reason to attend your event and lead with it.
• Make new friends, followers and connections on social media.
• Hold a planning session and begin making creative decisions about the event.

​One way to create buzz is by effectively naming your event. A title – just a phrase, or even one word – can be extremely vital to achieving success, neuroscience research suggests. How many other areas are affected by your creative decisions – publicity, menu, staging, décor, speakers, entertainment, music, audio, volunteers?
Remember, you can’t move forward with a lot of other areas until after you’ve made many of your creative decisions.

2 months
​
Logistic:

• Finalize speakers or special guests.
• Send save-the-date email.

Strategic:

• Have another planning session.
• Build your web page. Create a memorable URL.
• Devise a social media campaign. Write copy and create content for your Facebook account, Twitter, LinkedIn, and other pages.
• Design a poster and a program.
• Write and design an email campaign.

1) Save-the-date message.
2) Invitation (include a calendar attachment and set a reminder/alert).  
3) Reminder message. 

​On your calendar invitation, don’t forget to set an event reminder. Include directions and link to a map if that’s not already on your dedicated event site.
 
Note to memberplanet users: You have a ton of email features at your fingertips, from templates, to targeted distribution lists, to tracking reports. Use them to optimize every email send.
 
In publicity, reminders are essential. Digital Marketing Ramblings reports the average office worker receives 121 emails every day. Because emails are so disposable and we’re all easily distracted due to multitasking, everyone needs multiple reminders. 

1 month, 2 weeks

Logistic:

• Recruit volunteers and other participants.
• Touch base with your venue, vendors, and entertainment.
• Send email invitation. Include a calendar invitation and remember to set an event alert.

memberplanet users: Creating an event site and enabling RSVPs allows you to track whom you’ve emailed, their response, as well as funds processed. You can also send out surveys to ask for volunteers.

Strategic:

• Update your website with the latest information.
• Make it easy to register and pay online. Establish and test an online payment processor.

​If you’re using memberplanet, payment processing is just one of many features included in a robust set of tools you can use to engage with your members.

1 month

Logistic:

• Re-send email invitation to those who haven’t RSVP’d yet.

memberplanet users: You can use Smart Lists to schedule (set it and forget it!) an email reminder to go out to everyone who hasn’t RSVP’d yet.
 
Strategic:

• Ramp up social media engagement.

3 weeks

Logistic:

• Re-send email invitation to those who haven’t RSVP’d yet. Include a calendar invitation and remember to set an event alert. Include directions and link to a map.
• Finalize your agenda.
• Print and place posters and fliers.

Strategic:

• Continue your social media campaign.
• Publicity: engage with other media outlets: radio, news, public television, cross-interest websites. Issue a press release.

2 weeks
​
Logistic:

• Send out reminder email about RSVP deadline to those who haven’t RSVP’d yet.
• Finalize headcount, menu and seating.
• Print and deliver materials like programs, handouts, lanyards.

Strategic:

• Intensify your publicity and social media campaigns.

Finalize speeches and speaker presentations.

​1 week
Logistic:

• Dry run or technical walk through.
• Confirm volunteer scheduling.

Memberplanet users: During the days leading up to your event, and especially the day before, you can use Smart Lists to schedule (set it and forget it!) email reminders to go out to everyone who’s RSVP’d that they will be attending.
 
PTA presidents find that sending a Broadcast, which is a short message sent via email and/or text to members, is especially helpful for reminders during the final days leading up to the event.  

Follow-up

​Follow-up
Logistic:

• Send thank you emails. Include pictures from the event to show its impact.

PTA presidents, you can also automate thank-you emails to go out to everyone who RSVP’d as a “yes” for your event.
Strategic:

• Conduct post-event evaluation or survey for improvements next time.

The logistics of strategy
We’ve just taken a closer look at the importance of strategy and logistics in planning your event. And by understanding which types of planners you and your team members are, you can up your game in any of the areas that need work. 

Log in to get started with your next event. 

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