Go Live with Confidence

The 5 Critical Steps of an Effective Event-Planning Process

How did you feel the last time you hosted an event for your company? Were you confident your conference would meet your organization's goals?

The truth is that your event's success is determined long before the big week arrives. Early and deep collaboration between you and your production partner—to uncover the purpose that will then drive every detail of your engagement—determines your event's overall impact and success.

“Collaboration” sounds a bit mysterious, but it doesn’t have to be. In this blog, we’re breaking down the event-planning process into five easy—but critical—steps.

1. Identify the Shift

Behind every event is a necessary organizational change—or “shift.” Think about what’s changed since your last conference that will impact or benefit attendees. Whether your organization has a new leader, a new product to launch, or a new structure, it is crucial to identify what “shift” you want to highlight and what result you hope your announcement or showcase will achieve.

Example: Imagine you’re hosting an annual sales kick-off in which the Chief Customer Officer (CCO) will reveal an aggressive new sales goal. Rather than feeling daunted by the announcement, you want your sales team to return to work inspired and empowered. Your production partner should work with you to explore the ins and outs of this shift, uncovering the implications of the CCO's keynote and what you want audience members to take away from the event. This work provides the foundation for your next steps.

You and your production partner should work together to identify what change you are trying to drive through your event. This "shift" will become the foundation for your planning process.

2. Align on the Basics

Before jumping into tactics, your production vendor and internal teams need to align on your unique requirements. These “nitty gritty” details include both the immovable facts—the budget, the number of attendees, and the location—and the more subtle nuances of your event’s goals. Beyond the shift you’ve identified in step 1, what specific objectives must you meet for this conference to be considered a success? Who are the primary internal stakeholders beyond the attendees themselves?

Example: Let’s continue using the annual sales kick-off as an example. In this case, your production team needs to know the size of the sales organization, the number of remote and in-person attendees, and the overall return on investment (ROI) your executive team expects to achieve. In addition, during this stage you and your production partner should tease out more specific event goals—like promoting a sense of team unity—and identify key stakeholders like the CCO, whose experience at the conference will inform next year’s budget.

3. Imagine Together

Now that you’ve identified the “shift” behind your event and you’ve outlined its parameters, it’s time for you and your production partner to put your imaginations to work. This brainstorming process will help you customize your event for your organization while introducing the opportunity to create wonder and excitement. What experiences will help you achieve your goals and activate your audience? Although every conference has limitations—usually budget and time—that shouldn’t prevent a good production team from getting creative.

Example: Returning to our sales kick-off, your production partner might recommend an immersive scenic experience during the keynote presentation that creates a sense of community to motivate and unify attendees. After brainstorming which visuals, animations, auditory elements, and videos would be meaningful to your audience, your production team can move on to recommend corresponding entertainment and activities. Consider what experience might get your sales team in synch—maybe a silent disco to end the evening?

Your event should be as unique as your organization. You can ensure your conference shines by working with your event production partner to tailor the experience to your organizations objectives.

4. Create and Collaborate

This is the exciting part—bringing your event to life! So far, most of your planning has been abstract and focused on alignment. In this stage you’ll focus on the “how,” diving into the specifics that will refine your attendees’ experience. Here, your production partner should work with you to determine the content and media needed to achieve your goals. It’s also an opportunity for your partner to recommend innovative tactics such as environmental artists, laser effects, large-scale LED screens, and world-class musical performances. As plans take shape, your production partner should help you visualize how your event will come together and check in regularly to ensure their ideas hit the mark.

Example: In the final planning stages of the sales kick-off, your production partner should present renderings of both the in-person and virtual event space and demonstrate how the design of each experience fosters the unity and motivation needed within the sales organization. The production team should also review the agenda for the conference— including any activities scheduled around presentations and workshops. The team might even check the disco's setlist and make sure the 90s hip-hop favored by your CCO is heavily featured.

Following this process will help you feel confident and calm when you "go live." This event-planning process allows you and your production team to align on objectives and create a foundation for an experience that will WOW.

5. Execution and Delivery

Whether in-person or virtual, there is nothing like reaching the date of your event. Final rehearsals and setup are complete. Your vendor’s production know-how has come together to wow your team and event attendees. Unlike the previous steps, this last part of the process is less of a collaboration and more of an opportunity for you and your team to step back and assess. Has your work to align, imagine, and create left you feeling calm and confident that your event will meet your team’s objectives? If you’ve followed the steps above, the answer should be: Yes!

Example: To bring our example of the sales kick-off to a close, we can imagine that—having taken the time to align, plan, and get creative with your production partner—your team is approaching “event day” with calm excitement. You know every detail has been taken care of, and you’re confident that your sales team will walk away empowered and engaged by a flawlessly executed kick-off. The only thing left to do is attend the conference and look forward to the dance floor at the end of the day.

Choosing the Right Event Partner

Before you launch into the early stages of event planning, there is one more critical pre-planning step to consider: choosing your production partner. Before you and your team make your selection, remember to ask potential vendors how they approach the planning process and how they customize each engagement. Their approach should include the early legwork needed to discover the event’s purpose and create alignment. Check out Stagedge Creative Services to learn more about our process, developed over nearly 50 years of helping companies host spectacular events, and learn how we tailor our services to each client.