The Ultimate Event Planning Checklist
Events are one of the best ways to build your brand, meet new customers, and create a memorable and fun experience for everyone involved. However, actually planning, organizing, and executing an event can be a daunting task. To begin, it is first necessary to define the goals of your event. Do you want to host a trade show to sell more products? An outdoor festival to entertain customers and your community? Whatever your reasoning, it is important to plan your event in accordance with your end goals. Then, make a detailed budget, pick the date, work with sponsors, and get to work planning your event. Planning early is key; a year out is ideal, but 4 to 6 months can work if you plan carefully. For a more in-depth look, here is OTW Safety’s ultimate event planning checklist:
Choosing and Designing the Venue
The venue is crucial for creating a successful event. Choosing the city or the area of town first can help narrow down your choices, but it is important to consider logistics before making a decision. Are you going to need private, designated areas? Crowd control? Extra parking? Consider the predicted amount of people attending, the space needed for entertainment areas or vendors, and most importantly, your estimated budget. These factors will determine the minimum amount of seating, land space, road access, and bathrooms required for your event venue.
Start with the Site Map
The site map is the most important part of the event planning checklist. This map provides an aerial view of the site so that you can plan the layout of your seating, entertainment venues, bathrooms, walkways, and other details of your event. It also helps you figure out how to enclose your event area or certain areas of the venue. This provides a rough estimate for how many barricades, barriers, or fences you will need, along with the best way to design well-flowing and well-organized footpaths.
Gathering Essential Equipment and Supplies
It can be easy to forget the smaller details such as basic equipment and supplies. Plan to have water, ice, trash and recycling bins, toilets, first aid supplies, Wi-Fi (if needed), food, and video and/or sound equipment on hand for your event. Working with caterers or suppliers can help ensure that these details are taken care of. Additionally, contacting potential vendors and sponsors early can help you adapt in the future if vendors drop out before the event. Getting a rough idea of how many vendors and entertainers you want at your event is also important for arranging an accurate site map.
Prepare Signage, Logos, and Graphics
Events are an excellent opportunity to advertise your business and the businesses of sponsors. Take advantage of the number of people who will be attending your event by utilizing plastic barricades to display your logo and/or signage. Plastic barricades already are a great way to manage crowd control and provide added security and safety to your event, so adding your logo to them can kill two birds with one stone. Also, you can help increase your ROI by adding signage showcasing sponsors for the event.
Ensure Event Safety
Insurance, barricades, and on-site security are all important parts of ensuring your event’s safety. OTW Safety can recommend the necessary coverage for your unique situation. Consider using color coded barricades to easily designate areas like First Aid, Security, or restricted areas such as bars or other 21+ locations. Additionally, you can use custom signage to provide additional instructions or directions for your guests, so everyone knows exactly where to go.
Thinking Ahead— Rent or Buy?
There are plenty of pros and cons to buying vs. renting, depending on your situation. If you run multiple events in a year, considering purchasing your own barricades is a great solution. OTW’s barricades are portable and easily stored and are great indoors and outdoors. However, if you’re not in a place to buy at this time, you can also rent your barricades. Keep in mind that each time you rent, you may be shopping around, and make sure to get a quote that includes availability, delivery, and set-up costs. Luckily, here at OTW Safety, we can do all of that for you! Plus, our crowd control barricades can easily link up with any metal ones you may already have, so you can take your time as you move to upgrade and purchase your own.
Start Planning Your Event with OTW Safety!
OTW Safety can help you plan and execute your event successfully. From working with your site map to delivery & deployment of your safety equipment, our team is prepared to help you every step of the way. Contact us for help mapping out, planning, and managing your event.
