Pre-event planning: steps to take before your guests arrive

Creating a focused plan for the day of your event can help make sure that any last-minute changes and finishing touches won't fall through the cracks.

This five step pre-event planning checklist will help you anticipate any problems that may come up throughout the day, and put strategies in place to solve them before they ever happen.

1. Plan a venue walkthrough as part of your pre-event planning

Up until now, most of your planning has been abstract, and your event has only existed as a collection of ideas. Now that everything's coming together, take a moment to see if everything you've been visualizing has actually translated into reality.

Put yourself in your guests' shoes and walk through your event as if you had absolutely no idea what to expect. Is there a logical flow to your layout? Can you easily find all of the most important areas of your event? Are there any places that are prone to confusion or crowding?

If you can anticipate any problems now and identify how to solve them, it'll save you the stress and potential damage of having to put out fires once your event is in full swing. It will also help you ensure that your event's goals are clear and easily achieved. Take the opportunity to tweak your plan and strategy based on what you learned from your walkthrough.

2. Prep your tech

Events now completely rely on technology running smoothly, so be sure to take a moment to ensure that everything's charged, ready and working as it should be.

During your pre-event planning, check in with your venue to guarantee that their WiFi can handle the workload of your event. Not only will you need it for your check-in process using mobile guest list apps like zkipster, but your social media campaigns will backfire if you don't have a strong and steady Internet connection to rely on.

Make sure you have all of the cords and chargers you need, and that everyone has an easy way to plug in. Double-check that everyone who needs access to your event software, programs and apps, has it. It's little details like these that can get overlooked, but if not sorted out beforehand will clog up your flow mid-event and cause problems.

3. Delegate and define roles in your pre-event planning process

It's likely that, during the planning stages of your event, a lot of people on your team have been assisting with projects across the board. Now you have a group of people who are there to help, but without any specific on-site duties assigned to them.

Here's when you create a defined role for each person that's available to help. Maybe you've already decided who's going to handle check-in, but do you have someone your check-in team can send guests to if there are any problems? What about someone to man a general information and help desk? A go-to person for tech troubles? If you have volunteers, is there someone to manage them?

Meet one-on-one with everyone on your team during the pre-event planning phase to assign their roles and answer any questions. Each person should come away with a clear understanding of what their responsibilities are for the day, and how to carry them out.

4. Hold a team meeting

Now that everyone has a handle on what they'll be doing for the day, it's time to get everyone on the same page. First things first: familiarize your team with your event check-in process.

This is your guests' first impression of your event, so things need to run smoothly. Demonstrate how to use your check-in app or guest list, explaining any codes or notes staff need to understand, and going over any protocol that needs to be followed.

Make sure everyone on the team has answers to the questions you know your guests will be asking most frequently. Set aside time during your pre-event planning process to run through the event schedule and point out where the most important areas of your venue are. Now is also the time to discuss your safety policies and emergency contingency plans, and to prep staff on how to handle any problems that may arise.

5. Don't forget to check in with your client as part of your pre-event planning

If you're running around feeling like your head's going to explode, take comfort in the fact that there's likely at least one other person feeling the exact same way: your client. Remember that the event is really important for them too, and they're probably equally as anxious to ensure that everything goes according to plan.

Set aside some time to meet with your client and see how they're feeling, address any last-minute concerns they may have, and tour the venue. Go over your plans together and get their input on how to handle any issues that might arise.

It's especially important to address the guest list management part of your event check-in process and decide who has the authority to handle challenges like unexpected walk-ins. Should these be cleared with the client personally, or will someone be designated to manage this on their behalf?

Not only will you get to confirm that your client is satisfied with all the different aspects of your event, but you'll have the chance to re-energize each other and get excited about your event finally being here, and about to start.

Once you've got all of these bases covered, the potential for problems will be greatly minimized and you'll be fully prepared for your event.

Header image by Dylan Gillis via Unsplash