What is the first step in event planning?

What is the first step in event planning? A guide

Planning an event, especially if this is your first venture, can be a daunting task and – with so much to put in place – it can be difficult to know where to begin. To help you, we’ve put together this event planning guide, answering the commonly asked question: what is the first step in event planning? And beyond. 

What is the first step in event planning?

There are many important steps in the event planning process, even before getting to the fun and exciting parts such as booking entertainment or choosing and organising the food – we all love the food! 

Other important elements to event planning include: 

Finding and booking the ideal venue: this incorporates location – where do you want to hold your event and what do you require from a venue to ensure your event runs smoothly? If based in London, the temptation may be to hold your event in the midst of London, naturally. However, finding a venue just outside of London – and/or within a commutable distance – could work out to be more affordable for you. What’s more, a non-London central venue could include more flexibility and amenities available as part of the hire price. Don’t be afraid to ‘shop around’ for the right venue.  

Creating a guest list or deciding on a maximum capacity: gaining an understanding of how many people you require at your event will be central to a number of event planning elements such as budgeting and choosing the venue. If you’re holding an event that doesn’t need an exclusive guest list, having an idea of your minimum and maximum participant numbers will help you to more effectively plan your event. 

Setting a date: dates and times are central to event planning – not only for marketing and promotional purposes, getting people to your event – but also to ensure your set up team knows when they have to get there to set up and help out! If you’re unsure of an exact date for your event and/or you’re flexible, a great way to tackle this is to have a ideal couple of dates & times in mind, and approach venue hiring companies, asking which of your dates could be the most affordable or available. This will help you pick a date! 

Planning the programme: what do you want to offer as part of your event? For a dinner event, you’ll need to plan for a number of timings such as: arrival time, dinner time, after dinner entertainment time and closing time. If a team building event, you’ll need to work out timings such as: arrival time, lunch time, timings of activities and home time. Spending time planning a programme will help you when approaching caterers, entertainers, bar staff and any other external support you need. 

All of the above, however, doesn’t account for the first step you should take when planning an event which is… 

Defining your goals & objectives. 

What do you aim to achieve from your event and what do you want your participants to get out of it? 

Knowing this will guide all other decisions you make when planning your event. 

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